Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilsan and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilsan: $1,444 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Ilsan
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Ilsan Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Ilsan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,444

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,444 in Ilsan versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Ilsan $1,444
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ilsan versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Ilsan $2,297
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,151 in Ilsan versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Ilsan $3,151
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Ilsan costs roughly 49% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ilsan 7% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.30 ₩9,738

$17.43 A$25.08

-58.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 ₩89.9K

$84.6 A$122

-20.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.34 ₩9,797

$12.46 A$17.92

-41.09%

Cappuccino

$4.01 ₩5,355

$4.11 A$5.91

-2.43%

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

$1.61 ₩2,147

$3.06 A$4.40

-47.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₩1,021

$2.52 A$3.62

-69.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.79 ₩5,052

$9.80 A$14.10

-61.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 ₩8,098

$8.57 A$12.33

-29.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ₩2,774

$1.48 A$2.14

40.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₩4,212

$2.94 A$4.23

7.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 ₩2,981

$2.66 A$3.82

-16.17%

Eggs

$3.36 ₩4,482

$5.54 A$7.97

-39.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.36 ₩20.5K

$10.51 A$15.13

46.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 ₩10.6K

$9.65 A$13.89

-17.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.21 ₩15.0K

$15.22 A$21.91

-26.35%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,894

$3.99 A$5.75

85.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 ₩4,339

$3.02 A$4.34

7.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.75 ₩7,675

$3.10 A$4.46

85.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.08 ₩8,115

$4.82 A$6.93

26.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.51 ₩4,682

$3.03 A$4.36

15.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 ₩3,162

$2.44 A$3.52

-2.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 ₩2,666

$2.46 A$3.54

-18.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₩1,525

$1.63 A$2.34

-30.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 ₩4,551

$44.07 A$63.4

-92.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.73 ₩25.0K

$12.70 A$18.28

47.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 ₩2,970

$5.54 A$7.97

-59.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 ₩4,464

$5.23 A$7.52

-35.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,467

$3.74 A$5.38

-70.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.42 ₩65.9K

$138 A$198

-64.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 ₩4,851

$4.51 A$6.50

-19.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩836

$1.36 A$1.96

-53.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.18 ₩12.2K

$30.45 A$43.81

-69.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₩1,890

$1.47 A$2.12

-3.40%

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

$29.3K ₩39.1M

$29.0K A$41.7K

1.09%

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

$28.3K ₩37.7M

$26.5K A$38.1K

6.77%

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

$213 ₩284.4K

$234 A$336

-8.79%

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

$34.95 ₩46.6K

$27.93 A$40.19

25.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.52 ₩27.4K

$55.7 A$80.2

-63.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 ₩69.4K

$49.40 A$71.1

5.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₩15.8K

$21.48 A$30.91

-44.97%

Cinema Ticket

$11.30 ₩15.1K

$15.09 A$21.72

-25.12%

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

$520 ₩694.2K

$2,371 A$3,412

-78.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ₩23.5M

$30.2K A$43.5K

-41.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩76.0K

$80.0 A$115

-28.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.76 ₩43.7K

$50.7 A$73.0

-35.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.9 ₩93.3K

$121 A$174

-42.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.0 ₩110.7K

$130 A$188

-36.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ₩643.0K

$1,759 A$2,531

-72.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 ₩486.9K

$1,390 A$2,000

-73.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,166 ₩1.6M

$3,494 A$5,027

-66.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$738 ₩985.3K

$2,493 A$3,588

-70.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,213 ₩9.6M

$6,926 A$9,967

4.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,518 ₩7.4M

$6,445 A$9,274

-14.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,453 ₩4.6M

$4,383 A$6,307

-21.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.1

5.9

-30.51%

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

Last update for Ilsan: 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

Ilsan

$396 27.5%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 3.1% $12

Accommodation & Living

Ilsan

$365 25.3%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 281% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ilsan

$269 18.6%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 18.1% $49

Eating Out

Ilsan

$169 11.7%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 85.9% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Ilsan

$109 7.6%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 57.3% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Ilsan

$75 5.2%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 6.7% $5

Getting Around

Ilsan

$61 4.2%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 170% $103

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Ilsan and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 27% 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: $67.0 in Ilsan vs $85.0 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $396 vs $384, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Ilsan

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

03:05 3:05 AM

05:05 5:05 AM

2 h ahead of Ilsan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,061,752

5,031,195

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 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 = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 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

Ilsan Melbourne 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ilsan
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

Ilsan vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ilsan is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 95% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 27% 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: $482 in Ilsan versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,444 per month in Ilsan versus $2,821 in Melbourne – a 95% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ilsan runs roughly 178% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,444 in Ilsan versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ilsan but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Ilsan 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, Ilsan 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 Ilsan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.