Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Rawang

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawang: $741 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Rawang
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Rawang Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Rawang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Rawang

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $741 in Rawang, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Rawang $741

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,183 in Rawang, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Rawang $1,183

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,624 in Rawang, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Rawang $1,624

Sydney costs about 325% more than Rawang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Rawang is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.75 MYR 15.31

368.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$19.68 MYR 80.3

364.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$5.04 MYR 20.55

137.30%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.99 MYR 12.20

36.12%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.83 MYR 3.38

243.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.39 MYR 1.61

476.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$4.25 MYR 17.33

78.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$4.39 MYR 17.89

69.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.95 MYR 7.96

-14.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.04 MYR 4.26

167.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.76 MYR 7.19

37.50%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$2.23 MYR 9.08

152.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$14.15 MYR 57.7

-17.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.48 MYR 18.29

115.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$9.85 MYR 40.19

70.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.06 MYR 12.49

33.01%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.84 MYR 7.49

76.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.63 MYR 10.73

30.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.44 MYR 5.89

197.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.32 MYR 5.37

148.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.33 MYR 5.43

72.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.18 MYR 4.80

94.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.57 MYR 2.34

112.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$4.54 MYR 18.53

862.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$19.13 MYR 78.1

-27.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$2.96 MYR 12.09

31.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$5.09 MYR 20.75

-23.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.77 MYR 3.12

294.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$12.31 MYR 50.2

1120.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.66 MYR 6.77

103.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.37 MYR 1.52

321.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$6.88 MYR 28.05

481.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.89 MYR 3.64

57.30%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$42.4K MYR 173.0K

-31.32%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$34.7K MYR 141.4K

-13.07%

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

$223 A$320

$36.56 MYR 149

508.86%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$9.78 MYR 39.90

177.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$29.31 MYR 120

90.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$39.87 MYR 163

87.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$7.13 MYR 29.08

236.47%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$4.90 MYR 19.99

258.37%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$301 MYR 1,227

630.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$10.9K MYR 44.6K

157.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$59.8 MYR 244

31.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$35.75 MYR 146

91.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$82.6 MYR 337

34.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$70.9 MYR 289

89.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$140 MYR 569

1692.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$103 MYR 421

1555.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$577 MYR 2,354

757.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$232 MYR 945

1204.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,051 MYR 8,368

541.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,090 MYR 4,445

668.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$1,035 MYR 4,223

297.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

4.18

39.71%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rawang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Rawang

$103 13.9% 94% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Rawang

$266 35.9% 29.8% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Rawang

$76 10.2% 75.2% $230

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Rawang

$116 15.6% 61.2% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Rawang

$112 15.1% 36.6% $65

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Rawang

$19 2.6% 89.1% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Rawang

$50 6.7% 54.7% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $140 in Rawang. 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 297% higher in Sydney, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney versus $20.00 in Rawang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $266 – making Rawang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇾 Rawang

🕒 Local time

18:19 6:19 PM

15:19 3:19 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

50,000

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

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).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Rawang 6,640 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Rawang

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

Sydney vs Rawang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney costs about 325% more than Rawang, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $1,112 in Rawang. 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.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Sydney, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney and $20.00 in Rawang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rawang, where all-in costs run around $741, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Rawang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney 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, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.