Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucheon and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucheon: $1,477 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Bucheon
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Bucheon Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Bucheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,477

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucheon and in Melbourne

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

A single person spends $1,477 per month in Bucheon vs $2,821 in Melbourne, rent included.

Bucheon $1,477
Melbourne $2,821

A couple spends around $2,387 per month in Bucheon vs $4,235 in Melbourne, rent included.

Bucheon $2,387
Melbourne $4,235

A family of three spends $3,297 per month in Bucheon vs $5,650 in Melbourne, rent included.

Bucheon $3,297
Melbourne $5,650

Bucheon is about 48% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bucheon and Melbourne sit above the global median – Bucheon by 9%, Melbourne by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.14 ₩12.2K

$17.43 A$25.08

-47.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 ₩89.3K

$84.6 A$122

-20.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.55 ₩10.0K

$12.46 A$17.92

-39.41%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,577

$4.11 A$5.91

1.95%

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

$1.57 ₩2,083

$3.06 A$4.40

-48.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 ₩1,095

$2.52 A$3.62

-67.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,939

$9.80 A$14.10

-62.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.10 ₩8,111

$8.57 A$12.33

-28.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.07 ₩2,756

$1.48 A$2.14

39.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,168

$2.94 A$4.23

6.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.26 ₩5,666

$2.66 A$3.82

60.15%

Eggs

$3.68 ₩4,899

$5.54 A$7.97

-33.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.76 ₩23.6K

$10.51 A$15.13

68.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.31 ₩13.7K

$9.65 A$13.89

6.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.60 ₩35.4K

$15.22 A$21.91

74.77%

Apples (1kg)

$7.57 ₩10.1K

$3.99 A$5.75

89.72%

Banana (1kg)

$3.36 ₩4,467

$3.02 A$4.34

11.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.69 ₩7,568

$3.10 A$4.46

83.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.33 ₩8,410

$4.82 A$6.93

31.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 ₩4,810

$3.03 A$4.36

19.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ₩3,435

$2.44 A$3.52

5.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 ₩3,734

$2.46 A$3.54

14.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,531

$1.63 A$2.34

-29.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.28 ₩4,356

$44.07 A$63.4

-92.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.57 ₩24.7K

$12.70 A$18.28

46.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 ₩3,044

$5.54 A$7.97

-58.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,365

$5.23 A$7.52

-37.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 ₩1,470

$3.74 A$5.38

-70.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 ₩4,651

$4.51 A$6.50

-22.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 ₩858

$1.36 A$1.96

-52.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.16 ₩12.2K

$30.45 A$43.81

-69.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩1,988

$1.47 A$2.12

2.04%

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

$28.9K ₩38.4M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-0.33%

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

$27.7K ₩36.8M

$26.5K A$38.1K

4.67%

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

$211 ₩279.9K

$234 A$336

-9.90%

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

$35.07 ₩46.6K

$27.93 A$40.19

25.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.44 ₩27.2K

$55.7 A$80.2

-63.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 ₩68.4K

$49.40 A$71.1

4.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.05 ₩16.0K

$21.48 A$30.91

-43.90%

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 ₩14.8K

$15.09 A$21.72

-26.31%

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

$528 ₩701.6K

$2,371 A$3,412

-77.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K ₩29.7M

$30.2K A$43.5K

-25.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$80.0 A$115

-28.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.21 ₩44.2K

$50.7 A$73.0

-34.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.2 ₩92.0K

$121 A$174

-42.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.0 ₩110.4K

$130 A$188

-36.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$483 ₩642.0K

$1,759 A$2,531

-72.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 ₩469.7K

$1,390 A$2,000

-74.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₩1.6M

$3,494 A$5,027

-66.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 ₩998.3K

$2,493 A$3,588

-69.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,217 ₩9.6M

$6,926 A$9,967

4.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,428 ₩7.2M

$6,445 A$9,274

-15.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,504 ₩2.0M

$4,383 A$6,307

-65.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.9

-30.85%

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

Last update for Bucheon: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bucheon

$477 32.3%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 19.5% $93

Accommodation & Living

Bucheon

$353 23.9%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 293% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucheon

$266 18%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 19.3% $51

Eating Out

Bucheon

$186 12.6%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 68.6% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Bucheon

$109 7.4%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 57.4% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Bucheon

$74 5%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 8.1% $5.9

Getting Around

Bucheon

$11 * 0.8%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 1369% $153

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $483 in Bucheon versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 192% higher in Melbourne, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Bucheon versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Groceries tell a different story – $477 in Bucheon vs $384 in Melbourne – so Melbourne wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Bucheon

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

03:05 3:05 AM

05:05 5:05 AM

2 h ahead of Bucheon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

848,191

5,031,195

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucheon Melbourne 8,580 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucheon
Melbourne

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

Bucheon vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,477 in Bucheon, $2,821 in Melbourne – roughly 91% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,215 per month in Bucheon and $4,231 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bucheon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,477 in Bucheon and $2,821 in Melbourne. That's a gap of about 91%.

Kindergarten costs $528 per month in Bucheon and $2,371 in Melbourne. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucheon, where all-in costs run around $1,477, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Bucheon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bucheon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bucheon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.