Cost of living comparison

 Malaysia
compared to
 South Korea
South Korea vs. Malaysia Cost of Living Summary

South Korea is 91.4% more expensive than Malaysia overall.

Restaurants
pay 88.7% more in South Korea
Groceries
pay 2.4 times more in South Korea
Transportation
pay 83.3% more in South Korea
Housing
pay 73.0% more in South Korea
Childcare
pay 2.9 times more in South Korea
Entertainment and Sports
pay 35.1% more in South Korea
Clothing
pay 33.9% more in South Korea

The cost of childcare, groceries, restaurants, transportation, housing, and entertainment and sports in South Korea are more expensive than in Malaysia. Notably, childcare, groceries, and restaurants are significantly more expensive in South Korea.

South Korea vs. Malaysia Cost Breakdown

If you lived in South Korea instead of Malaysia, you would:

pay 88.7% more for restaurants

 
Malaysia
South Korea
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $2.98
MYR13.20
$6.16
₩9,057
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.23
MYR18.75
$5.24
₩7,703
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.68
MYR3.01
$1.47
₩2,164

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pay 2.4 times more for groceries

 
Malaysia
South Korea
Bread
1 loaf
$0.91
MYR4.05
$3.08
₩4,524
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.65
MYR33.92
$5.40
₩7,947
Milk (1 gallon) $6.39
MYR28.32
$7.46
₩10,967

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pay 83.3% more for transportation

 
Malaysia
South Korea
Gasoline (1 gallon) $1.77
MYR7.85
$4.39
₩6,459
Monthly public transit pass $15.69
MYR69.55
$45.32
₩66,633
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $34,330.57
MYR152,204.60
$27,023.07
₩39,734,716

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pay 73.0% more for housing

 
Malaysia
South Korea
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$26.31
MYR116.67
$17.65
₩25,959
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $322.80
MYR1,431.14
$426.93
₩627,760
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $212.35
MYR941.45
$328.41
₩482,899

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pay 2.9 times more for childcare

 
Malaysia
South Korea
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $163.68
MYR725.67
$373.40
₩549,048
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $6,626.64
MYR29,379.21
$22,907.58
₩33,683,299

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pay 35.1% more for entertainment and sports

 
Malaysia
South Korea
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $3.66
MYR16.22
$3.09
₩4,549
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.54
MYR11.26
$3.39
₩4,984
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$4.07
MYR18.03
$3.21
₩4,726

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pay 33.9% more for clothing

 
Malaysia
South Korea
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$53.15
MYR235.64
$60.70
₩89,260
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$30.13
MYR133.57
$44.52
₩65,466
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$65.18
MYR288.96
$72.99
₩107,328

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: March 2025
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