Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grafton and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,794 a month against $2,437 in Grafton, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Grafton
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Grafton Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Grafton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,437

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,437 in Grafton versus $1,794 in Seoul.

Grafton $2,437
Seoul $1,794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,470 in Grafton versus $2,863 in Seoul.

Grafton $3,470
Seoul $2,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,504 in Grafton versus $3,931 in Seoul.

Grafton $4,504
Seoul $3,931

Living in Grafton is roughly 36% more expensive than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Grafton 81% above, Seoul 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.31 A$24.90

$8.80 ₩11.7K

96.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.8 A$102

$68.4 ₩90.9K

3.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.35 A$16.33

$7.54 ₩10.0K

50.53%

Cappuccino

$3.28 A$4.72

$4.23 ₩5,624

-22.46%

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

$2.74 A$3.95

$1.63 ₩2,167

68.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 A$3.61

$0.74 ₩985

239.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.37 A$12.05

$3.64 ₩4,843

129.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.55 A$12.30

$6.15 ₩8,175

39.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 A$1.64

$2.01 ₩2,679

-43.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 A$3.91

$3.13 ₩4,164

-13.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.29

$4.32 ₩5,744

-46.99%

Eggs

$3.65 A$5.25

$3.61 ₩4,794

1.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.99 A$12.94

$17.83 ₩23.7K

-49.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.74 A$11.14

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-25.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.00 A$20.15

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-45.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.09

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-62.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 A$1.96

$3.38 ₩4,499

-59.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$5.81 ₩7,723

-47.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 A$6.90

$6.41 ₩8,520

-25.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 A$2.98

$3.75 ₩4,983

-44.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 A$3.15

$2.54 ₩3,375

-13.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 A$2.53

$2.84 ₩3,782

-38.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 A$1.61

$1.11 ₩1,472

0.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$29.96 A$43.12

$3.35 ₩4,455

794.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.62 A$18.16

$18.49 ₩24.6K

-31.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.40 ₩3,185

117.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.04 A$7.25

$3.37 ₩4,480

49.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 A$4.40

$1.14 ₩1,521

167.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.3 A$133

$46.11 ₩61.3K

100.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 A$4.24

$3.49 ₩4,643

-15.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 A$2.68

$0.63 ₩840

195.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.63 A$58.5

$8.86 ₩11.8K

358.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.89

$1.51 ₩2,005

-13.25%

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

$27.4K A$39.4K

$29.3K ₩38.9M

-6.40%

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

$24.2K A$34.8K

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-14.30%

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

$158 A$227

$218 ₩289.2K

-27.38%

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

$25.90 A$37.26

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-26.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.09 A$69.2

$21.29 ₩28.3K

125.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 A$79.7

$58.1 ₩77.2K

-4.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.55 A$23.82

$16.10 ₩21.4K

2.80%

Cinema Ticket

$11.76 A$16.92

$11.31 ₩15.0K

3.98%

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

$680 A$978

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-65.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,086 A$4,441

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-86.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.6 A$117

$57.0 ₩75.8K

43.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.48 A$62.6

$33.39 ₩44.4K

30.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$71.5 ₩95.0K

54.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$159

$82.5 ₩109.7K

34.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 A$1,959

$901 ₩1.2M

51.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 A$1,786

$612 ₩813.5K

102.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,021 A$2,908

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-20.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,834 A$2,638

$1,266 ₩1.7M

44.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,426 A$7,808

$29.4K ₩39.1M

-81.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,449 A$6,403

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-62.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,426 A$3,492

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-33.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

4.08

42.40%

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

Last update for Grafton: October 11, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grafton

$1.2K 50.9%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 50.7% $629

Groceries & Markets

Grafton

$321 13.2%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 48.5% $156

Eating Out

Grafton

$292 12%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 37% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grafton

$232 9.5%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 18.1% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Grafton

$156 6.4%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 29.4% $46

Getting Around

Grafton

$117 4.8%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 50.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Grafton

$79 3.2%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 2.2% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,361 in Grafton and $901 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 50% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $71.0 in Grafton vs $68.0 in Seoul. Groceries flip the comparison at $321 vs $477, with Grafton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Grafton

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

02:40 2:40 AM

2 h behind Grafton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,255

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

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).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Grafton Seoul 7,950 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Grafton
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

Grafton vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Grafton and Seoul differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($2,437 vs $1,794 including rent). Seoul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Seoul. 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: $1,361 in Grafton versus $901 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Grafton pay roughly 49% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Seoul – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $71.0 in Grafton. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,794 in Seoul versus $2,437 in Grafton, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seoul but tight or insufficient in Grafton. The gap between the two cities makes Seoul 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, Grafton 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.

Expats usually find Seoul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Grafton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.