Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Ampang Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Ampang Jaya: $1,009 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Ampang Jaya
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Ampang Jaya Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Ampang Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Ampang Jaya

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $1,009 in Ampang Jaya, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Ampang Jaya $1,009

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,506 in Ampang Jaya, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Ampang Jaya $1,506

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $2,003 in Ampang Jaya, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Ampang Jaya $2,003

Seoul costs about 78% more than Ampang Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Ampang Jaya is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.69 MYR 15.07

138.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$24.43 MYR 99.6

179.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.95 MYR 20.19

52.32%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$3.06 MYR 12.48

38.24%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.93 MYR 3.79

75.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.55 MYR 2.26

34.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$4.37 MYR 17.82

-16.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$6.42 MYR 26.19

-4.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.74 MYR 7.10

15.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.08 MYR 4.41

189.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.50 MYR 6.10

188.00%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.76 MYR 7.18

105.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$9.99 MYR 40.76

78.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.47 MYR 14.16

201.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$9.91 MYR 40.42

160.34%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.37 MYR 13.73

127.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.69 MYR 6.91

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$3.21 MYR 13.09

81.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.62 MYR 6.62

295.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.43 MYR 5.83

162.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.72 MYR 7.02

47.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.38 MYR 5.61

105.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.52 MYR 2.13

113.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$4.54 MYR 18.51

-26.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$19.73 MYR 80.5

-6.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$2.85 MYR 11.61

-15.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$4.58 MYR 18.70

-26.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$1.01 MYR 4.10

12.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$19.59 MYR 79.9

135.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$1.25 MYR 5.08

179.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.35 MYR 1.44

80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$6.21 MYR 25.33

42.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.87 MYR 3.55

73.56%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$42.5K MYR 173.4K

-31.12%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$34.6K MYR 141.0K

-18.36%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$48.90 MYR 199

344.83%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$11.23 MYR 45.79

213.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$28.37 MYR 116

-24.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$36.16 MYR 148

60.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$7.54 MYR 30.76

113.53%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$5.04 MYR 20.54

124.40%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$193 MYR 786

910.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$4,453 MYR 18.2K

413.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$53.2 MYR 217

7.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$30.19 MYR 123

10.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$81.6 MYR 333

-12.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$86.6 MYR 353

-4.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$436 MYR 1,780

106.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$364 MYR 1,484

68.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$1,491 MYR 6,083

69.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$590 MYR 2,407

114.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$836 MYR 3,412

336.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

4.51

-9.53%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ampang Jaya: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Ampang Jaya

$364 36.1% 40.6% $248

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Ampang Jaya

$249 24.7% 47.9% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Ampang Jaya

$88 8.8% 67.7% $185

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Ampang Jaya

$122 12.1% 33.8% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Ampang Jaya

$113 11.2% 2.9% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Ampang Jaya

$46 4.6% 42.7% $34

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Ampang Jaya

$27 2.6% 53.6% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $436 in Ampang Jaya. 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 336% 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 $68.0 in Seoul versus $24.00 in Ampang Jaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $249 – making Ampang Jaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇾 Ampang Jaya

🕒 Local time

17:20 5:20 PM

16:20 4:20 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

531,904

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

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).

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 KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Ampang Jaya 4,610 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Ampang Jaya

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

Seoul vs Ampang Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,794 in Seoul, $1,009 in Ampang Jaya – roughly 78% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $1,513 in Ampang Jaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,794 in Seoul and $1,009 in Ampang Jaya. That's a gap of about 78%.

Public transport costs about 135% less in Ampang Jaya. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ampang Jaya, where all-in costs run around $1,009, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Ampang Jaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ampang Jaya – 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 Ampang Jaya. 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.