Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Putrajaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Putrajaya: $818 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Putrajaya
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Putrajaya Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Putrajaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Putrajaya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $818 in Putrajaya.

Seoul $1,794
Putrajaya $818

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,232 in Putrajaya.

Seoul $2,863
Putrajaya $1,232

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,646 in Putrajaya.

Seoul $3,931
Putrajaya $1,646

Living in Seoul is roughly 119% more expensive than in Putrajaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Putrajaya is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.78 MYR 15.41

132.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$18.39 MYR 75.0

271.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.58 MYR 18.67

64.63%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.86 MYR 11.68

47.90%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.80 MYR 3.28

103.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.39 MYR 1.59

89.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$3.66 MYR 14.92

-0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$4.54 MYR 18.52

35.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.67 MYR 6.83

20.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.10 MYR 4.49

184.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.47 MYR 6.00

193.88%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.67 MYR 6.82

116.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$7.84 MYR 32.00

127.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$4.68 MYR 19.09

123.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$9.57 MYR 39.05

169.59%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.41 MYR 9.82

217.84%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.51 MYR 6.15

123.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.26 MYR 9.23

157.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.63 MYR 6.65

293.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.32 MYR 5.37

184.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.50 MYR 6.11

69.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.33 MYR 5.43

113.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.54 MYR 2.22

105.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$4.29 MYR 17.50

-21.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$13.26 MYR 54.1

39.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$2.97 MYR 12.10

-19.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.12 MYR 12.74

8.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.69 MYR 2.84

65.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$12.45 MYR 50.8

270.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.96 MYR 3.92

263.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.48 MYR 1.96

31.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$9.93 MYR 40.51

-10.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.74 MYR 3.01

104.05%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$42.5K MYR 173.3K

-31.08%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$34.5K MYR 140.7K

-18.20%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$53.4 MYR 218

307.57%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$11.10 MYR 45.29

216.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$22.49 MYR 91.7

-5.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$35.53 MYR 145

63.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$9.63 MYR 39.28

67.19%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$4.87 MYR 19.88

132.24%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$506 MYR 2,063

285.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$4,463 MYR 18.2K

412.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$55.2 MYR 225

3.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$16.63 MYR 67.9

100.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$79.9 MYR 326

-10.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$86.9 MYR 355

-5.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$348 MYR 1,420

158.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$228 MYR 932

167.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$644 MYR 2,628

292.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$372 MYR 1,516

240.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$2,622 MYR 10.7K

1022.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,765 MYR 7,202

574.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$1,043 MYR 4,255

249.97%

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 Putrajaya: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Putrajaya

$228 27.9% 62.7% $383

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Putrajaya

$221 27% 53.7% $256

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Putrajaya

$87 10.6% 68.3% $187

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Putrajaya

$110 13.5% 39.9% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Putrajaya

$107 13.1% 2.4% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Putrajaya

$45 5.5% 43.9% $35

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Putrajaya

$19 2.3% 67.6% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $348 in Putrajaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 250% 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 $18.00 in Putrajaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $221 per month, with Putrajaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇾 Putrajaya

🕒 Local time

16:25 4:25 PM

15:25 3:25 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

109,202

💱 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 Putrajaya 4,640 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Putrajaya

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 Putrajaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Putrajaya wins on cost – living expenses run 119% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Putrajaya the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 250% 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 $348 in Putrajaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Putrajaya runs roughly 270% 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 $506 in Putrajaya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $818 in Putrajaya versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Putrajaya but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Putrajaya 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 Putrajaya 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 Putrajaya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 119% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.