Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gold Coast and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,848 a month against $2,922 in Gold Coast, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Gold Coast
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Gold Coast Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Gold Coast

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,922

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,922 in Gold Coast versus $1,848 in Seoul.

Gold Coast $2,922
Seoul $1,848

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,497 in Gold Coast versus $2,986 in Seoul.

Gold Coast $4,497
Seoul $2,986

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,073 in Gold Coast versus $4,125 in Seoul.

Gold Coast $6,073
Seoul $4,125

Living in Gold Coast is roughly 58% more expensive than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gold Coast 115% above, Seoul 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.81 A$29.59

$9.05 ₩12.0K

129.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 A$149

$68.3 ₩90.7K

53.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 A$15.09

$7.35 ₩9,756

44.49%

Cappuccino

$3.76 A$5.34

$4.12 ₩5,466

-8.74%

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

$2.83 A$4.02

$1.64 ₩2,182

72.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.50

$0.81 ₩1,071

203.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 A$11.05

$3.71 ₩4,923

109.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.51 A$10.68

$6.13 ₩8,142

22.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.23

$2.04 ₩2,711

-23.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.76

$3.21 ₩4,262

-17.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 A$3.35

$4.39 ₩5,824

-46.24%

Eggs

$4.90 A$6.97

$3.59 ₩4,767

36.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 A$12.93

$18.23 ₩24.2K

-50.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 A$13.51

$10.51 ₩13.9K

-9.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 A$20.92

$26.89 ₩35.7K

-45.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 A$5.61

$7.86 ₩10.4K

-49.75%

Banana (1kg)

$3.19 A$4.54

$3.53 ₩4,685

-9.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 A$4.93

$5.70 ₩7,572

-39.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 A$5.91

$6.18 ₩8,201

-32.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 A$3.68

$3.76 ₩4,995

-31.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.51 ₩3,334

-1.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.48

$2.82 ₩3,737

-13.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 A$3.30

$1.11 ₩1,473

109.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.55 A$64.8

$3.30 ₩4,381

1280.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.19 A$20.17

$18.64 ₩24.7K

-23.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.73 A$8.15

$2.42 ₩3,211

136.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 A$9.56

$3.36 ₩4,458

100.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 A$3.88

$1.19 ₩1,582

129.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 A$79.7

$46.13 ₩61.2K

21.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 A$3.15

$3.55 ₩4,715

-37.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 A$2.34

$0.60 ₩801

175.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.90 A$52.5

$9.08 ₩12.1K

306.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 A$1.96

$1.44 ₩1,909

-4.17%

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

$29.2K A$41.5K

$30.3K ₩40.2M

-3.54%

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

$26.6K A$37.8K

$28.9K ₩38.4M

-7.89%

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

$218 A$310

$213 ₩282.1K

2.64%

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

$31.16 A$44.31

$35.83 ₩47.6K

-13.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 A$77.4

$21.39 ₩28.4K

154.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.7 A$86.3

$61.6 ₩81.8K

-1.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.58 A$25.00

$16.41 ₩21.8K

7.13%

Cinema Ticket

$13.50 A$19.20

$11.42 ₩15.2K

18.21%

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

$2,134 A$3,034

$1,948 ₩2.6M

9.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K A$17.2K

$22.8K ₩30.2M

-46.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 A$109

$59.8 ₩79.4K

27.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 A$76.2

$34.19 ₩45.4K

56.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$150

$66.0 ₩87.6K

60.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$176

$81.9 ₩108.7K

51.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,293 A$3,260

$924 ₩1.2M

148.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,588 A$2,258

$659 ₩875.0K

140.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,278 A$4,662

$3,012 ₩4.0M

8.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,998 A$4,263

$1,440 ₩1.9M

108.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.8K A$15.4K

$27.2K ₩36.1M

-60.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,117 A$10.1K

$11.3K ₩15.0M

-36.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,855

$3,570 ₩4.7M

15.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.69

4.08

39.46%

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

Last update for Gold Coast: October 26, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gold Coast

$1.6K 54.4%

Seoul

$659 35.7% 58.5% $929

Groceries & Markets

Gold Coast

$384 13.2%

Seoul

$483 26.2% 25.8% $99

Eating Out

Gold Coast

$318 10.9%

Seoul

$184 10% 42.1% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gold Coast

$304 10.4%

Seoul

$270 14.6% 11.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Gold Coast

$162 5.5%

Seoul

$109 5.9% 32.8% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Gold Coast

$88 3%

Seoul

$84 4.6% 3.7% $3.2

Getting Around

Gold Coast

$77 2.7%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 25.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,293 in Gold Coast and $924 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gold Coast pays 15% 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: $105 in Gold Coast vs $68 in Seoul. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $483, with Gold Coast cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Gold Coast

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

18:20 6:20 PM

17:20 5:20 PM

1 h behind Gold Coast

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,665

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.53 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.77 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.53 USD). 1 EUR = 1,477 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Gold Coast Seoul 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Gold Coast
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

Gold Coast vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gold Coast and Seoul differ by about 58% in total monthly costs ($2,922 vs $1,848 including rent). Seoul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 15% higher in Gold Coast, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,293 in Gold Coast versus $924 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Seoul runs roughly 18% less than in Gold Coast. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,134 in Gold Coast versus $1,948 in Seoul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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, Gold Coast and Seoul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Seoul wins on affordability, Gold Coast on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.