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Malé vs Ulsan cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money · Updated October 2026
🇲🇻 Malé
🇰🇷 Ulsan
At a glance
- Where Ulsan is clearly cheaper: Half-day tour (92%↓), Entry ticket (78%↓), Beer (65%↓)
- Where Malé is clearly cheaper: Laundry (70%↓), Taxi (64%↓), Bottled water (59%↓)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: language — Malé 2 vs Ulsan 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking ›
Item by item
| Item | Malé | Ulsan | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | Rf 100$6.49 | ₩ 10,000$7.25 | Malé −11% |
| Street food1 item | Rf 25$1.62 | ₩ 4,000$2.9 | Malé −44% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | Rf 220$14.3 | ₩ 25,000$18.1 | Malé −21% |
| Coffeeone cup | Rf 50$3.24 | ₩ 4,800$3.48 | Malé −7% |
| Beerone bottle | Rf 160$10.4 | ₩ 5,000$3.62 | Ulsan −65% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | Rf 230$14.9 | ₩ 12,000$8.7 | Ulsan −42% |
| Bottled water | Rf 5$0.32 | ₩ 1,100$0.8 | Malé −59% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | Rf 12$0.78 | ₩ 2,000$1.45 | Malé −46% |
| Taxi5 km in town | Rf 30$1.95 | ₩ 7,500$5.43 | Malé −64% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | Rf 30$1.95 | ₩ 4,500$3.26 | Malé −40% |
| Transitone ride | Rf 10$0.65 | ₩ 1,500$1.09 | Malé −40% |
| Scooter rentalper day | Rf 250$16.2 | ₩ 15,000$10.9 | Ulsan −33% |
| Hotel night3-star | Rf 1,700$110 | ₩ 70,000$50.7 | Ulsan −54% |
| Studio rent (month) | Rf 13,500$875 | ₩ 550,000$399 | Ulsan −54% |
| Laundry | Rf 30$1.95 | ₩ 9,000$6.52 | Malé −70% |
| SIM card1 week data | Rf 310$20.1 | ₩ 30,000$21.7 | Malé −8% |
| Haircutcut | Rf 75$4.86 | ₩ 15,000$10.9 | Malé −55% |
| Massage1 hour | Rf 750$48.6 | ₩ 60,000$43.5 | Ulsan −11% |
| Half-day tourper person | Rf 700$45.4 | ₩ 5,000$3.62 | Ulsan −92% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | Rf 100$6.49 | ₩ 2,000$1.45 | Ulsan −78% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Malé or Ulsan?
Ulsan is 31% cheaper than Malé. Daily budget $158 vs $113; a month $2,919 vs $1,942.
Which is easier to travel, Malé or Ulsan?
About the same: Malé 2.0/5, Ulsan 1.8/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Malé and Ulsan?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Malé is about $2,919 and Ulsan about $1,942 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.