Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawang and Penang

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawang: $735 a month against $913 in Penang, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Penang outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

35

Cost of Living Index in Rawang
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Rawang Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index

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Rawang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$735

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rawang and in Penang

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 Penang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $735 in Rawang versus $913 in Penang.

Rawang $735
Penang $913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,173 in Rawang versus $1,403 in Penang.

Rawang $1,173
Penang $1,403

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,611 in Rawang versus $1,894 in Penang.

Rawang $1,611
Penang $1,894

Living in Rawang costs roughly 19% less than in Penang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rawang 46% lower, Penang 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.15

$3.73 MYR 15.18

-0.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.66 MYR 80.1

$19.91 MYR 81.1

-1.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 MYR 20.25

$4.78 MYR 19.47

3.97%

Cappuccino

$3.00 MYR 12.22

$2.98 MYR 12.15

0.67%

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

$0.82 MYR 3.35

$0.75 MYR 3.07

9.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.61

$0.37 MYR 1.50

8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.23

$4.06 MYR 16.55

4.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 MYR 18.01

$4.38 MYR 17.83

0.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 MYR 7.30

$1.86 MYR 7.60

-3.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.23

$1.08 MYR 4.41

-3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.88

$1.76 MYR 7.19

-3.98%

Eggs

$2.14 MYR 8.72

$2.22 MYR 9.04

-3.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.18 MYR 57.8

$13.46 MYR 54.9

5.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.43 MYR 18.04

$4.45 MYR 18.13

-0.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 MYR 41.42

$8.70 MYR 35.45

16.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MYR 11.88

$2.92 MYR 11.89

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.44

$1.65 MYR 6.72

10.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 MYR 10.77

$2.61 MYR 10.63

1.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.82

$1.40 MYR 5.70

2.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.98

$1.05 MYR 4.28

16.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 MYR 5.34

$1.12 MYR 4.55

16.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.58

$1.10 MYR 4.47

1.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.33

$0.59 MYR 2.39

-3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.49 MYR 18.31

$4.69 MYR 19.09

-4.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.06 MYR 77.7

$19.31 MYR 78.7

-1.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 MYR 11.62

$3.00 MYR 12.24

-5.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MYR 20.13

$5.41 MYR 22.04

-8.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 MYR 3.12

$0.50 MYR 2.04

54.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.26 MYR 49.97

$12.03 MYR 49.00

1.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 MYR 7.09

$1.66 MYR 6.78

4.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 MYR 1.52

$0.38 MYR 1.54

-2.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.83 MYR 27.82

$7.47 MYR 30.44

-8.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 MYR 3.37

$0.95 MYR 3.85

-12.63%

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

$43.5K MYR 177.1K

$44.2K MYR 180.1K

-1.67%

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

$35.0K MYR 142.7K

$35.8K MYR 145.7K

-2.09%

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

$36.97 MYR 151

$36.68 MYR 149

0.79%

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

$9.75 MYR 39.71

$9.56 MYR 38.94

1.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.46 MYR 116

$29.49 MYR 120

-3.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.63 MYR 153

$39.20 MYR 160

-4.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 MYR 27.31

$4.85 MYR 19.78

38.14%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.85

$4.78 MYR 19.47

1.88%

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

$401 MYR 1,634

$398 MYR 1,620

0.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MYR 44.6K

$10.6K MYR 43.2K

3.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.1 MYR 245

$60.9 MYR 248

-1.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.90 MYR 142

$35.45 MYR 144

-1.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 MYR 336

$83.6 MYR 340

-1.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 MYR 290

$70.2 MYR 286

1.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$143 MYR 581

$408 MYR 1,662

-65.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$104 MYR 425

$287 MYR 1,170

-63.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 MYR 2,347

$698 MYR 2,842

-17.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 MYR 955

$534 MYR 2,176

-56.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,963 MYR 7,998

$2,117 MYR 8,624

-7.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 MYR 4,877

$1,261 MYR 5,137

-5.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,012 MYR 4,122

$931 MYR 3,795

8.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

4.04

3.22%

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

Last update for Rawang: October 26, 2026

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Rawang

$262 35.6%

Penang

$257 28.2% 1.7% $4.6

Eating Out

Rawang

$115 15.7%

Penang

$113 12.4% 1.8% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Rawang

$112 15.2%

Penang

$113 12.3% 0.7% $0.7

Accommodation & Living

Rawang

$104 14.2%

Penang

$287 31.5% 175% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawang

$75 10.2%

Penang

$76 8.3% 0.7% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Rawang

$47 6.4%

Penang

$49 5.3% 2.9% $1.4

Getting Around

Rawang

$19 2.6%

Penang

$18 1.9% 7.1% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $143 in Rawang and $408 in Penang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rawang pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $20 in Rawang vs $20 in Penang. Groceries flip the comparison at $262 vs $257, with Penang cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Rawang

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

Same time as Rawang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

158,336

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rawang Penang 270 km

From you

Rawang
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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 Penang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rawang is about 19% cheaper overall, especially in leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Rawang, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $143 in Rawang versus $408 in Penang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $401 in Rawang versus $398 in Penang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $735 per month in Rawang versus $913 in Penang – Rawang is about 19% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Rawang and Penang are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.