Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Kuala Lipis

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Lipis: $939 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 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 Kuala Lipis
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Kuala Lipis Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Kuala Lipis

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$939

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Kuala Lipis

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $939 in Kuala Lipis, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Kuala Lipis $939

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,395 in Kuala Lipis, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Kuala Lipis $1,395

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,852 in Kuala Lipis, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Kuala Lipis $1,852

Seoul costs about 91% more than Kuala Lipis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Kuala Lipis is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.72 MYR 15.17

136.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$24.25 MYR 98.9

181.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.97 MYR 20.26

51.71%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$3.12 MYR 12.74

35.58%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.85 MYR 3.47

91.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.45 MYR 1.83

64.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$3.37 MYR 13.76

8.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$5.84 MYR 23.84

5.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.93 MYR 7.86

4.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.07 MYR 4.36

192.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.47 MYR 6.00

193.88%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.86 MYR 7.57

94.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$9.63 MYR 39.28

85.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.30 MYR 13.45

216.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$9.46 MYR 38.59

172.73%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.47 MYR 14.16

120.75%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.87 MYR 7.64

80.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.63 MYR 10.75

120.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.74 MYR 7.09

268.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$2.10 MYR 8.59

78.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.95 MYR 7.95

30.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.44 MYR 5.89

97.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.51 MYR 2.09

117.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$4.55 MYR 18.56

-26.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$19.95 MYR 81.4

-7.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$2.76 MYR 11.28

-13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$4.68 MYR 19.11

-27.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.70 MYR 2.86

62.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$14.01 MYR 57.1

229.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$1.21 MYR 4.93

188.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.38 MYR 1.57

65.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$8.96 MYR 36.55

-1.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.86 MYR 3.52

75.58%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$42.4K MYR 172.9K

-30.95%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$32.6K MYR 133.1K

-13.54%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$50.1 MYR 205

333.83%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$8.01 MYR 32.68

338.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$26.76 MYR 109

-20.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$38.90 MYR 159

49.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$6.94 MYR 28.30

131.99%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$4.91 MYR 20.05

130.35%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$274 MYR 1,119

610.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$10.5K MYR 42.6K

118.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$52.2 MYR 213

9.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$29.64 MYR 121

12.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$77.9 MYR 318

-8.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$85.9 MYR 350

-3.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$433 MYR 1,767

107.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$309 MYR 1,260

98.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$777 MYR 3,171

225.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$467 MYR 1,907

170.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$1,798 MYR 7,336

1535.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,129 MYR 4,606

954.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

4.51

-9.53%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lipis: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Kuala Lipis

$309 32.9% 49.5% $303

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Kuala Lipis

$250 26.6% 47.6% $227

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Kuala Lipis

$85 9% 69% $189

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Kuala Lipis

$116 12.3% 36.9% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Kuala Lipis

$111 11.8% 0.5% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Kuala Lipis

$49 5.2% 39.6% $32

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Kuala Lipis

$20 2.1% 65.2% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $433 in Kuala Lipis. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul versus $24.00 in Kuala Lipis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $250 – making Kuala Lipis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇾 Kuala Lipis

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

14:55 2:55 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

20,000

💱 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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Between locations

Seoul Kuala Lipis 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Kuala Lipis

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 Kuala Lipis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 91%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $1,408 in Kuala Lipis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,794 in Seoul and $939 in Kuala Lipis. That's a gap of about 91%.

Public transport costs about 229% less in Kuala Lipis. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kuala Lipis, where all-in costs run around $939, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Kuala Lipis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kuala Lipis – 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 Kuala Lipis. 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.