Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuching: $887 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
Learn more

Kuching Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index

Jump to prices

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$887

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $887 in Kuching versus $1,822 in Seoul.

Kuching $887
Seoul $1,822

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,389 in Kuching versus $2,847 in Seoul.

Kuching $1,389
Seoul $2,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,892 in Kuching versus $3,872 in Seoul.

Kuching $1,892
Seoul $3,872

Living in Kuching costs roughly 51% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kuching is 34% below, Seoul is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 MYR 13.60

$9.10 ₩12.2K

-63.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.53 MYR 100

$67.0 ₩89.8K

-63.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.87 MYR 19.89

$7.42 ₩9,941

-34.37%

Cappuccino

$3.17 MYR 12.93

$4.08 ₩5,470

-22.30%

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

$0.74 MYR 3.04

$1.60 ₩2,141

-53.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.47

$0.80 ₩1,078

-55.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.51 MYR 18.43

$3.65 ₩4,886

23.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 MYR 25.15

$5.94 ₩7,956

3.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 MYR 9.42

$2.05 ₩2,742

12.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 MYR 5.16

$3.08 ₩4,130

-59.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 MYR 4.68

$4.21 ₩5,646

-72.68%

Eggs

$2.46 MYR 10.03

$3.57 ₩4,784

-31.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 MYR 44.72

$17.95 ₩24.1K

-39.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 MYR 18.17

$10.64 ₩14.3K

-58.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.90 MYR 40.42

$26.44 ₩35.4K

-62.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.93

$7.42 ₩9,946

-57.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MYR 5.59

$3.53 ₩4,732

-61.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 MYR 9.80

$5.87 ₩7,866

-59.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.42

$6.37 ₩8,534

-71.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.75

$3.75 ₩5,028

-62.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.86

$2.49 ₩3,337

-52.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 MYR 6.35

$2.92 ₩3,911

-46.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.22

$1.15 ₩1,542

-53.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 MYR 18.41

$3.29 ₩4,408

37.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.59 MYR 88.2

$18.49 ₩24.8K

16.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.06 MYR 16.58

$2.28 ₩3,057

78.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.19 MYR 21.19

$3.28 ₩4,398

58.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 MYR 2.37

$1.14 ₩1,526

-49.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.36 MYR 50.5

$45.47 ₩60.9K

-72.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 MYR 4.09

$3.48 ₩4,663

-71.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MYR 5.06

$0.60 ₩803

106.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 MYR 33.99

$8.70 ₩11.7K

-4.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 MYR 3.68

$1.50 ₩2,004

-40.00%

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

$40.9K MYR 167.2K

$29.1K ₩39.0M

40.64%

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

$36.1K MYR 147.4K

$28.2K ₩37.8M

28.08%

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

$35.18 MYR 144

$209 ₩279.9K

-83.16%

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

$9.95 MYR 40.63

$35.13 ₩47.1K

-71.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.26 MYR 103

$21.18 ₩28.4K

19.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.24 MYR 123

$57.3 ₩76.8K

-47.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.38 MYR 50.6

$15.89 ₩21.3K

-22.09%

Cinema Ticket

$4.83 MYR 19.72

$11.33 ₩15.2K

-57.37%

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

$135 MYR 551

$1,902 ₩2.5M

-92.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,000 MYR 28.6K

$22.5K ₩30.2M

-68.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.3 MYR 258

$58.9 ₩78.9K

7.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.67 MYR 154

$32.12 ₩43.0K

17.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 MYR 368

$70.1 ₩94.0K

28.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.8 MYR 269

$82.5 ₩110.5K

-20.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 MYR 1,471

$885 ₩1.2M

-59.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$245 MYR 1,001

$624 ₩835.5K

-60.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$647 MYR 2,642

$2,494 ₩3.3M

-74.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 MYR 1,953

$1,275 ₩1.7M

-62.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,073 MYR 8,464

$29.8K ₩40.0M

-93.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,508 MYR 6,157

$11.8K ₩15.9M

-87.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$530 MYR 2,165

$3,649 ₩4.9M

-85.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

4.08

7.11%

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

Last update for Kuching: October 5, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$271 30.7%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 76.9% $208

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$245 27.8%

Seoul

$624 34.7% 154% $378

Eating Out

Kuching

$119 13.4%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 55% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$116 13.1%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 5.1% $5.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$70 8%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 277% $195

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$40 4.5%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 101% $40

Getting Around

Kuching

$22 2.5%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 158% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $360 in Kuching and $885 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 588% 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: $25.00 in Kuching vs $67.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 vs $479 per month, with Kuching cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

12:24 12:24 PM

1 h ahead of Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

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 = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 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 = 0.218 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuching Seoul 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
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

Kuching vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuching is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 105% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 588% 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: $360 in Kuching versus $885 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kuching – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $67.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $887 per month in Kuching versus $1,822 in Seoul – a 105% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $887 in Kuching versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kuching but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Kuching the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kuching is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Seoul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Kuching 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 Kuching gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.