Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Bayan Lepas

For one person, living is cheaper in Bayan Lepas: $737 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Bayan Lepas
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Bayan Lepas Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Bayan Lepas

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Bayan Lepas

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 Bayan Lepas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,822 in Seoul versus $737 in Bayan Lepas.

Seoul $1,822
Bayan Lepas $737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,847 in Seoul versus $1,228 in Bayan Lepas.

Seoul $2,847
Bayan Lepas $1,228

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,872 in Seoul versus $1,718 in Bayan Lepas.

Seoul $3,872
Bayan Lepas $1,718

Living in Seoul is roughly 147% more expensive than in Bayan Lepas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 36% above, Bayan Lepas is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$3.11 MYR 12.69

192.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$17.08 MYR 69.7

292.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$4.07 MYR 16.61

82.31%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$2.82 MYR 11.53

44.68%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$0.85 MYR 3.46

88.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$0.59 MYR 2.42

35.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$4.76 MYR 19.42

-23.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$4.78 MYR 19.53

24.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$2.50 MYR 10.20

-18.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$0.95 MYR 3.86

224.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$0.90 MYR 3.67

367.78%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$2.03 MYR 8.28

75.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$3.41 MYR 13.94

212.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$6.75 MYR 27.57

291.70%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$3.08 MYR 12.57

140.91%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$1.60 MYR 6.52

120.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$3.15 MYR 12.86

86.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$1.19 MYR 4.87

435.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$1.32 MYR 5.38

184.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$1.21 MYR 4.93

105.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$0.71 MYR 2.89

311.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$0.67 MYR 2.74

71.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$5.08 MYR 20.73

-35.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$19.89 MYR 81.2

-7.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$0.67 MYR 2.74

70.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

$14.74 MYR 60.2

208.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$1.61 MYR 6.57

116.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$0.74 MYR 3.03

102.70%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$24.26 MYR 99.1

760.96%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$11.88 MYR 48.49

195.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$30.77 MYR 126

-31.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$29.52 MYR 121

94.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$7.26 MYR 29.64

118.87%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$4.87 MYR 19.87

132.65%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$39.73 MYR 162

48.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$26.50 MYR 108

21.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$65.2 MYR 266

7.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$82.3 MYR 336

0.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$194 MYR 791

356.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$222 MYR 907

180.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$499 MYR 2,036

400.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$575 MYR 2,347

121.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$970 MYR 3,960

276.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.5

16.57%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bayan Lepas: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Bayan Lepas

$222 30.1% 64.4% $402

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Bayan Lepas

$184 * 25% 61.6% $295

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Bayan Lepas

$67 9.1% 74.8% $198

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Bayan Lepas

$110 14.9% 40.1% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Bayan Lepas

$96 13% 12.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Bayan Lepas

$39 5.3% 50.9% $41

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Bayan Lepas

$19 * 2.6% 66.3% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $885 in Seoul and $194 in Bayan Lepas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 276% 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: $67.0 in Seoul vs $17.00 in Bayan Lepas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $479 vs $184 per month, with Bayan Lepas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇾 Bayan Lepas

🕒 Local time

16:09 4:09 PM

15:09 3:09 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

217,600

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

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).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Seoul Bayan Lepas 4,500 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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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 Bayan Lepas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Bayan Lepas differ by about 147% in total monthly costs ($1,822 vs $737 including rent). Bayan Lepas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 276% higher in Seoul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $885 in Seoul versus $194 in Bayan Lepas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bayan Lepas – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $67.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Bayan Lepas runs roughly 208% less than in Seoul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $737 in Bayan Lepas versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bayan Lepas but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Bayan Lepas 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, Seoul and Bayan Lepas 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 Bayan Lepas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 147% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.