Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Johor Bahru

For one person, living is cheaper in Johor Bahru: $1,056 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Johor Bahru
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Johor Bahru Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Johor Bahru

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Johor Bahru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $1,056 in Johor Bahru.

Seoul $1,794
Johor Bahru $1,056

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,551 in Johor Bahru.

Seoul $2,863
Johor Bahru $1,551

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $2,046 in Johor Bahru.

Seoul $3,931
Johor Bahru $2,046

Living in Seoul is roughly 70% more expensive than in Johor Bahru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Johor Bahru is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.56 MYR 14.53

147.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$18.68 MYR 76.2

266.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.93 MYR 20.11

52.94%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.86 MYR 11.67

47.90%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.84 MYR 3.45

94.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.55 MYR 2.25

34.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$4.54 MYR 18.52

-19.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$6.20 MYR 25.31

-0.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.66 MYR 6.79

21.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.11 MYR 4.52

181.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.50 MYR 6.13

188.00%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.72 MYR 7.00

109.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$17.86 MYR 72.9

-0.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$4.56 MYR 18.58

129.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$10.49 MYR 42.80

145.95%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.26 MYR 13.28

134.97%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.70 MYR 6.94

98.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$3.91 MYR 15.96

48.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.68 MYR 6.86

281.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.47 MYR 6.00

155.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.65 MYR 6.74

53.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.32 MYR 5.37

115.15%

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

$4.17 MYR 17.01

-19.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$13.98 MYR 57.1

32.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$2.84 MYR 11.59

-15.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.11 MYR 12.68

8.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.71 MYR 2.90

60.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$12.11 MYR 49.42

280.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.96 MYR 3.90

263.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.70 MYR 2.85

-10.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$9.50 MYR 38.75

-6.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.83 MYR 3.40

81.93%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$41.1K MYR 167.8K

-28.82%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$36.1K MYR 147.2K

-21.83%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$53.0 MYR 216

310.18%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$10.99 MYR 44.84

219.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$28.42 MYR 116

-25.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$39.45 MYR 161

47.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$5.63 MYR 22.97

185.97%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$4.92 MYR 20.08

129.88%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$161 MYR 658

1106.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$4,478 MYR 18.3K

410.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$54.2 MYR 221

5.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$16.54 MYR 67.5

101.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$81.5 MYR 332

-12.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$97.3 MYR 397

-15.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$517 MYR 2,109

74.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$397 MYR 1,620

54.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$900 MYR 3,673

180.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$624 MYR 2,548

102.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$2,019 MYR 8,238

1356.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,167 MYR 4,759

920.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$1,060 MYR 4,325

244.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

4.06

0.49%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Johor Bahru: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Johor Bahru

$397 37.6% 35.1% $215

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Johor Bahru

$267 25.3% 44% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Johor Bahru

$92 8.8% 66.3% $182

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Johor Bahru

$118 11.2% 35.6% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Johor Bahru

$112 10.6% 2.1% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Johor Bahru

$49 4.7% 38.9% $31

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Johor Bahru

$19 1.8% 66.2% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $517 in Johor Bahru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 244% 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 $19.00 in Johor Bahru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $267 per month, with Johor Bahru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇾 Johor Bahru

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

12:58 12:58 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

858,118

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Johor Bahru 4,660 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Johor Bahru

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 Johor Bahru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Johor Bahru differ by about 70% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $1,056 including rent). Johor Bahru is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 244% 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 $517 in Johor Bahru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Johor Bahru – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,794 per month in Seoul versus $1,056 in Johor Bahru – a 70% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,056 in Johor Bahru versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Johor Bahru but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Johor Bahru 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 Johor Bahru 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 Johor Bahru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.