Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawang and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawang: $735 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Rawang
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Rawang Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Rawang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$735

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rawang and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $735 in Rawang versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Rawang $735
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,173 in Rawang versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Rawang $1,173
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,611 in Rawang versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Rawang $1,611
Phuket $3,154

Living in Rawang costs roughly 42% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rawang 46% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.15

$4.47 ฿151

-16.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.66 MYR 80.1

$32.41 ฿1,094

-39.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 MYR 20.25

$8.81 ฿297

-43.59%

Cappuccino

$3.00 MYR 12.22

$2.83 ฿95.5

6.01%

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

$0.82 MYR 3.35

$0.87 ฿29.43

-5.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.61

$0.49 ฿16.67

-18.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.23

$2.56 ฿86.4

65.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 MYR 18.01

$3.68 ฿124

20.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 MYR 7.30

$1.66 ฿56.0

7.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.23

$1.46 ฿49.35

-28.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.88

$1.50 ฿50.6

12.67%

Eggs

$2.14 MYR 8.72

$2.09 ฿70.5

2.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.18 MYR 57.8

$19.07 ฿644

-25.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.43 MYR 18.04

$3.30 ฿111

34.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 MYR 41.42

$10.91 ฿368

-6.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MYR 11.88

$2.93 ฿99.0

-0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.44

$1.69 ฿57.1

7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 MYR 10.77

$2.25 ฿75.8

17.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.82

$2.08 ฿70.1

-31.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.98

$1.51 ฿51.0

-19.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 MYR 5.34

$1.38 ฿46.56

-5.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.58

$1.07 ฿35.99

4.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.33

$0.52 ฿17.52

9.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.49 MYR 18.31

$4.20 ฿142

6.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.06 MYR 77.7

$18.79 ฿634

1.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 MYR 11.62

$1.82 ฿61.5

56.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MYR 20.13

$2.84 ฿95.9

73.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 MYR 3.12

$1.45 ฿49.03

-46.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.26 MYR 49.97

$56.7 ฿1,913

-78.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 MYR 7.09

$3.02 ฿102

-42.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 MYR 1.52

$1.02 ฿34.36

-63.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.83 MYR 27.82

$3.69 ฿125

85.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 MYR 3.37

$1.47 ฿49.81

-43.54%

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

$43.5K MYR 177.1K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

62.29%

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

$35.0K MYR 142.7K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

31.18%

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

$36.97 MYR 151

$96.4 ฿3,254

-61.63%

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

$9.75 MYR 39.71

$11.26 ฿380

-13.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.46 MYR 116

$16.85 ฿569

68.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.63 MYR 153

$67.2 ฿2,270

-44.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 MYR 27.31

$10.73 ฿362

-37.56%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.85

$7.50 ฿253

-35.07%

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

$401 MYR 1,634

$476 ฿16.1K

-15.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MYR 44.6K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-2.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.1 MYR 245

$62.4 ฿2,106

-3.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.90 MYR 142

$28.41 ฿959

22.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 MYR 336

$94.3 ฿3,184

-12.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 MYR 290

$85.8 ฿2,898

-17.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$143 MYR 581

$716 ฿24.2K

-80.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$104 MYR 425

$491 ฿16.6K

-78.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 MYR 2,347

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-70.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 MYR 955

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-83.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,963 MYR 7,998

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-52.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 MYR 4,877

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-60.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,012 MYR 4,122

$502 ฿17.0K

101.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

5.57

-25.13%

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

Last update for Rawang: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Rawang

$262 35.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 1.6% $4.3

Eating Out

Rawang

$115 15.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 5.4% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Rawang

$112 15.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 9% $10

Accommodation & Living

Rawang

$104 14.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 370% $386

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawang

$75 10.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 65.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Rawang

$47 6.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 73.6% $35

Getting Around

Rawang

$19 2.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 273% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $143 in Rawang and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rawang pays about 2 times 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 $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $266 per month, with Rawang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Rawang

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:04 6:04 AM

05:04 5:04 AM

1 h behind Rawang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rawang Phuket 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rawang
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rawang is about 42% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Rawang is about 2 times higher, 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 $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $401 in Rawang versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rawang – a meal for two runs $20 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.