Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheongju and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheongju: $1,398 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cheongju
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Cheongju Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Cheongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,398

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,398 in Cheongju versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Cheongju $1,398
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,320 in Cheongju versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Cheongju $2,320
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Cheongju versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Cheongju $3,241
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Cheongju costs roughly 50% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cheongju 4% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.64 ₩10.2K

$17.43 A$25.08

-56.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.79 ₩64.9K

$84.6 A$122

-42.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.13 ₩8,153

$12.46 A$17.92

-50.80%

Cappuccino

$3.65 ₩4,851

$4.11 A$5.91

-11.19%

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

$1.78 ₩2,361

$3.06 A$4.40

-41.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 ₩1,873

$2.52 A$3.62

-44.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.79 ₩5,033

$9.80 A$14.10

-61.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 ₩5,845

$8.57 A$12.33

-48.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 ₩3,128

$1.48 A$2.14

58.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 ₩4,129

$2.94 A$4.23

5.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.14 ₩4,178

$2.66 A$3.82

18.05%

Eggs

$2.71 ₩3,606

$5.54 A$7.97

-51.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.18 ₩14.9K

$10.51 A$15.13

6.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.27 ₩13.7K

$9.65 A$13.89

6.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.55 ₩32.6K

$15.22 A$21.91

61.30%

Apples (1kg)

$11.41 ₩15.2K

$3.99 A$5.75

185.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.56 ₩4,727

$3.02 A$4.34

17.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.30 ₩11.0K

$3.10 A$4.46

167.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.91 ₩7,859

$4.82 A$6.93

22.61%

Potato (1kg)

$6.14 ₩8,161

$3.03 A$4.36

102.64%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 ₩4,336

$2.44 A$3.52

33.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 ₩3,637

$2.46 A$3.54

11.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₩1,717

$1.63 A$2.34

-20.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.32 ₩4,413

$44.07 A$63.4

-92.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.55 ₩24.7K

$12.70 A$18.28

46.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 ₩3,287

$5.54 A$7.97

-55.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 ₩4,458

$5.23 A$7.52

-35.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 ₩1,450

$3.74 A$5.38

-70.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 ₩4,741

$4.51 A$6.50

-20.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 ₩1,017

$1.36 A$1.96

-43.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.65 ₩22.1K

$30.45 A$43.81

-45.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,811

$1.47 A$2.12

-7.48%

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

$29.5K ₩39.2M

$29.0K A$41.7K

1.77%

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

$33.4K ₩44.4M

$26.5K A$38.1K

26.04%

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

$203 ₩269.6K

$234 A$336

-13.21%

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

$24.35 ₩32.4K

$27.93 A$40.19

-12.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.57 ₩35.3K

$55.7 A$80.2

-52.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.5 ₩69.8K

$49.40 A$71.1

6.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 ₩16.1K

$21.48 A$30.91

-43.81%

Cinema Ticket

$12.10 ₩16.1K

$15.09 A$21.72

-19.81%

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

$624 ₩830.0K

$2,371 A$3,412

-73.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K ₩29.3M

$30.2K A$43.5K

-27.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.95 ₩50.5K

$80.0 A$115

-52.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ₩86.3K

$50.7 A$73.0

28.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 ₩126.4K

$121 A$174

-21.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ₩150.1K

$130 A$188

-13.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$347 ₩461.0K

$1,759 A$2,531

-80.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 ₩354.8K

$1,390 A$2,000

-80.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 ₩1.5M

$3,494 A$5,027

-66.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 ₩1.0M

$2,493 A$3,588

-69.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,214 ₩9.6M

$6,926 A$9,967

4.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,577 ₩7.4M

$6,445 A$9,274

-13.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,595 ₩3.5M

$4,383 A$6,307

-40.79%

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 Cheongju: 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

Cheongju

$485 34.7%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 20.9% $101

Accommodation & Living

Cheongju

$267 19.1%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 421% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheongju

$254 18.2%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 25.1% $64

Eating Out

Cheongju

$164 11.7%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 92% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Cheongju

$140 10%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 22.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Cheongju

$77 5.5%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 3.8% $2.9

Getting Around

Cheongju

$12 * 0.8%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 1294% $152

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 $347 in Cheongju and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 69% 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: $49.00 in Cheongju vs $85.0 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $485 vs $384, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Cheongju

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

06:41 6:41 AM

2 h ahead of Cheongju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

835,669

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

Cheongju Melbourne 8,470 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cheongju
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

Cheongju vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cheongju wins on cost – living expenses run 102% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cheongju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 69% 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: $347 in Cheongju versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $624 in Cheongju versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cheongju – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,398 in Cheongju versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cheongju but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Cheongju 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, Cheongju 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 Cheongju gentler on the wallet – expenses run 102% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.