Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Kuala Terengganu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Terengganu: $924 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 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 Terengganu
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Kuala Terengganu Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Kuala Terengganu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $924 in Kuala Terengganu.

Seoul $1,794
Kuala Terengganu $924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,372 in Kuala Terengganu.

Seoul $2,863
Kuala Terengganu $1,372

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,821 in Kuala Terengganu.

Seoul $3,931
Kuala Terengganu $1,821

Living in Seoul is roughly 94% more expensive than in Kuala Terengganu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Kuala Terengganu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$2.49 MYR 10.15

253.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$23.06 MYR 94.1

196.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.72 MYR 19.25

59.75%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.72 MYR 11.08

55.51%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.47 MYR 1.90

246.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.28 MYR 1.14

164.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$3.56 MYR 14.52

2.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$4.18 MYR 17.05

47.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.70 MYR 6.94

18.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.02 MYR 4.15

206.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.28 MYR 5.22

237.50%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.13 MYR 8.68

69.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$15.66 MYR 63.9

13.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$4.35 MYR 17.73

140.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$8.41 MYR 34.29

206.78%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.36 MYR 13.73

127.98%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.61 MYR 6.59

109.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.10 MYR 8.59

176.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.50 MYR 6.13

327.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.47 MYR 6.01

155.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.09 MYR 4.45

133.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.00 MYR 4.09

184.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.53 MYR 2.17

109.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$4.46 MYR 18.18

-24.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$17.84 MYR 72.8

3.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$2.92 MYR 11.91

-17.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$4.82 MYR 19.66

-30.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.67 MYR 2.75

70.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$10.62 MYR 43.31

334.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$1.27 MYR 5.20

174.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.46 MYR 1.89

36.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$6.55 MYR 26.73

35.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.90 MYR 3.65

67.78%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$43.8K MYR 178.8K

-33.22%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$32.1K MYR 131.0K

-12.14%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$45.25 MYR 185

380.71%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$8.79 MYR 35.87

299.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$25.10 MYR 102

-15.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$44.04 MYR 180

31.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$7.97 MYR 32.49

102.01%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$4.81 MYR 19.61

135.14%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$172 MYR 701

1032.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$6,936 MYR 28.3K

229.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$57.5 MYR 235

-0.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$36.37 MYR 148

-8.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$86.5 MYR 353

-17.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$68.0 MYR 278

21.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$361 MYR 1,472

149.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$312 MYR 1,275

95.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$722 MYR 2,946

249.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$471 MYR 1,923

168.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$2,073 MYR 8,456

1319.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,145 MYR 4,669

939.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

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 Kuala Terengganu: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Kuala Terengganu

$312 33.8% 48.9% $299

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Kuala Terengganu

$254 27.5% 46.7% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Kuala Terengganu

$79 8.6% 71.1% $195

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Kuala Terengganu

$96 10.4% 47.9% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Kuala Terengganu

$112 12.1% 1.6% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Kuala Terengganu

$54 5.8% 33.5% $27

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Kuala Terengganu

$17 1.8% 70.5% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $361 in Kuala Terengganu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Seoul vs $23.00 in Kuala Terengganu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $254 per month, with Kuala Terengganu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇾 Kuala Terengganu

🕒 Local time

16:17 4:17 PM

15:17 3:17 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

375,424

💱 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 Kuala Terengganu 4,320 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Kuala Terengganu

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 Terengganu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Kuala Terengganu differ by about 94% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $924 including rent). Kuala Terengganu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,692 in Seoul and $1,386 in Kuala Terengganu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $901 in Seoul versus $361 in Kuala Terengganu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,794 per month in Seoul versus $924 in Kuala Terengganu – a 94% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kuala Terengganu runs roughly 334% less than in Seoul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $924 in Kuala Terengganu versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kuala Terengganu but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Kuala Terengganu 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 Kuala Terengganu 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 Kuala Terengganu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 94% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.