Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Muar

For one person, living is cheaper in Muar: $951 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Muar
Learn more

Muar Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Muar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$951

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Muar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,848 in Seoul versus $951 in Muar.

Seoul $1,848
Muar $951

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,986 in Seoul versus $1,505 in Muar.

Seoul $2,986
Muar $1,505

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,125 in Seoul versus $2,059 in Muar.

Seoul $4,125
Muar $2,059

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 36% above, Muar is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.0K

$4.82 MYR 19.72

87.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩90.7K

$29.01 MYR 119

135.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,756

$3.88 MYR 15.86

89.43%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,466

$3.05 MYR 12.46

35.08%

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

$1.64 ₩2,182

$0.76 MYR 3.12

115.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,071

$0.46 MYR 1.88

76.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,923

$4.44 MYR 18.14

-16.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,142

$6.27 MYR 25.63

-2.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,711

$2.13 MYR 8.72

-4.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,262

$1.07 MYR 4.37

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,824

$1.85 MYR 7.58

137.30%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,767

$2.44 MYR 9.96

47.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.2K

$14.25 MYR 58.3

27.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩13.9K

$4.44 MYR 18.17

136.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩35.7K

$9.95 MYR 40.68

170.25%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.4K

$3.36 MYR 13.75

133.93%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,685

$1.85 MYR 7.55

90.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,572

$2.25 MYR 9.19

153.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,201

$1.51 MYR 6.19

309.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩4,995

$1.22 MYR 4.97

208.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,334

$1.37 MYR 5.60

83.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,737

$1.16 MYR 4.74

143.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,473

$0.71 MYR 2.91

56.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,381

$4.45 MYR 18.19

-25.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩24.7K

$19.48 MYR 79.7

-4.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,211

$3.48 MYR 14.24

-30.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,458

$4.99 MYR 20.42

-32.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,582

$0.64 MYR 2.63

85.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.2K

$10.62 MYR 43.43

334.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,715

$1.19 MYR 4.85

198.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩801

$1.25 MYR 5.10

-52.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.1K

$4.87 MYR 19.93

86.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,909

$0.81 MYR 3.32

77.78%

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

$30.3K ₩40.2M

$44.4K MYR 181.6K

-31.88%

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

$28.9K ₩38.4M

$34.9K MYR 142.5K

-17.12%

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

$213 ₩282.1K

$62.0 MYR 254

242.62%

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

$35.83 ₩47.6K

$8.88 MYR 36.32

303.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.4K

$26.21 MYR 107

-18.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩81.8K

$37.02 MYR 151

66.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩21.8K

$5.79 MYR 23.66

183.42%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.2K

$4.85 MYR 19.83

135.46%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$240 MYR 981

712.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.2M

$13.3K MYR 54.5K

70.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩79.4K

$72.2 MYR 295

-17.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.4K

$41.83 MYR 171

-18.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩87.6K

$84.3 MYR 345

-21.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩108.7K

$96.3 MYR 394

-15.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$445 MYR 1,818

107.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩875.0K

$253 MYR 1,033

160.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$617 MYR 2,521

388.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$518 MYR 2,117

178.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.1M

$2,001 MYR 8,180

1257.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.0M

$1,229 MYR 5,023

819.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.7M

$603 MYR 2,465

492.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

4.17

-2.16%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Muar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Muar

$253 26.6% 61.7% $407

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Muar

$274 28.9% 43.2% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Muar

$97 10.2% 64% $173

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Muar

$126 13.3% 31.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Muar

$133 14% 21.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Muar

$47 4.9% 44.7% $38

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Muar

$21 2.2% 64.1% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $924 in Seoul and $445 in Muar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays about 5.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Seoul vs $29 in Muar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $483 vs $274 per month, with Muar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇾 Muar

🕒 Local time

03:14 3:14 AM

02:14 2:14 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

314,776

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.53 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.76 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 27, 2026: 1 USD = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.53 USD). 1 EUR = 1,480 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.76 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Muar 4,670 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Muar

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 Muar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Muar differ by about 94% in total monthly costs ($1,848 vs $951 including rent). Muar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Seoul is about 5.9 times higher, 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: $924 in Seoul versus $445 in Muar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Muar runs roughly 77% less than in Seoul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $240 in Muar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $951 in Muar versus $1,848 in Seoul, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Muar but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Muar 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 Muar 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 Muar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.