Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Selangor

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

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Selangor
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Selangor Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Selangor

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

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

Seoul $1,794
Selangor $1,020

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,469 in Selangor.

Seoul $2,863
Selangor $1,469

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,918 in Selangor.

Seoul $3,931
Selangor $1,918

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$4.33 MYR 17.67

103.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$19.20 MYR 78.3

256.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.04 MYR 16.46

86.63%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.26 MYR 9.23

87.17%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.78 MYR 3.18

108.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.47 MYR 1.93

57.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$4.43 MYR 18.08

-17.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$4.96 MYR 20.24

23.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.93 MYR 7.87

4.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.05 MYR 4.30

198.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.53 MYR 6.25

182.35%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.92 MYR 7.82

88.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$14.26 MYR 58.2

25.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$4.36 MYR 17.78

139.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$9.60 MYR 39.16

168.75%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.44 MYR 14.04

122.67%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.84 MYR 7.52

83.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.34 MYR 9.55

148.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.59 MYR 6.49

303.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.34 MYR 5.45

179.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.03 MYR 4.21

146.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.11 MYR 4.52

155.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.54 MYR 2.19

105.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$4.50 MYR 18.35

-25.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$19.53 MYR 79.7

-5.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$3.59 MYR 14.64

-33.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$4.86 MYR 19.81

-30.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$1.19 MYR 4.87

-4.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$12.26 MYR 50.0

276.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$1.24 MYR 5.06

181.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$1.25 MYR 5.10

-49.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$4.34 MYR 17.72

104.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.73 MYR 2.99

106.85%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$41.9K MYR 171.0K

-30.15%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$35.3K MYR 143.8K

-19.97%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$63.4 MYR 258

243.31%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$8.50 MYR 34.69

313.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$25.97 MYR 106

-18.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$41.09 MYR 168

41.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$6.87 MYR 28.04

134.35%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$5.05 MYR 20.59

123.96%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$122 MYR 499

1491.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$7,175 MYR 29.3K

218.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$70.8 MYR 289

-19.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$41.40 MYR 169

-19.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$77.1 MYR 315

-7.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$83.0 MYR 339

-0.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$511 MYR 2,083

76.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$346 MYR 1,413

76.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$880 MYR 3,589

187.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$481 MYR 1,963

163.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$1,578 MYR 6,438

1764.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$705 MYR 2,875

1588.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$1,019 MYR 4,157

258.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.96

3.03%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Selangor: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Selangor

$346 34% 43.4% $266

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Selangor

$266 26.1% 44.2% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Selangor

$98 9.6% 64.3% $176

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Selangor

$111 10.9% 39.6% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Selangor

$123 12% 11.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Selangor

$51 5% 36.6% $30

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Selangor

$25 2.4% 57.2% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $511 in Selangor. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 258% 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 $19.00 in Selangor for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $266 per month, with Selangor cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇾 Selangor

🕒 Local time

13:11 1:11 PM

12:11 12:11 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

281,717

💱 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 Selangor 4,620 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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Selangor

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 Selangor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Selangor differ by about 76% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $1,020 including rent). Selangor is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 258% 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 $511 in Selangor. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 79% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Selangor – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,020 in Selangor versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Selangor but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Selangor 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 Selangor 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 Selangor 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.