Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Kota Kinabalu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Kinabalu: $917 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Kota Kinabalu
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Kota Kinabalu Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Kota Kinabalu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Kota Kinabalu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,822 in Seoul versus $917 in Kota Kinabalu.

Seoul $1,822
Kota Kinabalu $917

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,847 in Seoul versus $1,429 in Kota Kinabalu.

Seoul $2,847
Kota Kinabalu $1,429

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,872 in Seoul versus $1,941 in Kota Kinabalu.

Seoul $3,872
Kota Kinabalu $1,941

Living in Seoul is roughly 99% more expensive than in Kota Kinabalu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 36% above, Kota Kinabalu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$3.57 MYR 14.59

154.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$19.54 MYR 79.8

242.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$4.92 MYR 20.09

50.81%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$2.63 MYR 10.74

55.13%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$0.60 MYR 2.44

166.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$0.30 MYR 1.22

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$2.39 MYR 9.75

52.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$3.74 MYR 15.27

58.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$1.74 MYR 7.11

17.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$1.28 MYR 5.23

140.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$2.26 MYR 9.23

86.28%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$3.46 MYR 14.13

3.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$28.33 MYR 116

-36.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$3.69 MYR 15.05

188.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$6.68 MYR 27.27

295.81%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$2.24 MYR 9.15

231.25%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$1.43 MYR 5.84

146.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$1.94 MYR 7.91

202.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$1.99 MYR 8.13

220.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$1.67 MYR 6.81

124.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$2.13 MYR 8.71

16.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$0.94 MYR 3.84

210.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$0.47 MYR 1.93

144.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$4.92 MYR 20.10

-33.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$15.84 MYR 64.7

16.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$3.63 MYR 14.81

-37.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$2.47 MYR 10.07

32.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$1.91 MYR 7.80

-40.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

$41.92 MYR 171

8.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$1.91 MYR 7.82

82.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$0.23 MYR 0.94

160.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$0.76 MYR 3.11

97.37%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$42.1K MYR 172.1K

-30.90%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$35.6K MYR 145.5K

-20.88%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$70.5 MYR 288

196.35%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$9.69 MYR 39.56

262.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$32.36 MYR 132

-34.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$52.3 MYR 214

9.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$3.09 MYR 12.64

414.24%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$5.22 MYR 21.31

117.05%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$141 MYR 575

1250.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$6,995 MYR 28.6K

221.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$81.5 MYR 333

-27.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$36.64 MYR 150

-12.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$93.7 MYR 382

-25.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$48.75 MYR 199

69.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$425 MYR 1,735

108.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$193 MYR 788

223.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$679 MYR 2,771

267.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$368 MYR 1,501

246.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$1,848 MYR 7,546

1514.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$1,099 MYR 4,489

977.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$592 MYR 2,419

515.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.9

4.62%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Kota Kinabalu

$193 20.9% 69.1% $431

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Kota Kinabalu

$288 31.1% 40% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Kota Kinabalu

$113 12.2% 57.6% $153

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Kota Kinabalu

$98 10.6% 46.7% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Kota Kinabalu

$117 12.7% 6.9% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Kota Kinabalu

$63 6.8% 21.5% $17

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Kota Kinabalu

$53 5.7% 6.8% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $885 in Seoul and $425 in Kota Kinabalu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 516% 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: $67.0 in Seoul vs $20.00 in Kota Kinabalu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $479 vs $288 per month, with Kota Kinabalu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

500,425

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Kota Kinabalu 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Kota Kinabalu

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 Kota Kinabalu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kota Kinabalu wins on cost – living expenses run 99% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kota Kinabalu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 516% 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: $885 in Seoul versus $425 in Kota Kinabalu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kota Kinabalu runs roughly 8% less than in Seoul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,902 in Seoul versus $141 in Kota Kinabalu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $917 in Kota Kinabalu versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kota Kinabalu but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Kota Kinabalu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kota Kinabalu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $917 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kota Kinabalu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Seoul and Kota Kinabalu 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 Kota Kinabalu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 99% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.