Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawang and Petaling Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawang: $735 a month against $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Petaling Jaya outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

35

Cost of Living Index in Rawang
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Rawang Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index

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Rawang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$735

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rawang and in Petaling Jaya

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

A single person spends $735 per month in Rawang vs $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Rawang $735
Petaling Jaya $1,056

A couple spends around $1,173 per month in Rawang vs $1,569 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Rawang $1,173
Petaling Jaya $1,569

A family of three spends $1,611 per month in Rawang vs $2,082 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Rawang $1,611
Petaling Jaya $2,082

Rawang is about 30% cheaper than Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Rawang and Petaling Jaya are more affordable than the global median – Rawang 46% lower, Petaling Jaya 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.15

$3.57 MYR 14.54

4.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.66 MYR 80.1

$24.39 MYR 99.4

-19.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 MYR 20.25

$4.85 MYR 19.75

2.47%

Cappuccino

$3.00 MYR 12.22

$3.08 MYR 12.53

-2.60%

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

$0.82 MYR 3.35

$0.85 MYR 3.46

-3.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.61

$0.41 MYR 1.67

-2.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.23

$3.28 MYR 13.38

28.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 MYR 18.01

$5.69 MYR 23.19

-22.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 MYR 7.30

$1.93 MYR 7.87

-7.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.23

$1.03 MYR 4.21

0.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.88

$1.44 MYR 5.87

17.36%

Eggs

$2.14 MYR 8.72

$1.77 MYR 7.21

20.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.18 MYR 57.8

$9.71 MYR 39.56

46.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.43 MYR 18.04

$3.28 MYR 13.36

35.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 MYR 41.42

$9.73 MYR 39.65

4.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MYR 11.88

$3.51 MYR 14.29

-16.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.44

$1.86 MYR 7.57

-2.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 MYR 10.77

$2.73 MYR 11.13

-3.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.82

$1.83 MYR 7.44

-21.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.98

$2.15 MYR 8.75

-43.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 MYR 5.34

$2.02 MYR 8.23

-35.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.58

$1.45 MYR 5.90

-22.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.33

$0.52 MYR 2.14

9.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.49 MYR 18.31

$4.56 MYR 18.59

-1.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.06 MYR 77.7

$19.38 MYR 79.0

-1.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 MYR 11.62

$2.64 MYR 10.75

7.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MYR 20.13

$4.48 MYR 18.24

10.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 MYR 3.12

$1.25 MYR 5.10

-38.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.26 MYR 49.97

$12.45 MYR 50.7

-1.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 MYR 7.09

$1.19 MYR 4.85

46.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 MYR 1.52

$0.35 MYR 1.44

5.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.83 MYR 27.82

$8.75 MYR 35.65

-21.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 MYR 3.37

$0.87 MYR 3.55

-4.60%

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

$43.5K MYR 177.1K

$45.9K MYR 186.9K

-5.27%

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

$35.0K MYR 142.7K

$35.3K MYR 143.9K

-0.88%

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

$36.97 MYR 151

$49.61 MYR 202

-25.48%

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

$9.75 MYR 39.71

$8.18 MYR 33.33

19.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.46 MYR 116

$27.36 MYR 111

4.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.63 MYR 153

$40.42 MYR 165

-6.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 MYR 27.31

$3.03 MYR 12.34

121.12%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.85

$5.00 MYR 20.38

-2.60%

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

$401 MYR 1,634

$273 MYR 1,112

46.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MYR 44.6K

$10.5K MYR 42.9K

4.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.1 MYR 245

$51.6 MYR 210

16.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.90 MYR 142

$29.45 MYR 120

18.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 MYR 336

$78.0 MYR 318

5.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 MYR 290

$87.2 MYR 355

-18.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$143 MYR 581

$511 MYR 2,084

-72.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$104 MYR 425

$426 MYR 1,738

-75.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 MYR 2,347

$961 MYR 3,914

-40.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 MYR 955

$699 MYR 2,849

-66.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,963 MYR 7,998

$3,144 MYR 12.8K

-37.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 MYR 4,877

$976 MYR 3,978

22.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,012 MYR 4,122

$1,746 MYR 7,115

-42.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

4.51

-7.54%

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

Last update for Rawang: October 26, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Rawang

$262 35.6%

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6% 4.8% $13

Eating Out

Rawang

$115 15.7%

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7% 2.3% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Rawang

$112 15.2%

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5% 0.9% $1

Accommodation & Living

Rawang

$104 14.2%

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4% 308% $322

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawang

$75 10.2%

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1% 13.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Rawang

$47 6.4%

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8% 6.4% $3.1

Getting Around

Rawang

$19 2.6%

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9% 7.8% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $143 in Rawang versus $511 in Petaling Jaya. 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 73% higher in Petaling Jaya. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Rawang versus $24 in Petaling Jaya. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Rawang vs $249 in Petaling Jaya – so Petaling Jaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Rawang

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

04:37 4:37 AM

Same time as Rawang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

771,687

💱 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 Petaling Jaya 26 km

From you

Rawang
Petaling Jaya

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 Petaling Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Petaling Jaya costs about 44% more than Rawang, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,103 per month in Rawang and $1,583 in Petaling Jaya. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $143 there versus $511 in Petaling Jaya.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $735 in Rawang and $1,056 in Petaling Jaya. That makes Rawang about 30% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $401 per month in Rawang and $273 in Petaling Jaya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Petaling Jaya has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $735 in Rawang to $1,056 in Petaling Jaya. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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