Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Busan: $1,627 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Busan
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Busan Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,627

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan 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 Busan and in Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,627 in Busan versus $2,852 in Melbourne.

Busan $1,627
Melbourne $2,852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,557 in Busan versus $4,297 in Melbourne.

Busan $2,557
Melbourne $4,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,486 in Busan versus $5,742 in Melbourne.

Busan $3,486
Melbourne $5,742

Living in Busan costs roughly 43% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Busan 21% above, Melbourne 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.25 ₩9,718

$17.75 A$25.40

-59.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.28 ₩64.7K

$84.8 A$121

-43.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.47 ₩8,664

$12.16 A$17.40

-46.79%

Cappuccino

$3.65 ₩4,888

$3.93 A$5.62

-7.12%

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

$1.77 ₩2,373

$3.14 A$4.49

-43.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 ₩1,866

$2.43 A$3.47

-42.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 ₩5,137

$9.90 A$14.17

-61.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 ₩5,857

$8.29 A$11.86

-47.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 ₩3,107

$1.55 A$2.21

49.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 ₩4,373

$3.01 A$4.31

8.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.11 ₩4,167

$2.88 A$4.12

7.99%

Eggs

$2.62 ₩3,506

$5.44 A$7.79

-51.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.18 ₩15.0K

$10.59 A$15.16

5.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 ₩13.9K

$9.61 A$13.76

8.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.03 ₩33.5K

$14.99 A$21.46

66.98%

Apples (1kg)

$11.02 ₩14.8K

$4.15 A$5.94

165.54%

Banana (1kg)

$3.54 ₩4,738

$3.05 A$4.37

16.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$3.30 A$4.72

138.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.85 ₩7,845

$4.76 A$6.81

22.90%

Potato (1kg)

$5.88 ₩7,883

$3.04 A$4.34

93.42%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 ₩4,545

$2.55 A$3.65

32.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 ₩3,657

$2.48 A$3.55

10.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 ₩1,771

$1.63 A$2.33

-19.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 ₩4,459

$44.07 A$63.1

-92.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.44 ₩24.7K

$12.43 A$17.79

48.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₩3,184

$5.33 A$7.63

-55.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₩4,657

$5.16 A$7.38

-32.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,589

$3.84 A$5.50

-69.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.1 ₩79.2K

$142 A$203

-58.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ₩4,828

$4.40 A$6.29

-18.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 ₩962

$1.40 A$2.01

-48.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.66 ₩22.3K

$29.83 A$42.69

-44.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,826

$1.46 A$2.09

-6.85%

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

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$28.1K A$40.3K

6.01%

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

$33.8K ₩45.3M

$25.9K A$37.1K

30.17%

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

$196 ₩263.2K

$233 A$333

-15.57%

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

$36.52 ₩48.9K

$27.28 A$39.04

33.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.50 ₩36.9K

$57.0 A$81.6

-51.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.5 ₩83.7K

$52.7 A$75.4

18.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.62 ₩12.9K

$22.62 A$32.37

-57.47%

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 ₩16.1K

$17.10 A$24.48

-29.59%

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

$637 ₩853.9K

$2,373 A$3,397

-73.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K ₩28.9M

$30.5K A$43.6K

-29.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 ₩142.3K

$78.2 A$112

35.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.6 ₩87.8K

$50.5 A$72.2

29.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.5 ₩126.6K

$121 A$172

-21.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 ₩171.7K

$133 A$191

-3.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 ₩983.3K

$1,713 A$2,451

-57.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 ₩488.8K

$1,402 A$2,006

-73.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 ₩1.8M

$3,339 A$4,778

-59.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$701 ₩939.4K

$2,529 A$3,619

-72.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.0K ₩13.4M

$7,018 A$10.0K

42.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,421 ₩8.6M

$6,767 A$9,685

-5.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,841 ₩3.8M

$4,228 A$6,051

-32.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

5.9

-28.47%

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

Last update for Busan: October 4, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Busan

$483 30.1%

Melbourne

$385 13.5% 20.3% $98

Accommodation & Living

Busan

$365 22.7%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 284% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busan

$260 16.2%

Melbourne

$317 11.1% 21.7% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Busan

$177 11.1%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 3% $5.4

Eating Out

Busan

$162 10.1%

Melbourne

$314 11% 94.1% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Busan

$87 5.4%

Melbourne

$87 3.1% 0.4% $0.4

Getting Around

Busan

$71 4.4%

Melbourne

$168 5.9% 137% $97

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $734 in Busan and $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 49% 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: $48.00 in Busan vs $85.0 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $483 vs $385, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Busan

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

14:08 2:08 PM

2 h ahead of Busan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

5,031,195

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Busan Melbourne 8,280 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Busan
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

Busan vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Busan wins on cost – living expenses run 75% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Busan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Melbourne. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $734 in Busan versus $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Busan runs roughly 139% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $637 in Busan versus $2,373 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,627 in Busan versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Busan but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Busan 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, Busan and Melbourne 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 Busan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.