Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Kepong

For one person, living is cheaper in Kepong: $909 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Kepong
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Kepong Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Kepong

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Kepong

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $909 in Kepong, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Kepong $909

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,366 in Kepong, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Kepong $1,366

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,823 in Kepong, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Kepong $1,823

Seoul costs about 97% more than Kepong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.75 MYR 15.31

134.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$24.50 MYR 100.0

179.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.94 MYR 20.13

52.63%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$3.01 MYR 12.28

40.53%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.87 MYR 3.55

87.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.45 MYR 1.82

64.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$3.40 MYR 13.86

7.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$5.84 MYR 23.81

5.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.76 MYR 7.18

14.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.04 MYR 4.24

200.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.42 MYR 5.81

204.23%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.80 MYR 7.34

100.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$9.81 MYR 40.00

81.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.30 MYR 13.47

216.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$9.58 MYR 39.08

169.31%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.31 MYR 13.51

131.42%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.69 MYR 6.91

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.71 MYR 11.06

114.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.70 MYR 6.93

277.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.47 MYR 5.99

155.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.66 MYR 6.77

53.01%

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 2.22

101.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$4.17 MYR 17.00

-19.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$13.90 MYR 56.7

33.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$2.67 MYR 10.90

-10.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.99 MYR 12.20

12.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.82 MYR 3.34

39.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$12.06 MYR 49.18

282.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$1.00 MYR 4.09

249.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.38 MYR 1.56

65.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$9.05 MYR 36.91

-2.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.86 MYR 3.53

75.58%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$41.3K MYR 168.5K

-29.12%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$32.0K MYR 130.6K

-11.89%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$49.51 MYR 202

339.35%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$8.27 MYR 33.74

325.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$27.27 MYR 111

-21.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$39.01 MYR 159

48.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$6.74 MYR 27.48

138.87%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$4.86 MYR 19.82

132.72%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$164 MYR 668

1088.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$4,528 MYR 18.5K

404.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$54.7 MYR 223

4.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$24.36 MYR 99.4

37.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$82.3 MYR 336

-13.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$84.5 MYR 345

-2.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$404 MYR 1,649

122.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$303 MYR 1,235

102.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$668 MYR 2,726

278.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$482 MYR 1,967

162.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$1,997 MYR 8,147

1373.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,073 MYR 4,378

1009.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$644 MYR 2,628

466.69%

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 Kepong: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Kepong

$303 33.3% 50.5% $309

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Kepong

$228 25.1% 52.1% $249

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Kepong

$85 9.4% 69% $189

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Kepong

$115 12.6% 37.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Kepong

$111 12.2% 0.6% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Kepong

$49 5.4% 39.6% $32

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Kepong

$18 2% 68.2% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $404 in Kepong. 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 467% 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 $25.00 in Kepong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $228 – making Kepong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇾 Kepong

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

13:59 1:59 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

85,960

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Seoul Kepong 4,610 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Kepong

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 Kepong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,794 in Seoul, $909 in Kepong – roughly 97% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $1,363 in Kepong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 282% less in Kepong. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $164 in Kepong. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kepong, where all-in costs run around $909, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Kepong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kepong – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Kepong. 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.