Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Kinabalu and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Kinabalu: $917 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Kota Kinabalu
Learn more

Kota Kinabalu Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index

Jump to prices

Kota Kinabalu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$917

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $917 in Kota Kinabalu versus $1,822 in Seoul.

Kota Kinabalu $917
Seoul $1,822

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,429 in Kota Kinabalu versus $2,847 in Seoul.

Kota Kinabalu $1,429
Seoul $2,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,941 in Kota Kinabalu versus $3,872 in Seoul.

Kota Kinabalu $1,941
Seoul $3,872

Living in Kota Kinabalu costs roughly 50% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kota Kinabalu is 32% below, Seoul is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.59

$9.10 ₩12.2K

-60.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.54 MYR 79.8

$67.0 ₩89.8K

-70.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.92 MYR 20.09

$7.42 ₩9,941

-33.69%

Cappuccino

$2.63 MYR 10.74

$4.08 ₩5,470

-35.54%

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

$0.60 MYR 2.44

$1.60 ₩2,141

-62.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 MYR 1.22

$0.80 ₩1,078

-62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 MYR 9.75

$3.65 ₩4,886

-34.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 MYR 15.27

$5.94 ₩7,956

-37.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.11

$2.05 ₩2,742

-15.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 MYR 5.23

$3.08 ₩4,130

-58.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 MYR 9.23

$4.21 ₩5,646

-46.32%

Eggs

$3.46 MYR 14.13

$3.57 ₩4,784

-3.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.33 MYR 116

$17.95 ₩24.1K

57.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.69 MYR 15.05

$10.64 ₩14.3K

-65.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.68 MYR 27.27

$26.44 ₩35.4K

-74.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 MYR 9.15

$7.42 ₩9,946

-69.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.84

$3.53 ₩4,732

-59.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MYR 7.91

$5.87 ₩7,866

-66.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 MYR 8.13

$6.37 ₩8,534

-68.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.81

$3.75 ₩5,028

-55.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 MYR 8.71

$2.49 ₩3,337

-14.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 MYR 3.84

$2.92 ₩3,911

-67.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$1.15 ₩1,542

-59.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.92 MYR 20.10

$3.29 ₩4,408

49.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.84 MYR 64.7

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-14.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.63 MYR 14.81

$2.28 ₩3,057

59.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 MYR 10.07

$3.28 ₩4,398

-24.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 MYR 7.80

$1.14 ₩1,526

67.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.92 MYR 171

$45.47 ₩60.9K

-7.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 MYR 7.82

$3.48 ₩4,663

-45.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 MYR 0.94

$0.60 ₩803

-61.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 MYR 3.11

$1.50 ₩2,004

-49.33%

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

$42.1K MYR 172.1K

$29.1K ₩39.0M

44.72%

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

$35.6K MYR 145.5K

$28.2K ₩37.8M

26.39%

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

$70.5 MYR 288

$209 ₩279.9K

-66.26%

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

$9.69 MYR 39.56

$35.13 ₩47.1K

-72.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.36 MYR 132

$21.18 ₩28.4K

52.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 MYR 214

$57.3 ₩76.8K

-8.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.09 MYR 12.64

$15.89 ₩21.3K

-80.55%

Cinema Ticket

$5.22 MYR 21.31

$11.33 ₩15.2K

-53.93%

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

$141 MYR 575

$1,902 ₩2.5M

-92.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,995 MYR 28.6K

$22.5K ₩30.2M

-68.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 MYR 333

$58.9 ₩78.9K

38.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.64 MYR 150

$32.12 ₩43.0K

14.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 MYR 382

$70.1 ₩94.0K

33.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.75 MYR 199

$82.5 ₩110.5K

-40.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$425 MYR 1,735

$885 ₩1.2M

-51.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 MYR 788

$624 ₩835.5K

-69.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$679 MYR 2,771

$2,494 ₩3.3M

-72.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 MYR 1,501

$1,275 ₩1.7M

-71.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,848 MYR 7,546

$29.8K ₩40.0M

-93.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 MYR 4,489

$11.8K ₩15.9M

-90.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 MYR 2,419

$3,649 ₩4.9M

-83.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

4.08

-4.41%

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

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 3, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kota Kinabalu

$288 31.1%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 66.6% $192

Accommodation & Living

Kota Kinabalu

$193 20.9%

Seoul

$624 34.7% 223% $431

Clothing & Footwear

Kota Kinabalu

$117 12.7%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 6.5% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kota Kinabalu

$113 12.2%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 136% $153

Eating Out

Kota Kinabalu

$98 10.6%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 87.6% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Kota Kinabalu

$63 6.8%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 27.5% $17

Getting Around

Kota Kinabalu

$53 5.7%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 7.4% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $425 in Kota Kinabalu and $885 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 516% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $20.00 in Kota Kinabalu vs $67.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $479 per month, with Kota Kinabalu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

20:35 8:35 PM

1 h ahead of Kota Kinabalu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,425

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kota Kinabalu Seoul 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Kota Kinabalu
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

Kota Kinabalu vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kota Kinabalu wins on cost – living expenses run 99% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kota Kinabalu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 516% lower in Seoul. 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: $425 in Kota Kinabalu versus $885 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kota Kinabalu runs roughly 8% less than in Seoul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $141 in Kota Kinabalu versus $1,902 in Seoul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $917 in Kota Kinabalu versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kota Kinabalu but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Kota Kinabalu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kota Kinabalu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $917 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kota Kinabalu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kota Kinabalu and Seoul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kota Kinabalu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 99% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.