Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Daegu and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Daegu: $1,569 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Daegu
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Daegu Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Daegu

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,569

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,569 per month in Daegu vs $2,821 in Melbourne, rent included.

Daegu $1,569
Melbourne $2,821

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Daegu vs $4,235 in Melbourne, rent included.

Daegu $2,402
Melbourne $4,235

A family of three spends $3,235 per month in Daegu vs $5,650 in Melbourne, rent included.

Daegu $3,235
Melbourne $5,650

Daegu is about 44% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Daegu and Melbourne sit above the global median – Daegu by 16%, Melbourne by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.29 ₩12.3K

$17.43 A$25.08

-46.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.12 ₩49.4K

$84.6 A$122

-56.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.67 ₩7,536

$12.46 A$17.92

-54.49%

Cappuccino

$3.97 ₩5,284

$4.11 A$5.91

-3.41%

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

$1.56 ₩2,075

$3.06 A$4.40

-49.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₩1,202

$2.52 A$3.62

-64.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.82 ₩5,082

$9.80 A$14.10

-61.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 ₩7,204

$8.57 A$12.33

-36.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₩3,161

$1.48 A$2.14

60.81%

White Bread (500g)

$4.49 ₩5,976

$2.94 A$4.23

52.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 ₩3,541

$2.66 A$3.82

Eggs

$2.72 ₩3,619

$5.54 A$7.97

-50.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ₩13.7K

$10.51 A$15.13

-2.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.44 ₩9,888

$9.65 A$13.89

-22.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.76 ₩27.6K

$15.22 A$21.91

36.40%

Apples (1kg)

$6.59 ₩8,762

$3.99 A$5.75

65.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 ₩3,577

$3.02 A$4.34

-10.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.72 ₩7,599

$3.10 A$4.46

84.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.96 ₩7,921

$4.82 A$6.93

23.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 ₩3,518

$3.03 A$4.36

-12.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 ₩2,735

$2.44 A$3.52

-15.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.35 ₩5,789

$2.46 A$3.54

76.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₩1,825

$1.63 A$2.34

-15.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.88 ₩3,832

$44.07 A$63.4

-93.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.91 ₩19.8K

$12.70 A$18.28

17.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 ₩2,848

$5.54 A$7.97

-61.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 ₩3,317

$5.23 A$7.52

-52.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 ₩1,473

$3.74 A$5.38

-70.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.4 ₩101.5K

$138 A$198

-44.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 ₩4,172

$4.51 A$6.50

-30.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 ₩811

$1.36 A$1.96

-55.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.02 ₩10.7K

$30.45 A$43.81

-73.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₩1,775

$1.47 A$2.12

-9.52%

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

$28.5K ₩37.9M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-1.71%

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

$41.5K ₩55.1M

$26.5K A$38.1K

56.59%

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

$280 ₩371.6K

$234 A$336

19.61%

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

$50.5 ₩67.1K

$27.93 A$40.19

80.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.09 ₩62.6K

$55.7 A$80.2

-15.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 ₩67.8K

$49.40 A$71.1

3.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.89 ₩15.8K

$21.48 A$30.91

-44.65%

Cinema Ticket

$11.26 ₩15.0K

$15.09 A$21.72

-25.38%

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

$531 ₩706.4K

$2,371 A$3,412

-77.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ₩37.1M

$30.2K A$43.5K

-7.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 ₩74.8K

$80.0 A$115

-29.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 ₩66.9K

$50.7 A$73.0

-0.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ₩127.7K

$121 A$174

-20.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 ₩218.5K

$130 A$188

25.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 ₩542.1K

$1,759 A$2,531

-76.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 ₩363.6K

$1,390 A$2,000

-80.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 ₩1.4M

$3,494 A$5,027

-70.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 ₩806.7K

$2,493 A$3,588

-75.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,125 ₩9.5M

$6,926 A$9,967

2.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,559 ₩7.4M

$6,445 A$9,274

-13.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,478 ₩3.3M

$4,383 A$6,307

-43.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.07

5.9

-14.07%

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

Last update for Daegu: 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

Daegu

$414 26.4%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 7.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Daegu

$377 24%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 15.8% $60

Accommodation & Living

Daegu

$273 17.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 408% $1.1K

Eating Out

Daegu

$179 11.4%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 75.9% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Daegu

$165 10.5%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 4% $6.7

Getting Around

Daegu

$87 5.5%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 88.3% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Daegu

$73 4.7%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 8.3% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $408 in Daegu 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 77% 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 $37.00 in Daegu versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Groceries tell a different story – $414 in Daegu vs $384 in Melbourne – so Melbourne wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Daegu

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

03:38 3:38 AM

05:38 5:38 AM

2 h ahead of Daegu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,528,933

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

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Highest

Between locations

Daegu Melbourne 8,360 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Daegu
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

Daegu vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,569 in Daegu, $2,821 in Melbourne – roughly 80% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,353 per month in Daegu 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 Daegu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Daegu and $85.0 in Melbourne. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,569 in Daegu and $2,821 in Melbourne. That's a gap of about 80%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Daegu, where all-in costs run around $1,569, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Daegu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Daegu – 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 Daegu. 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.