Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Kedah

For one person, living is cheaper in Kedah: $877 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Kedah
Learn more

Kedah Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Kedah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Kedah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,848 in Seoul versus $877 in Kedah.

Seoul $1,848
Kedah $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,986 in Seoul versus $1,399 in Kedah.

Seoul $2,986
Kedah $1,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,125 in Seoul versus $1,920 in Kedah.

Seoul $4,125
Kedah $1,920

Living in Seoul is roughly 111% more expensive than in Kedah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$3.72 MYR 15.14

143.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.8K

$12.32 MYR 50.2

454.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,868

$4.56 MYR 18.59

61.18%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,530

$2.91 MYR 11.87

41.58%

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

$1.64 ₩2,207

$0.77 MYR 3.14

112.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,083

$0.39 MYR 1.59

107.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,980

$4.24 MYR 17.26

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,236

$4.36 MYR 17.75

40.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,742

$1.88 MYR 7.66

8.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,311

$1.06 MYR 4.32

202.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,892

$1.72 MYR 6.99

155.23%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,822

$2.19 MYR 8.91

63.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.5K

$13.55 MYR 55.2

34.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.1K

$4.34 MYR 17.69

142.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩36.1K

$8.84 MYR 36.02

204.19%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$2.94 MYR 11.98

167.35%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,739

$1.63 MYR 6.65

116.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,660

$2.75 MYR 11.20

107.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,296

$1.45 MYR 5.92

326.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,053

$1.10 MYR 4.48

241.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,373

$1.09 MYR 4.43

130.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,780

$1.13 MYR 4.61

149.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,490

$0.57 MYR 2.34

94.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,432

$4.62 MYR 18.83

-28.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩25.0K

$18.76 MYR 76.5

-0.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$2.98 MYR 12.15

-18.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,509

$5.33 MYR 21.72

-36.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,600

$0.76 MYR 3.10

56.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.9K

$12.85 MYR 52.4

258.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,770

$1.66 MYR 6.76

113.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩810

$0.38 MYR 1.54

57.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.2K

$7.29 MYR 29.70

24.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,931

$0.60 MYR 2.46

140.00%

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

$30.3K ₩40.6M

$45.6K MYR 185.9K

-33.68%

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

$28.9K ₩38.8M

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

-19.39%

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

$213 ₩285.4K

$36.47 MYR 149

482.75%

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

$35.83 ₩48.1K

$9.66 MYR 39.35

270.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.7K

$29.48 MYR 120

-27.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.8K

$34.63 MYR 141

77.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩22.0K

$6.85 MYR 27.92

139.56%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.3K

$4.79 MYR 19.53

138.41%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$388 MYR 1,579

402.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.6M

$10.7K MYR 43.4K

113.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩80.3K

$58.9 MYR 240

1.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.9K

$34.76 MYR 142

-1.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.6K

$81.6 MYR 333

-19.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩110.0K

$70.7 MYR 288

15.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$358 MYR 1,458

158.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩885.1K

$258 MYR 1,051

155.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$712 MYR 2,902

322.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$607 MYR 2,472

137.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.5M

$1,930 MYR 7,865

1307.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.2M

$1,258 MYR 5,124

798.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

$1,339 MYR 5,456

166.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

4.04

0.99%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kedah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Kedah

$258 29.4% 60.9% $401

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Kedah

$257 29.3% 46.9% $227

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Kedah

$76 8.6% 72% $194

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Kedah

$113 12.9% 38.8% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Kedah

$111 12.6% 1.7% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Kedah

$44 5% 47.6% $40

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Kedah

$19 2.2% 66.2% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $924 in Seoul and $358 in Kedah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Seoul vs $12 in Kedah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $483 vs $257 per month, with Kedah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇾 Kedah

🕒 Local time

01:39 1:39 AM

00:39 12:39 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

417,800

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,494 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Kedah 4,410 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Kedah

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 Kedah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Kedah differ by about 111% in total monthly costs ($1,848 vs $877 including rent). Kedah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Seoul is about 2.7 times higher, 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: $924 in Seoul versus $358 in Kedah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $388 in Kedah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 88% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $877 in Kedah versus $1,848 in Seoul, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kedah but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Kedah 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 Kedah 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 Kedah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.