Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Sandakan, Sabah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandakan, Sabah: $934 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Sandakan, Sabah
Learn more

Sandakan, Sabah Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Sandakan, Sabah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,804 in Seoul versus $934 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Seoul $1,804
Sandakan, Sabah $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,877 in Seoul versus $1,397 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Seoul $2,877
Sandakan, Sabah $1,397

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,950 in Seoul versus $1,860 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Seoul $3,950
Sandakan, Sabah $1,860

Living in Seoul is roughly 93% more expensive than in Sandakan, Sabah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Sandakan, Sabah is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$3.75 MYR 15.28

142.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$19.24 MYR 78.5

246.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$4.77 MYR 19.45

57.02%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$2.83 MYR 11.53

48.06%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.79 MYR 3.23

96.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.40 MYR 1.63

97.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$3.77 MYR 15.39

-3.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$4.48 MYR 18.27

37.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.82 MYR 7.44

15.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.04 MYR 4.26

193.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$1.49 MYR 6.09

182.55%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$2.05 MYR 8.37

72.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$13.38 MYR 54.6

34.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$4.36 MYR 17.77

137.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$9.69 MYR 39.54

173.17%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$3.28 MYR 13.39

141.16%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.67 MYR 6.83

105.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$2.42 MYR 9.85

133.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.53 MYR 6.25

318.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$1.31 MYR 5.35

183.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$1.18 MYR 4.82

113.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$1.12 MYR 4.57

156.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.53 MYR 2.15

118.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$4.50 MYR 18.35

-25.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$19.33 MYR 78.9

-3.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$3.02 MYR 12.30

-24.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$4.55 MYR 18.55

-27.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.72 MYR 2.92

56.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$12.43 MYR 50.7

275.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$1.19 MYR 4.85

195.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.50 MYR 2.05

28.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$7.51 MYR 30.63

16.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$0.80 MYR 3.28

81.25%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$41.3K MYR 168.5K

-28.17%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$34.3K MYR 140.0K

-17.83%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$48.48 MYR 198

334.94%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$9.82 MYR 40.07

260.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$27.45 MYR 112

-25.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$39.94 MYR 163

44.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$7.11 MYR 29.01

127.85%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$4.94 MYR 20.14

130.16%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$190 MYR 776

933.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$7,001 MYR 28.6K

225.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$56.6 MYR 231

1.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$34.71 MYR 142

-4.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$81.6 MYR 333

-14.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$75.7 MYR 309

11.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$403 MYR 1,644

117.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$299 MYR 1,221

108.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$681 MYR 2,779

268.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$489 MYR 1,994

163.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$2,002 MYR 8,167

1417.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,079 MYR 4,402

1000.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$1,220 MYR 4,976

195.02%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Sandakan, Sabah

$299 32.1% 52% $325

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 27.6% 46.3% $222

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Sandakan, Sabah

$86 9.2% 67.9% $181

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Sandakan, Sabah

$111 11.9% 40.3% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Sandakan, Sabah

$112 12% 1.5% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Sandakan, Sabah

$50 5.3% 38.1% $31

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Sandakan, Sabah

$19 2% 67.2% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $878 in Seoul and $403 in Sandakan, Sabah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 195% 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: $67.0 in Seoul vs $19.00 in Sandakan, Sabah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $480 vs $258 per month, with Sandakan, Sabah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🕒 Local time

00:28 12:28 AM

23:28 11:28 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

439,050

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Sandakan, Sabah 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Sandakan, Sabah

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 Sandakan, Sabah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Sandakan, Sabah differ by about 93% in total monthly costs ($1,804 vs $934 including rent). Sandakan, Sabah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 195% 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: $878 in Seoul versus $403 in Sandakan, Sabah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sandakan, Sabah runs roughly 276% less than in Seoul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,967 in Seoul versus $190 in Sandakan, Sabah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $934 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $1,804 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sandakan, Sabah but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Sandakan, Sabah 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 Sandakan, Sabah 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 Sandakan, Sabah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.