Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canberra and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,822 a month against $2,791 in Canberra, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Canberra
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Canberra Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Canberra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,791

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,791 per month in Canberra vs $1,822 in Seoul, rent included.

Canberra $2,791
Seoul $1,822

A couple spends around $3,958 per month in Canberra vs $2,847 in Seoul, rent included.

Canberra $3,958
Seoul $2,847

A family of three spends $5,125 per month in Canberra vs $3,872 in Seoul, rent included.

Canberra $5,125
Seoul $3,872

Canberra costs about 53% more than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Canberra and Seoul sit above the global median – Canberra by 108%, Seoul by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.14 A$24.53

$9.10 ₩12.2K

88.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.3 A$126

$67.0 ₩89.8K

31.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.50 A$15.03

$7.42 ₩9,941

41.51%

Cappuccino

$3.94 A$5.63

$4.08 ₩5,470

-3.43%

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

$3.17 A$4.54

$1.60 ₩2,141

98.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 A$3.76

$0.80 ₩1,078

228.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.32 A$11.90

$3.65 ₩4,886

127.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.73 A$13.93

$5.94 ₩7,956

63.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$2.05 ₩2,742

-26.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 A$4.60

$3.08 ₩4,130

4.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.78

$4.21 ₩5,646

-37.29%

Eggs

$5.25 A$7.51

$3.57 ₩4,784

47.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.07 A$18.71

$17.95 ₩24.1K

-27.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.16 A$14.54

$10.64 ₩14.3K

-4.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.48 A$22.15

$26.44 ₩35.4K

-41.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 A$5.63

$7.42 ₩9,946

-47.04%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 A$4.43

$3.53 ₩4,732

-12.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 A$5.14

$5.87 ₩7,866

-38.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.09 A$7.28

$6.37 ₩8,534

-20.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.36

$3.75 ₩5,028

-18.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 A$3.96

$2.49 ₩3,337

11.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.51

$2.92 ₩3,911

-15.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 A$2.34

$1.15 ₩1,542

42.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.29 A$63.4

$3.29 ₩4,408

1246.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 A$20.28

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-23.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.80 A$6.87

$2.28 ₩3,057

110.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 A$8.08

$3.28 ₩4,398

72.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 A$4.09

$1.14 ₩1,526

150.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.0 A$133

$45.47 ₩60.9K

104.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 A$5.67

$3.48 ₩4,663

13.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.60 ₩803

171.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.39 A$60.7

$8.70 ₩11.7K

387.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.87

$1.50 ₩2,004

-12.67%

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

$27.4K A$39.3K

$29.1K ₩39.0M

-5.75%

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

$29.3K A$41.9K

$28.2K ₩37.8M

3.87%

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

$179 A$256

$209 ₩279.9K

-14.25%

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

$26.92 A$38.53

$35.13 ₩47.1K

-23.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.9 A$78.5

$21.18 ₩28.4K

159.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.2 A$119

$57.3 ₩76.8K

45.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.11 A$38.80

$15.89 ₩21.3K

70.61%

Cinema Ticket

$15.51 A$22.20

$11.33 ₩15.2K

36.89%

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

$2,382 A$3,410

$1,902 ₩2.5M

25.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K A$28.7K

$22.5K ₩30.2M

-11.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 A$110

$58.9 ₩78.9K

29.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 A$79.3

$32.12 ₩43.0K

72.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$164

$70.1 ₩94.0K

63.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$82.5 ₩110.5K

60.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,711 A$2,449

$885 ₩1.2M

93.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,467 A$2,100

$624 ₩835.5K

135.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,098 A$4,433

$2,494 ₩3.3M

24.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 A$2,816

$1,275 ₩1.7M

54.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.2K A$16.0K

$29.8K ₩40.0M

-62.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,417 A$10.6K

$11.8K ₩15.9M

-37.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,310 A$6,168

$3,649 ₩4.9M

18.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

4.08

45.83%

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

Last update for Canberra: October 3, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canberra

$1.5K 51.8%

Seoul

$624 34.7% 57.5% $844

Groceries & Markets

Canberra

$401 14.2%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 19.5% $78

Eating Out

Canberra

$300 10.6%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 38.8% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canberra

$261 9.2%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 1.6% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Canberra

$171 6%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 35.7% $61

Getting Around

Canberra

$117 4.1%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 51.5% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Canberra

$114 4%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 30% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,711 in Canberra versus $885 in Seoul. 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 18% higher in Canberra, 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 $88.0 in Canberra versus $67.0 in Seoul. Groceries tell a different story – $401 in Canberra vs $479 in Seoul – so Canberra wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Canberra

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

12:59 12:59 PM

2 h behind Canberra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

466,566 Capital

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

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).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Canberra Seoul 8,420 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Canberra
Seoul

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

Canberra vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,791 in Canberra, $1,822 in Seoul – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,187 per month in Canberra and $2,733 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seoul, 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 $2,791 in Canberra and $1,822 in Seoul. That's a gap of about 53%.

Public transport costs about 105% less in Seoul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seoul, where all-in costs run around $1,822, than in Canberra at $2,791. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Canberra it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Seoul – 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 Seoul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Canberra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.