Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Skudai

For one person, living is cheaper in Skudai: $900 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Skudai
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Skudai Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Skudai

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$900

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Skudai

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

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Seoul vs $900 in Skudai, rent included.

Seoul $1,848
Skudai $900

A couple spends around $2,986 per month in Seoul vs $1,370 in Skudai, rent included.

Seoul $2,986
Skudai $1,370

A family of three spends $4,125 per month in Seoul vs $1,840 in Skudai, rent included.

Seoul $4,125
Skudai $1,840

Seoul costs about 105% more than Skudai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 36% above the global median, while Skudai is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.0K

$3.63 MYR 14.84

149.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩90.7K

$18.25 MYR 74.6

274.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,756

$4.90 MYR 20.05

50.00%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,466

$2.87 MYR 11.73

43.55%

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

$1.64 ₩2,182

$0.83 MYR 3.40

97.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,071

$0.45 MYR 1.83

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,923

$3.33 MYR 13.62

11.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,142

$5.62 MYR 22.97

9.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,711

$1.74 MYR 7.11

17.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,262

$1.02 MYR 4.18

214.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,824

$1.48 MYR 6.06

196.62%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,767

$1.66 MYR 6.78

116.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.2K

$9.64 MYR 39.43

89.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩13.9K

$3.20 MYR 13.09

228.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩35.7K

$9.61 MYR 39.28

179.81%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.4K

$3.42 MYR 13.98

129.82%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,685

$1.70 MYR 6.94

107.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,572

$2.61 MYR 10.68

118.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,201

$1.64 MYR 6.69

276.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩4,995

$1.41 MYR 5.75

166.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,334

$1.73 MYR 7.08

45.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,737

$1.37 MYR 5.59

105.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,473

$0.51 MYR 2.09

117.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,381

$4.28 MYR 17.49

-22.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩24.7K

$13.83 MYR 56.5

34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,211

$2.74 MYR 11.19

-11.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,458

$2.99 MYR 12.22

12.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,582

$0.83 MYR 3.40

43.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.2K

$10.95 MYR 44.78

321.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,715

$1.01 MYR 4.13

251.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩801

$0.36 MYR 1.46

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.1K

$9.03 MYR 36.92

0.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,909

$0.86 MYR 3.51

67.44%

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

$30.3K ₩40.2M

$44.3K MYR 181.0K

-31.63%

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

$28.9K ₩38.4M

$36.0K MYR 147.2K

-19.75%

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

$213 ₩282.1K

$48.79 MYR 199

335.60%

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

$35.83 ₩47.6K

$8.16 MYR 33.38

339.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.4K

$26.88 MYR 110

-20.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩81.8K

$36.95 MYR 151

66.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩21.8K

$7.55 MYR 30.86

117.35%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.2K

$4.93 MYR 20.17

131.64%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$235 MYR 962

728.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.2M

$4,393 MYR 18.0K

418.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩79.4K

$50.5 MYR 206

18.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.4K

$16.62 MYR 68.0

105.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩87.6K

$77.2 MYR 316

-14.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩108.7K

$85.4 MYR 349

-4.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$357 MYR 1,461

158.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩875.0K

$311 MYR 1,270

112.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$650 MYR 2,659

363.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$565 MYR 2,310

154.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.1M

$1,956 MYR 7,997

1288.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.0M

$1,161 MYR 4,746

872.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.7M

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 26, 2026

Last update for Skudai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Skudai

$311 34.5% 52.9% $348

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Skudai

$226 25.2% 53.2% $257

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Skudai

$84 9.3% 68.9% $186

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Skudai

$111 12.4% 39.7% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Skudai

$103 11.5% 5% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Skudai

$47 5.2% 44.6% $38

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Skudai

$17 1.9% 70.3% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Seoul versus $357 in Skudai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Seoul versus $18 in Skudai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $483 vs $226 – making Skudai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇾 Skudai

🕒 Local time

03:17 3:17 AM

02:17 2:17 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

159,733

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.53 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.76 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 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 27, 2026: 1 USD = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.53 USD). 1 EUR = 1,480 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.76 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Skudai 4,660 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Skudai

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 Skudai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 105% more than Skudai, 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 $2,771 per month in Seoul and $1,349 in Skudai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Skudai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $357 there versus $924 in Seoul.

Public transport costs about 76% less in Skudai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $235 in Skudai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Skudai, where all-in costs run around $900, than in Seoul at $1,848. In Skudai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Skudai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

For expats, Skudai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 105% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.