Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Adelaide and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,804 a month against $2,640 in Adelaide, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Adelaide
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Adelaide Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Adelaide

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,640

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Adelaide and in Seoul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Adelaide and in Seoul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,640 in Adelaide versus $1,804 in Seoul.

Adelaide $2,640
Seoul $1,804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,759 in Adelaide versus $2,877 in Seoul.

Adelaide $3,759
Seoul $2,877

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,878 in Adelaide versus $3,950 in Seoul.

Adelaide $4,878
Seoul $3,950

Living in Adelaide is roughly 46% more expensive than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Adelaide 95% above, Seoul 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 A$24.61

$9.10 ₩12.1K

87.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 A$116

$66.7 ₩88.6K

20.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.64 A$16.75

$7.49 ₩9,959

55.41%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.83

$4.19 ₩5,569

-3.34%

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

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.55 ₩2,067

79.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 A$3.68

$0.79 ₩1,055

222.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 A$11.20

$3.64 ₩4,846

114.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.26 A$11.89

$6.14 ₩8,164

34.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 A$2.85

$2.11 ₩2,811

-6.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$3.05 ₩4,051

-8.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.23

$4.21 ₩5,599

-46.79%

Eggs

$5.69 A$8.19

$3.54 ₩4,709

60.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$18.02 ₩24.0K

-34.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 A$13.24

$10.35 ₩13.8K

-11.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 A$27.29

$26.47 ₩35.2K

-28.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 A$5.67

$7.91 ₩10.5K

-50.19%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.44 ₩4,578

-11.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 A$5.22

$5.64 ₩7,493

-35.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.06 A$7.28

$6.41 ₩8,517

-21.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 A$4.60

$3.71 ₩4,938

-13.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.56

$2.52 ₩3,345

-1.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 A$3.58

$2.87 ₩3,816

-13.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.33

$1.16 ₩1,536

99.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.26 A$65.1

$3.37 ₩4,480

1243.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$20.05

$18.72 ₩24.9K

-25.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.52 A$7.94

$2.28 ₩3,036

142.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 A$8.51

$3.31 ₩4,397

78.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 A$4.61

$1.13 ₩1,497

183.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.6 A$120

$46.73 ₩62.1K

78.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.07

$3.52 ₩4,684

0.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 A$2.85

$0.64 ₩849

209.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.11 A$44.77

$8.76 ₩11.7K

255.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 A$2.03

$1.45 ₩1,930

-2.76%

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

$29.3K A$42.2K

$29.7K ₩39.4M

-1.13%

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

$25.7K A$36.9K

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-8.94%

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

$192 A$276

$211 ₩280.4K

-8.98%

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

$25.71 A$36.99

$35.36 ₩47.0K

-27.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.7 A$81.6

$20.57 ₩27.4K

175.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 A$90.6

$57.7 ₩76.7K

9.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.06 A$20.24

$16.20 ₩21.5K

-13.21%

Cinema Ticket

$17.14 A$24.67

$11.37 ₩15.1K

50.75%

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

$2,072 A$2,982

$1,967 ₩2.6M

5.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K A$20.5K

$22.8K ₩30.3M

-37.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 A$101

$57.5 ₩76.4K

22.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 A$78.9

$33.08 ₩44.0K

65.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$165

$70.1 ₩93.2K

63.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 A$195

$84.3 ₩112.0K

60.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,466

$878 ₩1.2M

95.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 A$1,839

$624 ₩829.7K

104.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,431 A$3,498

$2,513 ₩3.3M

-3.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 A$2,637

$1,287 ₩1.7M

42.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.1K A$14.5K

$30.4K ₩40.4M

-66.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,880 A$9,901

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-42.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,830 A$5,511

$3,599 ₩4.8M

6.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

4.08

45.10%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Adelaide: October 19, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Adelaide

$1.3K 48.4%

Seoul

$624 34.6% 51.2% $654

Groceries & Markets

Adelaide

$415 15.7%

Seoul

$480 26.6% 15.6% $65

Eating Out

Adelaide

$297 11.3%

Seoul

$185 10.3% 37.6% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Adelaide

$274 10.4%

Seoul

$267 14.8% 2.7% $7.5

Clothing & Footwear

Adelaide

$169 6.4%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 34.7% $59

Getting Around

Adelaide

$110 4.2%

Seoul

$58 3.2% 47.2% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Adelaide

$97 3.7%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 17.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Adelaide and $878 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Adelaide pays 6% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $81.0 in Adelaide vs $67.0 in Seoul. Groceries flip the comparison at $415 vs $480, with Adelaide cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Adelaide

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

06:40 6:40 AM

1 h 30 min behind Adelaide

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,245,011

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

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).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Adelaide Seoul 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Adelaide vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Adelaide and Seoul differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($2,640 vs $1,804 including rent). Seoul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Adelaide, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,713 in Adelaide versus $878 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,072 in Adelaide versus $1,967 in Seoul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Adelaide pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,804 in Seoul versus $2,640 in Adelaide, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seoul but tight or insufficient in Adelaide. The gap between the two cities makes Seoul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Adelaide and Seoul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Seoul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Adelaide. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.