Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Labuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Labuan: $1,020 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Labuan
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Labuan Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Labuan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Labuan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $1,020 in Labuan.

Seoul $1,794
Labuan $1,020

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,487 in Labuan.

Seoul $2,863
Labuan $1,487

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,953 in Labuan.

Seoul $3,931
Labuan $1,953

Living in Seoul is roughly 76% more expensive than in Labuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Labuan is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$5.52 MYR 22.53

59.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$24.16 MYR 98.6

182.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$6.66 MYR 27.19

13.21%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$3.93 MYR 16.05

7.63%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$1.06 MYR 4.34

53.77%

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

$3.72 MYR 15.19

-2.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$4.53 MYR 18.48

35.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.82 MYR 7.43

10.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.04 MYR 4.26

200.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.49 MYR 6.07

189.93%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.10 MYR 8.58

71.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$16.82 MYR 68.6

6.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$4.42 MYR 18.03

136.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$9.50 MYR 38.76

171.58%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.17 MYR 12.95

141.64%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.83 MYR 7.46

84.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.39 MYR 9.75

143.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.76 MYR 7.17

264.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.39 MYR 5.68

169.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.03 MYR 4.20

146.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.18 MYR 4.81

140.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.54 MYR 2.20

105.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$5.04 MYR 20.57

-33.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$16.29 MYR 66.5

13.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$3.21 MYR 13.11

-25.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$4.39 MYR 17.90

-23.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.78 MYR 3.17

46.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$10.66 MYR 43.48

332.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$1.34 MYR 5.47

160.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.48 MYR 1.97

31.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$6.48 MYR 26.43

36.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.88 MYR 3.58

71.59%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$44.0K MYR 179.5K

-33.47%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$32.5K MYR 132.7K

-13.28%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$48.90 MYR 199

344.83%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$9.68 MYR 39.49

263.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$27.69 MYR 113

-23.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$41.60 MYR 170

39.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$7.68 MYR 31.32

109.64%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$4.29 MYR 17.51

163.64%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$208 MYR 849

836.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$7,011 MYR 28.6K

226.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$55.8 MYR 228

2.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$30.07 MYR 123

11.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$87.0 MYR 355

-17.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$81.8 MYR 334

0.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$433 MYR 1,768

107.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$342 MYR 1,397

78.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$641 MYR 2,614

294.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$464 MYR 1,892

172.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$2,282 MYR 9,308

1189.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,136 MYR 4,636

947.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$374 MYR 1,525

876.35%

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 Labuan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Labuan

$342 33.6% 44% $269

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Labuan

$264 25.9% 44.6% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Labuan

$86 8.5% 68.5% $188

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Labuan

$145 14.2% 21% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Labuan

$115 11.2% 4.2% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Labuan

$50 4.9% 37.8% $30

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Labuan

$18 1.7% 69.4% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $433 in Labuan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 876% 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: $68.0 in Seoul vs $24.00 in Labuan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $264 per month, with Labuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇾 Labuan

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

12:41 12:41 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

95,120

💱 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 →

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Seoul Labuan 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Seoul vs Labuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Labuan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 76% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 876% 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: $901 in Seoul versus $433 in Labuan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $208 in Labuan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 81% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,020 in Labuan versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Labuan but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Labuan 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 Labuan 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 Labuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.