South Korea or Malaysia
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| South Korea | Malaysia | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | $ 61 452 | $ 22 760 |
| Citizenship | 5 years | 10 years |
| Partner can work | no | no |
| Parents | difficult | doable |
| Pets | difficult | difficult |
| Pet limit | 5 | no limit |
| Quarantine | 10 days | 7 days |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 999 · estimate | $ 784 |
| Basket | $ 40,9 | $ 31,2 |
| Life expectancy | 83.63 | 76.82 |
| Homicides/100k | 0.49 | 0.69 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 6 | 4.6 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: South Korea — 91, Malaysia — 39. Types present in both: work, study, family, investment, talent, repatriation and working holiday. South Korea adds: startup and job seeking. Malaysia adds: remote work.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
South Korea: fees range from 60 to 90 USD. Routes stating an income threshold: 1; the lowest is 1,500,000,000 KRW a month. Malaysia: fees range from 60 to 200,000 MYR. Routes stating an income threshold: 9; the lowest is 2,000 MYR a month. Routes with a published decision deadline: 7; the shortest is 3 days.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: South Korea after 5 years; the other country publishes no term. Citizenship: South Korea after 5 years, Malaysia after 10 years. Neither recognises a second citizenship.
South Korea in brief
South Korea combines a developed technology economy and low violent crime with a formal points system for long-term residence (E-7 → F-2-7 → F-5) and substantial restrictions on dual citizenship and on a spouse working. Parents, your own or a partner's, can only get the temporary renewable F-1-15 visa with no right to work. Natural hazards are moderate — seasonal typhoons and monsoon floods, earthquakes rare; the notable problem is air quality, the worst among OECD countries.
Malaysia in brief
Malaysia is a non-EU country with work visas tied firmly to the employer (Employment Pass) and a separate long-term MM2H status that carries no right to work. Permanent residence is effectively out of reach for employed specialists; citizenship takes 10+ years, is decided at discretion and rules out dual citizenship. English is widely used in business and the cost of living is below neighbouring Singapore. The main natural hazards are annual monsoon flooding and seasonal transboundary haze.
Other comparisons
South Korea or… Taiwan · Japan · Thailand · Kazakhstan · Lebanon · Uzbekistan · Azerbaijan · Philippines
Malaysia or… Bangladesh · Kuwait · Iraq · Mongolia · Oman · People's Republic of China · Sri Lanka · Singapore
More on each: South Korea · Malaysia. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.