Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kedah and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kedah: $877 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Kedah
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Kedah Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Kedah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kedah 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 Kedah and in Seoul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $877 in Kedah versus $1,848 in Seoul.

Kedah $877
Seoul $1,848

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,399 in Kedah versus $2,986 in Seoul.

Kedah $1,399
Seoul $2,986

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,920 in Kedah versus $4,125 in Seoul.

Kedah $1,920
Seoul $4,125

Living in Kedah costs roughly 53% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kedah is 36% below, Seoul is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.14

$9.05 ₩12.1K

-58.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.32 MYR 50.2

$68.3 ₩91.8K

-81.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 MYR 18.59

$7.35 ₩9,868

-37.96%

Cappuccino

$2.91 MYR 11.87

$4.12 ₩5,530

-29.37%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.14

$1.64 ₩2,207

-53.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.59

$0.81 ₩1,083

-51.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.24 MYR 17.26

$3.71 ₩4,980

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MYR 17.75

$6.13 ₩8,236

-28.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.66

$2.04 ₩2,742

-7.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 MYR 4.32

$3.21 ₩4,311

-66.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 6.99

$4.39 ₩5,892

-60.82%

Eggs

$2.19 MYR 8.91

$3.59 ₩4,822

-39.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 MYR 55.2

$18.23 ₩24.5K

-25.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.69

$10.51 ₩14.1K

-58.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.84 MYR 36.02

$26.89 ₩36.1K

-67.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 MYR 11.98

$7.86 ₩10.5K

-62.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.65

$3.53 ₩4,739

-53.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 MYR 11.20

$5.70 ₩7,660

-51.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.92

$6.18 ₩8,296

-76.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 MYR 4.48

$3.76 ₩5,053

-70.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 MYR 4.43

$2.51 ₩3,373

-56.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.61

$2.82 ₩3,780

-59.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.34

$1.11 ₩1,490

-48.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.62 MYR 18.83

$3.30 ₩4,432

40.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.76 MYR 76.5

$18.64 ₩25.0K

0.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 MYR 12.15

$2.42 ₩3,248

23.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 MYR 21.72

$3.36 ₩4,509

58.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.10

$1.19 ₩1,600

-36.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.85 MYR 52.4

$46.13 ₩61.9K

-72.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MYR 6.76

$3.55 ₩4,770

-53.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.54

$0.60 ₩810

-36.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.29 MYR 29.70

$9.08 ₩12.2K

-19.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 MYR 2.46

$1.44 ₩1,931

-58.33%

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

$45.6K MYR 185.9K

$30.3K ₩40.6M

50.78%

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

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

$28.9K ₩38.8M

24.05%

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

$36.47 MYR 149

$213 ₩285.4K

-82.84%

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

$9.66 MYR 39.35

$35.83 ₩48.1K

-73.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.48 MYR 120

$21.39 ₩28.7K

37.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.63 MYR 141

$61.6 ₩82.8K

-43.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.85 MYR 27.92

$16.41 ₩22.0K

-58.26%

Cinema Ticket

$4.79 MYR 19.53

$11.42 ₩15.3K

-58.06%

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

$388 MYR 1,579

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-80.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MYR 43.4K

$22.8K ₩30.6M

-53.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 MYR 240

$59.8 ₩80.3K

-1.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.76 MYR 142

$34.19 ₩45.9K

1.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 MYR 333

$66.0 ₩88.6K

23.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.7 MYR 288

$81.9 ₩110.0K

-13.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 MYR 1,458

$924 ₩1.2M

-61.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$258 MYR 1,051

$659 ₩885.1K

-60.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 MYR 2,902

$3,012 ₩4.0M

-76.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 MYR 2,472

$1,440 ₩1.9M

-57.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,930 MYR 7,865

$27.2K ₩36.5M

-92.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,258 MYR 5,124

$11.3K ₩15.2M

-88.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,339 MYR 5,456

$3,570 ₩4.8M

-62.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

4.08

-0.98%

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

Last update for Kedah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kedah

$258 29.4%

Seoul

$659 35.7% 156% $401

Groceries & Markets

Kedah

$257 29.3%

Seoul

$483 26.2% 88.4% $227

Eating Out

Kedah

$113 12.9%

Seoul

$184 10% 63.4% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Kedah

$111 12.6%

Seoul

$109 5.9% 1.6% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kedah

$76 8.6%

Seoul

$270 14.6% 257% $194

Sport & Entertainment

Kedah

$44 5%

Seoul

$84 4.6% 91% $40

Getting Around

Kedah

$19 2.2%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 196% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $358 in Kedah and $924 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $12 in Kedah vs $68 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $483 per month, with Kedah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kedah

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

04:18 4:18 AM

05:18 5:18 AM

1 h ahead of Kedah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

417,800

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kedah Seoul 4,410 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Kedah
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

Kedah vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $877 in Kedah and $1,848 in Seoul, so Kedah is about 53% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 62% lower in Kedah. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $358 in Kedah versus $924 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $388 in Kedah versus $1,948 in Seoul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 88% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $877 in Kedah versus $1,848 in Seoul, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kedah but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Kedah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Kedah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.