Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changwon and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Changwon: $1,538 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Changwon
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Changwon Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Changwon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,538

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,538 in Changwon versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Changwon $1,538
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,371 in Changwon versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Changwon $2,371
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,204 in Changwon versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Changwon $3,204
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Changwon costs roughly 45% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Changwon 14% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$17.43 A$25.08

-56.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.15 ₩37.4K

$84.6 A$122

-66.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.24 ₩6,968

$12.46 A$17.92

-57.95%

Cappuccino

$3.70 ₩4,923

$4.11 A$5.91

-9.98%

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

$1.79 ₩2,383

$3.06 A$4.40

-41.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₩1,338

$2.52 A$3.62

-59.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 ₩4,023

$9.80 A$14.10

-69.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 ₩5,563

$8.57 A$12.33

-51.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 ₩2,983

$1.48 A$2.14

51.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.20 ₩4,254

$2.94 A$4.23

8.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.20 ₩4,257

$2.66 A$3.82

20.30%

Eggs

$2.61 ₩3,476

$5.54 A$7.97

-52.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.83 ₩14.4K

$10.51 A$15.13

3.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 ₩14.1K

$9.65 A$13.89

10.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.43 ₩32.5K

$15.22 A$21.91

60.51%

Apples (1kg)

$11.09 ₩14.7K

$3.99 A$5.75

177.94%

Banana (1kg)

$3.62 ₩4,807

$3.02 A$4.34

19.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.02 ₩10.7K

$3.10 A$4.46

158.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.01 ₩7,991

$4.82 A$6.93

24.69%

Potato (1kg)

$5.82 ₩7,745

$3.03 A$4.36

92.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 ₩4,358

$2.44 A$3.52

34.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,746

$2.46 A$3.54

14.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,771

$1.63 A$2.34

-18.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 ₩4,508

$44.07 A$63.4

-92.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ₩25.0K

$12.70 A$18.28

47.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 ₩3,114

$5.54 A$7.97

-57.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 ₩4,451

$5.23 A$7.52

-35.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ₩1,300

$3.74 A$5.38

-73.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ₩3,874

$4.51 A$6.50

-35.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₩1,031

$1.36 A$1.96

-42.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 ₩22.1K

$30.45 A$43.81

-45.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,806

$1.47 A$2.12

-7.48%

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

$29.3K ₩39.0M

$29.0K A$41.7K

1.01%

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

$33.1K ₩44.0M

$26.5K A$38.1K

24.92%

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

$199 ₩264.0K

$234 A$336

-15.04%

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

$36.37 ₩48.4K

$27.93 A$40.19

30.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.52 ₩35.3K

$55.7 A$80.2

-52.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.5 ₩69.8K

$49.40 A$71.1

6.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.48 ₩16.6K

$21.48 A$30.91

-41.90%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 ₩14.6K

$15.09 A$21.72

-27.17%

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

$629 ₩836.2K

$2,371 A$3,412

-73.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K ₩29.2M

$30.2K A$43.5K

-27.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 ₩140.8K

$80.0 A$115

32.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.4 ₩85.6K

$50.7 A$73.0

26.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 ₩123.4K

$121 A$174

-23.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ₩168.7K

$130 A$188

-2.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$543 ₩722.4K

$1,759 A$2,531

-69.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 ₩502.1K

$1,390 A$2,000

-72.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 ₩1.6M

$3,494 A$5,027

-64.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 ₩1.0M

$2,493 A$3,588

-69.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,598 ₩10.1M

$6,926 A$9,967

9.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,197 ₩8.2M

$6,445 A$9,274

-3.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,705 ₩2.3M

$4,383 A$6,307

-61.10%

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 Changwon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changwon

$483 31.4%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 20.5% $99

Accommodation & Living

Changwon

$378 24.6%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 268% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changwon

$261 17%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 21.4% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Changwon

$175 11.4%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 2.1% $3.7

Eating Out

Changwon

$155 10.1%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 103% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Changwon

$74 4.8%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 6.9% $5.1

Getting Around

Changwon

$11 * 0.7%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 1431% $153

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $543 in Changwon and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 157% 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: $28.00 in Changwon vs $85.0 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $483 vs $384, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Changwon

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

11:22 11:22 AM

13:22 1:22 PM

2 h ahead of Changwon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,055,839

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 18, 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 18, 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

Changwon Melbourne 8,290 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Changwon
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

Changwon vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changwon and Melbourne differ by about 83% in total monthly costs ($1,538 vs $2,821 including rent). Changwon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 157% 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: $543 in Changwon versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 26% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,538 per month in Changwon versus $2,821 in Melbourne – a 83% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,538 in Changwon versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Changwon but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Changwon 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, Changwon 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 Changwon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.