Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Tawau

For one person, living is cheaper in Tawau: $888 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Tawau
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Tawau Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Tawau

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

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Seoul vs $888 in Tawau, rent included.

Seoul $1,804
Tawau $888

A couple spends around $2,877 per month in Seoul vs $1,354 in Tawau, rent included.

Seoul $2,877
Tawau $1,354

A family of three spends $3,950 per month in Seoul vs $1,820 in Tawau, rent included.

Seoul $3,950
Tawau $1,820

Seoul costs about 103% more than Tawau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Tawau is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$3.14 MYR 12.80

189.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$19.22 MYR 78.4

246.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$4.21 MYR 17.19

77.91%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$3.15 MYR 12.86

33.02%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.95 MYR 3.86

63.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.36 MYR 1.46

119.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$2.66 MYR 10.83

36.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$4.52 MYR 18.45

35.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.74 MYR 7.10

21.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.00 MYR 4.09

205.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$1.49 MYR 6.06

182.55%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$2.16 MYR 8.80

63.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$14.36 MYR 58.6

25.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$4.35 MYR 17.75

137.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$9.83 MYR 40.10

169.28%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$3.04 MYR 12.41

160.20%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.67 MYR 6.83

105.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$2.48 MYR 10.13

127.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.49 MYR 6.10

330.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$1.31 MYR 5.32

183.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$1.21 MYR 4.94

108.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$1.07 MYR 4.37

168.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.57 MYR 2.31

103.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$4.48 MYR 18.30

-24.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$19.05 MYR 77.7

-1.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$3.02 MYR 12.32

-24.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$4.98 MYR 20.32

-33.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.70 MYR 2.84

61.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$12.41 MYR 50.6

276.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$1.25 MYR 5.11

181.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.48 MYR 1.97

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$6.98 MYR 28.49

25.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$0.87 MYR 3.57

66.67%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$50.2K MYR 204.8K

-40.91%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$36.0K MYR 146.9K

-21.71%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$49.37 MYR 201

327.10%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$10.55 MYR 43.02

235.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$28.74 MYR 117

-28.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$43.34 MYR 177

33.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$6.82 MYR 27.83

137.54%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$3.77 MYR 15.39

201.59%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$183 MYR 746

976.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$7,623 MYR 31.1K

198.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$58.9 MYR 240

-2.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$33.06 MYR 135

0.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$74.3 MYR 303

-5.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$88.2 MYR 360

-4.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$387 MYR 1,578

126.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$253 MYR 1,030

147.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$596 MYR 2,433

321.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$447 MYR 1,823

188.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$1,936 MYR 7,900

1468.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,216 MYR 4,962

876.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$418 MYR 1,707

760.05%

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 Tawau: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Tawau

$253 28.4% 59.5% $371

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Tawau

$260 29.2% 45.9% $220

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Tawau

$89 10% 66.8% $178

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Tawau

$103 11.6% 44.4% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Tawau

$114 12.9% 3.9% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Tawau

$51 5.7% 36.8% $30

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Tawau

$19 2.1% 67.5% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $878 in Seoul versus $387 in Tawau. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 760% higher in Seoul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Seoul versus $19.00 in Tawau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $480 vs $260 – making Tawau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇾 Tawau

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

06:01 6:01 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

420,806

💱 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

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Between locations

Seoul Tawau 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Tawau

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 Tawau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 103% more than Tawau, 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 $2,707 per month in Seoul and $1,332 in Tawau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tawau, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 277% less in Tawau. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,967 per month in Seoul and $183 in Tawau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tawau, where all-in costs run around $888, than in Seoul at $1,804. In Tawau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tawau – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Tawau. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.