Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Gombak

For one person, living is cheaper in Gombak: $927 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Gombak
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Gombak Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Gombak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Gombak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $927 in Gombak.

Seoul $1,794
Gombak $927

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,429 in Gombak.

Seoul $2,863
Gombak $1,429

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,931 in Gombak.

Seoul $3,931
Gombak $1,931

Living in Seoul is roughly 94% more expensive than in Gombak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Gombak is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.71 MYR 15.12

137.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$24.58 MYR 100

178.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.96 MYR 20.23

52.02%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.98 MYR 12.15

41.95%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.92 MYR 3.74

77.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.42 MYR 1.69

76.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$3.23 MYR 13.16

12.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$5.79 MYR 23.63

6.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.88 MYR 7.69

6.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.03 MYR 4.19

203.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.42 MYR 5.80

204.23%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.85 MYR 7.55

95.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$10.03 MYR 40.93

77.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.27 MYR 13.34

219.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$9.82 MYR 40.06

162.73%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.52 MYR 14.37

117.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.91 MYR 7.81

76.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.64 MYR 10.79

120.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.82 MYR 7.44

252.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$2.08 MYR 8.50

80.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.98 MYR 8.08

28.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.48 MYR 6.04

91.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.55 MYR 2.24

101.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$4.41 MYR 17.97

-24.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$19.70 MYR 80.4

-6.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$2.64 MYR 10.78

-9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$4.67 MYR 19.04

-27.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.67 MYR 2.73

70.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$12.05 MYR 49.15

282.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$1.23 MYR 5.03

183.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.35 MYR 1.44

80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$8.72 MYR 35.57

1.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.80 MYR 3.27

88.75%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$42.6K MYR 173.6K

-31.23%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$32.0K MYR 130.6K

-11.88%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$49.80 MYR 203

336.79%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$8.34 MYR 34.02

321.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$27.39 MYR 112

-22.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$40.60 MYR 166

43.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$7.17 MYR 29.23

124.55%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$3.26 MYR 13.29

246.93%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$274 MYR 1,120

609.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$10.4K MYR 42.3K

120.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$50.4 MYR 206

13.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$30.06 MYR 123

11.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$76.4 MYR 312

-6.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$86.2 MYR 352

-4.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$405 MYR 1,650

122.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$303 MYR 1,235

102.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$682 MYR 2,781

270.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$554 MYR 2,261

128.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$2,059 MYR 8,400

1328.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,053 MYR 4,295

1030.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$538 MYR 2,193

579.07%

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 Gombak: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Gombak

$303 32.7% 50.5% $309

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Gombak

$252 27.1% 47.2% $225

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Gombak

$86 9.2% 68.8% $188

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Gombak

$113 12.2% 38.3% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Gombak

$109 11.8% 0.6% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Gombak

$47 5.1% 41.6% $34

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Gombak

$18 1.9% 69.1% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $405 in Gombak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 579% 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: $68.0 in Seoul vs $25.00 in Gombak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $252 per month, with Gombak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇾 Gombak

🕒 Local time

14:58 2:58 PM

13:58 1:58 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

41,699

💱 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 Gombak 4,600 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Gombak

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 Gombak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gombak wins on cost – living expenses run 94% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gombak the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 579% 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: $901 in Seoul versus $405 in Gombak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 90% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Gombak – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $927 in Gombak versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Gombak but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Gombak 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 Gombak 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 Gombak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 94% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.