Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawang and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawang: $741 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Rawang
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Rawang Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Rawang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$741

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rawang and in Almaty

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Rawang and in Almaty actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $741 per month in Rawang vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Rawang $741
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,183 per month in Rawang vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Rawang $1,183
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,624 per month in Rawang vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Rawang $1,624
Almaty $2,913

Rawang is about 46% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Rawang sits 45% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 MYR 15.31

$13.16 ₸5,949

-71.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.68 MYR 80.3

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-56.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 MYR 20.55

$8.90 ₸4,022

-43.37%

Cappuccino

$2.99 MYR 12.20

$3.25 ₸1,469

-8.00%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MYR 3.38

$1.41 ₸639

-41.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.61

$0.88 ₸399

-55.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.25 MYR 17.33

$3.35 ₸1,513

26.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MYR 17.89

$4.04 ₸1,827

8.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 MYR 7.96

$1.69 ₸762

15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.26

$0.86 ₸390

20.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.19

$2.03 ₸917

-13.30%

Eggs

$2.23 MYR 9.08

$2.43 ₸1,100

-8.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.15 MYR 57.7

$12.46 ₸5,632

13.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 MYR 18.29

$6.71 ₸3,033

-33.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 MYR 40.19

$10.85 ₸4,905

-9.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 MYR 12.49

$1.80 ₸813

70.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 MYR 7.49

$2.25 ₸1,018

-18.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 MYR 10.73

$2.91 ₸1,314

-9.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.89

$2.75 ₸1,243

-47.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.37

$0.75 ₸337

76.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.43

$0.55 ₸248

141.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 MYR 4.80

$1.62 ₸732

-27.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.34

$1.05 ₸474

-45.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 MYR 18.53

$2.58 ₸1,167

75.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.13 MYR 78.1

$11.15 ₸5,042

71.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 MYR 12.09

$1.21 ₸547

144.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 MYR 20.75

$2.44 ₸1,104

108.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 MYR 3.12

$0.26 ₸117

196.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.31 MYR 50.2

$22.03 ₸9,957

-44.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MYR 6.77

$1.35 ₸611

22.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 MYR 1.52

$0.64 ₸288

-42.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.88 MYR 28.05

$11.16 ₸5,044

-38.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 MYR 3.64

$0.72 ₸324

23.61%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$42.4K MYR 173.0K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

88.29%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.7K MYR 141.4K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

14.49%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$36.56 MYR 149

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-60.18%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$9.78 MYR 39.90

$10.66 ₸4,820

-8.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.31 MYR 120

$17.86 ₸8,072

64.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.87 MYR 163

$70.3 ₸31.8K

-43.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.13 MYR 29.08

$27.60 ₸12.5K

-74.17%

Cinema Ticket

$4.90 MYR 19.99

$6.78 ₸3,064

-27.73%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$301 MYR 1,227

$449 ₸202.9K

-32.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MYR 44.6K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

-9.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 244

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-33.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.75 MYR 146

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-23.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 MYR 337

$142 ₸64.1K

-41.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 MYR 289

$133 ₸60.0K

-46.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$140 MYR 569

$805 ₸363.7K

-82.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$103 MYR 421

$500 ₸225.9K

-79.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 MYR 2,354

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-59.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 MYR 945

$904 ₸408.8K

-74.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,051 MYR 8,368

$2,503 ₸1.1M

-18.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,090 MYR 4,445

$1,559 ₸704.7K

-30.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,035 MYR 4,223

$870 ₸393.3K

18.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.18

20.65

-79.76%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Rawang: October 11, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Rawang

$266 35.9%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 5.8% $15

Eating Out

Rawang

$116 15.6%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 76.8% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Rawang

$112 15.1%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 65.2% $73

Accommodation & Living

Rawang

$103 13.9%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 384% $396

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawang

$76 10.2%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 59.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Rawang

$50 6.7%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 68.9% $34

Getting Around

Rawang

$19 2.6%

Almaty

$28 2% 46.1% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $140 in Rawang versus $805 in Almaty. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 19% higher in Rawang, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Rawang versus $45.00 in Almaty. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Rawang vs $250 in Almaty – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Rawang

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

08:50 8:50 AM

06:50 6:50 AM

2 h behind Rawang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rawang Almaty 5,060 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rawang
Almaty

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Rawang vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 85%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,112 per month in Rawang and $2,058 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rawang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Rawang and $45.00 in Almaty. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $741 in Rawang and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 85%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rawang, where all-in costs run around $741, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Rawang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rawang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Rawang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Almaty makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.