Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheras and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheras: $1,130 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Cheras
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Cheras Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Cheras

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,130

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cheras and in Seoul

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

A single person spends $1,130 per month in Cheras vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

Cheras $1,130
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $1,541 per month in Cheras vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

Cheras $1,541
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $1,952 per month in Cheras vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

Cheras $1,952
Seoul $3,931

Cheras is about 37% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cheras sits 16% below the global median, while Seoul is 33% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.58 MYR 14.62

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-59.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.28 MYR 99.1

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-64.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.80 MYR 19.57

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-36.34%

Cappuccino

$3.08 MYR 12.55

$4.23 ₩5,624

-27.19%

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

$0.93 MYR 3.79

$1.63 ₩2,167

-42.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 MYR 2.44

$0.74 ₩985

-18.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.35 MYR 17.75

$3.64 ₩4,843

19.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.25 MYR 25.50

$6.15 ₩8,175

1.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.88

$2.01 ₩2,679

-3.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 MYR 4.18

$3.13 ₩4,164

-67.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.89

$4.32 ₩5,744

-66.67%

Eggs

$1.77 MYR 7.23

$3.61 ₩4,794

-50.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.85 MYR 72.8

$17.83 ₩23.7K

0.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MYR 18.60

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-56.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.81 MYR 44.09

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-58.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 MYR 14.50

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-53.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MYR 7.91

$3.38 ₩4,499

-42.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 MYR 10.73

$5.81 ₩7,723

-54.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.80

$6.41 ₩8,520

-73.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 MYR 8.48

$3.75 ₩4,983

-44.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.72

$2.54 ₩3,375

-35.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 MYR 5.63

$2.84 ₩3,782

-51.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.07

$1.11 ₩1,472

-54.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.24 MYR 17.30

$3.35 ₩4,455

26.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 MYR 56.6

$18.49 ₩24.6K

-24.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 MYR 11.30

$2.40 ₩3,185

15.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 MYR 12.83

$3.37 ₩4,480

-6.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.87

$1.14 ₩1,521

-38.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.03 MYR 49.08

$46.11 ₩61.3K

-73.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 MYR 4.13

$3.49 ₩4,643

-71.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$0.63 ₩840

-44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.96 MYR 36.57

$8.86 ₩11.8K

1.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 MYR 3.58

$1.51 ₩2,005

-41.72%

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

$40.9K MYR 167.0K

$29.3K ₩38.9M

39.87%

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

$34.0K MYR 138.7K

$28.2K ₩37.5M

20.53%

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

$49.67 MYR 203

$218 ₩289.2K

-77.17%

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

$11.06 MYR 45.10

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-68.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.31 MYR 111

$21.29 ₩28.3K

28.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.42 MYR 161

$58.1 ₩77.2K

-32.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.14 MYR 29.13

$16.10 ₩21.4K

-55.65%

Cinema Ticket

$4.99 MYR 20.36

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-55.88%

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

$164 MYR 667

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-91.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,451 MYR 18.2K

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-80.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 MYR 221

$57.0 ₩75.8K

-4.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.39 MYR 120

$33.39 ₩44.4K

-11.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 MYR 332

$71.5 ₩95.0K

13.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.6 MYR 402

$82.5 ₩109.7K

19.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 MYR 1,669

$901 ₩1.2M

-54.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 MYR 1,906

$612 ₩813.5K

-23.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$687 MYR 2,803

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-72.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$485 MYR 1,977

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-61.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,052 MYR 8,372

$29.4K ₩39.1M

-93.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,103 MYR 4,501

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-90.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,189 MYR 4,851

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-67.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

4.08

-0.49%

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

Last update for Cheras: October 11, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cheras

$467 41.4%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 31% $145

Groceries & Markets

Cheras

$268 23.8%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 77.6% $208

Eating Out

Cheras

$120 10.7%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 52.7% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Cheras

$119 10.5%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 7.3% $8.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheras

$88 7.8%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 211% $186

Sport & Entertainment

Cheras

$49 4.4%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 63.4% $31

Getting Around

Cheras

$18 1.6%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 225% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $409 in Cheras versus $901 in Seoul. 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 207% higher in Seoul, 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 $24.00 in Cheras versus $68.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $477 – making Cheras the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Cheras

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

10:34 10:34 AM

1 h ahead of Cheras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

440,000

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, 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).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cheras Seoul 4,620 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cheras
Seoul

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

Cheras vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,695 per month in Cheras and $2,692 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 78% more in Seoul, 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 $24.00 in Cheras and $68.0 in Seoul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cheras, where all-in costs run around $1,130, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Cheras it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cheras – 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 Cheras. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.