Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and South Korea

Name: South Korea
Address: KR

For one person, living is cheaper in South Korea: $1,596 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
Learn more

Australia Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in South Korea
Learn more

South Korea Living Index

Jump to prices

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,596

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in South Korea

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

A single person spends $2,626 per month in Australia vs $1,596 in South Korea, rent included.

Australia $2,626
South Korea $1,596

A couple spends around $3,810 per month in Australia vs $2,542 in South Korea, rent included.

Australia $3,810
South Korea $2,542

A family of three spends $4,994 per month in Australia vs $3,487 in South Korea, rent included.

Australia $4,994
South Korea $3,487

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in South Korea ($1,044–$1,848), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 65% higher than in South Korea on average.

Both Australia and South Korea are pricier than the global median – Australia by 93%, South Korea by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 A$25.09

$7.44 ₩9,879

137.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 A$121

$44.54 ₩59.1K

91.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 A$15.77

$6.51 ₩8,644

70.35%

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.54

$3.83 ₩5,084

1.83%

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

$2.85 A$4.05

$1.59 ₩2,113

79.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.29

$0.78 ₩1,033

196.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 A$10.70

$3.84 ₩5,093

96.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.59 A$12.21

$4.42 ₩5,872

94.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.50

$2.20 ₩2,920

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 A$3.99

$2.96 ₩3,931

-5.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.19

$3.54 ₩4,694

-36.72%

Eggs

$5.02 A$7.14

$3.22 ₩4,271

55.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 A$14.03

$13.36 ₩17.7K

-26.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 A$13.25

$8.89 ₩11.8K

4.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 A$21.13

$26.17 ₩34.7K

-43.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 A$5.43

$8.49 ₩11.3K

-55.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 A$4.16

$3.39 ₩4,495

-13.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.46

$6.42 ₩8,516

-51.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 A$6.84

$5.87 ₩7,795

-18.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 A$3.98

$3.89 ₩5,166

-28.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.38

$2.84 ₩3,774

-16.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.37

$2.69 ₩3,568

-11.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 A$2.35

$1.15 ₩1,533

43.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$39.13 A$55.6

$3.42 ₩4,544

1044.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$19.80

$16.56 ₩22.0K

-15.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.05

$2.13 ₩2,821

132.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.35

$2.91 ₩3,860

77.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 A$3.44

$1.10 ₩1,457

120.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 A$135

$48.35 ₩64.2K

95.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 A$4.97

$3.52 ₩4,667

-0.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.27

$0.65 ₩867

146.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.84 A$56.7

$9.13 ₩12.1K

336.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 A$1.97

$1.38 ₩1,833

0.72%

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

$30.0K A$42.7K

$30.3K ₩40.2M

-0.83%

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

$25.8K A$36.6K

$30.0K ₩39.8M

-14.13%

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

$205 A$292

$210 ₩278.4K

-2.23%

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

$28.33 A$40.29

$40.27 ₩53.5K

-29.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.8 A$83.6

$24.18 ₩32.1K

143.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 A$79.1

$53.8 ₩71.4K

3.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.57 A$27.83

$16.81 ₩22.3K

16.42%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$21.87

$11.50 ₩15.3K

33.74%

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

$2,145 A$3,050

$985 ₩1.3M

117.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K A$26.1K

$23.7K ₩31.4M

-22.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$111

$58.9 ₩78.2K

32.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 A$80.0

$45.48 ₩60.4K

23.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$164

$78.3 ₩104.0K

46.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$175

$97.7 ₩129.7K

26.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 A$2,262

$645 ₩856.2K

146.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 A$1,838

$446 ₩591.9K

189.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,524 A$3,590

$1,711 ₩2.3M

47.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 A$2,851

$999 ₩1.3M

100.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,751 A$12.4K

$15.8K ₩20.9M

-44.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,260 A$8,901

$8,299 ₩11.0M

-24.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,984 A$5,665

$2,345 ₩3.1M

69.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

4.23

40.19%

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

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Last update for South Korea: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.3K 49.2%

South Korea

$446 27.9% 65.5% $847

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$374 14.3%

South Korea

$451 28.3% 20.5% $77

Eating Out

Australia

$297 11.3%

South Korea

$163 10.2% 45.2% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$292 11.1%

South Korea

$274 17.2% 6.2% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$168 6.4%

South Korea

$126 7.9% 24.8% $42

Getting Around

Australia

$116 4.4%

South Korea

$60 3.7% 48.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$86 3.3%

South Korea

$77 4.8% 11.1% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,383 in Australia vs $493 in South Korea. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,749 in Canberra and $924 in Seoul.

Average salary: $3,874 in Australia vs $2,148 in South Korea. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 181% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 100% more in Australia.

Public transport is 75% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are 80% higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇰🇷 South Korea

🕒 Local time

20:29 8:29 PM

18:29 6:29 PM

2 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

51,466,201

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.53 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.77 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.53 USD). 1 EUR = 1,477 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Australia South Korea 8,420 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
South Korea

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

Australia vs South Korea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

South Korea is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 39% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $493 in South Korea.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in South Korea, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

South Korea is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.