Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Ipoh

For one person, living is cheaper in Ipoh: $922 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Ipoh
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Ipoh Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Ipoh

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Ipoh

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $922 in Ipoh, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Ipoh $922

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,372 in Ipoh, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Ipoh $1,372

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,821 in Ipoh, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Ipoh $1,821

Seoul costs about 95% more than Ipoh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Ipoh is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.26 MYR 13.29

169.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$19.29 MYR 78.7

254.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.51 MYR 18.38

67.18%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.80 MYR 11.41

51.07%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.70 MYR 2.87

132.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.44 MYR 1.81

68.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$4.34 MYR 17.70

-16.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$4.52 MYR 18.42

36.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.97 MYR 8.05

2.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.05 MYR 4.29

198.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.36 MYR 5.56

217.65%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.21 MYR 9.03

63.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$13.65 MYR 55.7

30.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$4.56 MYR 18.62

129.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$7.64 MYR 31.16

237.70%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.01 MYR 12.27

154.49%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.77 MYR 7.21

90.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.22 MYR 9.05

161.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.56 MYR 6.34

310.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.28 MYR 5.22

192.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.34 MYR 5.48

89.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.13 MYR 4.62

151.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.45 MYR 1.82

146.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$4.32 MYR 17.63

-22.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$16.98 MYR 69.3

8.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$3.48 MYR 14.22

-31.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$4.57 MYR 18.64

-26.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.62 MYR 2.54

83.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$11.56 MYR 47.14

298.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$1.24 MYR 5.07

181.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$1.23 MYR 5.04

-48.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$5.04 MYR 20.56

75.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.52 MYR 2.11

190.38%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$41.3K MYR 168.7K

-29.20%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$34.7K MYR 141.4K

-18.61%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$61.9 MYR 253

251.18%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$8.92 MYR 36.37

294.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$26.24 MYR 107

-18.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$40.16 MYR 164

44.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$6.93 MYR 28.26

132.32%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$3.33 MYR 13.59

239.64%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$305 MYR 1,242

539.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$13.3K MYR 54.2K

72.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$61.5 MYR 251

-7.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$36.00 MYR 147

-7.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$61.8 MYR 252

15.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$62.0 MYR 253

33.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$401 MYR 1,635

124.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$298 MYR 1,217

105.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$679 MYR 2,770

272.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$490 MYR 2,001

158.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$2,059 MYR 8,400

1328.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,093 MYR 4,458

989.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$973 MYR 3,968

275.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.99

2.26%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ipoh: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Ipoh

$298 32.4% 51.2% $313

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Ipoh

$250 27.2% 47.5% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Ipoh

$97 10.5% 64.6% $177

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Ipoh

$108 11.8% 41% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Ipoh

$100 10.8% 9.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Ipoh

$47 5.1% 42% $34

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Ipoh

$21 2.3% 62.6% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $401 in Ipoh. 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 275% 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 $19.00 in Ipoh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $250 – making Ipoh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇾 Ipoh

🕒 Local time

08:04 8:04 AM

07:04 7:04 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

759,952

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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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Highest

Between locations

Seoul Ipoh 4,510 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Ipoh

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 Ipoh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 95% more than Ipoh, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $1,383 in Ipoh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 299% less in Ipoh. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $305 in Ipoh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ipoh, where all-in costs run around $922, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Ipoh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ipoh costs $922 versus $1,794 in Seoul. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Ipoh. 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.