Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Petaling Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Petaling Jaya: $1,062 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,062

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Petaling Jaya

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

A single person spends $1,822 per month in Seoul vs $1,062 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Seoul $1,822
Petaling Jaya $1,062

A couple spends around $2,847 per month in Seoul vs $1,529 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Seoul $2,847
Petaling Jaya $1,529

A family of three spends $3,872 per month in Seoul vs $1,997 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Seoul $3,872
Petaling Jaya $1,997

Seoul costs about 71% more than Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 36% above the global median, while Petaling Jaya is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$3.71 MYR 15.15

145.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$24.45 MYR 99.8

174.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$4.87 MYR 19.88

52.36%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$2.99 MYR 12.21

36.45%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$0.88 MYR 3.59

81.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$0.44 MYR 1.80

81.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$3.33 MYR 13.60

9.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$5.69 MYR 23.21

4.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$1.93 MYR 7.90

6.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$1.03 MYR 4.20

199.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$1.44 MYR 5.89

192.36%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$1.76 MYR 7.18

102.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$9.66 MYR 39.44

85.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$3.32 MYR 13.54

220.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$9.54 MYR 38.94

177.15%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$3.44 MYR 14.05

115.70%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$1.93 MYR 7.89

82.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$2.77 MYR 11.31

111.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$1.83 MYR 7.47

248.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$2.15 MYR 8.80

74.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$2.01 MYR 8.23

23.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$1.43 MYR 5.85

104.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$0.55 MYR 2.25

109.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$4.57 MYR 18.66

-28.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$19.30 MYR 78.8

-4.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$2.71 MYR 11.08

-15.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$4.46 MYR 18.20

-26.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$1.20 MYR 4.92

-5.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

$12.40 MYR 50.6

266.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$1.25 MYR 5.09

178.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$0.35 MYR 1.44

71.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$8.73 MYR 35.64

-0.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$0.88 MYR 3.58

70.45%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$41.1K MYR 167.8K

-29.14%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$32.6K MYR 133.2K

-13.56%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$48.53 MYR 198

330.39%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$8.08 MYR 33.00

334.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$26.83 MYR 110

-21.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$51.8 MYR 211

10.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$3.16 MYR 12.89

402.85%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$4.92 MYR 20.09

130.28%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$279 MYR 1,137

582.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$10.4K MYR 42.4K

116.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$52.4 MYR 214

12.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$29.65 MYR 121

8.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$76.3 MYR 311

-8.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$84.9 MYR 347

-2.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$482 MYR 1,970

83.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$404 MYR 1,651

54.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$831 MYR 3,391

200.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$554 MYR 2,260

130.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$3,121 MYR 12.7K

856.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$952 MYR 3,888

1144.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$1,744 MYR 7,120

109.27%

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 4, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Petaling Jaya

$404 38.8% 35.2% $219

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Petaling Jaya

$250 24% 47.9% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Petaling Jaya

$83 8% 68.5% $182

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.9% 38.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Petaling Jaya

$109 10.5% 0.2% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Petaling Jaya

$62 5.9% 23% $18

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9% 64.2% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $885 in Seoul versus $482 in Petaling Jaya. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 109% higher in Seoul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Seoul versus $24.00 in Petaling Jaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $479 vs $250 – making Petaling Jaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

15:45 3:45 PM

14:45 2:45 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

771,687

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 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 = 0.218 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Petaling Jaya 4,620 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Petaling Jaya

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 Petaling Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 71% more than Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,733 per month in Seoul and $1,593 in Petaling Jaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 267% less in Petaling Jaya. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,902 per month in Seoul and $279 in Petaling Jaya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Petaling Jaya, where all-in costs run around $1,062, than in Seoul at $1,822. In Petaling Jaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Petaling Jaya costs $1,062 versus $1,822 in Seoul. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Petaling Jaya. 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.