Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Sentul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sentul: $878 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Sentul
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Sentul Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Sentul

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$878

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Sentul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $878 in Sentul.

Seoul $1,794
Sentul $878

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,334 in Sentul.

Seoul $2,863
Sentul $1,334

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,790 in Sentul.

Seoul $3,931
Sentul $1,790

Living in Seoul is roughly 104% more expensive than in Sentul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Sentul is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.64 MYR 14.84

141.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$22.09 MYR 90.1

209.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$5.03 MYR 20.53

49.90%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.99 MYR 12.21

41.47%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.83 MYR 3.40

96.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.51 MYR 2.10

45.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$3.28 MYR 13.38

10.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$5.87 MYR 23.93

4.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.70 MYR 6.92

18.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.03 MYR 4.21

203.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.42 MYR 5.80

204.23%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.74 MYR 7.11

107.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$9.66 MYR 39.39

84.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.17 MYR 12.94

229.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$9.45 MYR 38.56

173.02%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.25 MYR 13.26

135.69%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.68 MYR 6.87

101.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.65 MYR 10.81

119.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.60 MYR 6.53

300.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.46 MYR 5.97

156.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.64 MYR 6.70

54.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.32 MYR 5.38

115.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.51 MYR 2.08

117.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$4.16 MYR 16.99

-19.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$13.89 MYR 56.7

33.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$2.65 MYR 10.81

-9.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.11 MYR 12.68

8.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.81 MYR 3.31

40.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$12.06 MYR 49.19

282.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.96 MYR 3.91

263.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.38 MYR 1.57

65.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$8.97 MYR 36.60

-1.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.87 MYR 3.54

73.56%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$41.2K MYR 168.2K

-28.99%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$32.5K MYR 132.7K

-13.29%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$49.70 MYR 203

337.67%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$8.10 MYR 33.04

333.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$27.39 MYR 112

-22.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$41.09 MYR 168

41.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$7.45 MYR 30.40

116.11%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$5.04 MYR 20.57

124.40%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$161 MYR 658

1108.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$4,446 MYR 18.1K

414.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$50.5 MYR 206

12.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$16.38 MYR 66.8

103.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$77.1 MYR 315

-7.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$85.6 MYR 349

-3.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$348 MYR 1,419

158.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$282 MYR 1,150

116.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$707 MYR 2,883

257.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$484 MYR 1,976

161.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$2,147 MYR 8,759

1270.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,058 MYR 4,315

1025.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$890 MYR 3,631

310.08%

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 Sentul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Sentul

$282 32.1% 53.9% $330

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Sentul

$224 25.6% 52.9% $252

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Sentul

$85 9.7% 68.9% $189

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Sentul

$114 12.9% 38.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Sentul

$103 11.8% 6.1% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Sentul

$51 5.8% 36.6% $30

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Sentul

$18 2.1% 68.3% $39

Cost Breakdown

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

Seoul pays 310% 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 $22.00 in Sentul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $224 per month, with Sentul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇾 Sentul

🕒 Local time

14:47 2:47 PM

13:47 1:47 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

100,000

💱 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 Sentul 4,610 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Sentul

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 Sentul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sentul wins on cost – living expenses run 104% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sentul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 310% 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 Sentul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $161 in Sentul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 112% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $878 in Sentul versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sentul but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Sentul 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 Sentul 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 Sentul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 104% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.