Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ipswich and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,804 a month against $2,043 in Ipswich, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ipswich outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

108

Cost of Living Index in Ipswich
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Ipswich Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Ipswich

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,043

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,043 per month in Ipswich vs $1,804 in Seoul, rent included.

Ipswich $2,043
Seoul $1,804

A couple spends around $2,917 per month in Ipswich vs $2,877 in Seoul, rent included.

Ipswich $2,917
Seoul $2,877

A family of three spends $3,791 per month in Ipswich vs $3,950 in Seoul, rent included.

Ipswich $3,791
Seoul $3,950

Ipswich costs about 13% more than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ipswich and Seoul sit above the global median – Ipswich by 51%, Seoul by 33%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.32 A$45.07

$9.10 ₩12.1K

244.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.5 A$110

$66.7 ₩88.6K

14.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.76 A$14.04

$7.49 ₩9,959

30.31%

Cappuccino

$4.56 A$6.56

$4.19 ₩5,569

8.83%

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

$3.90 A$5.62

$1.55 ₩2,067

151.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 A$3.61

$0.79 ₩1,055

217.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.24 A$13.30

$3.64 ₩4,846

153.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 A$11.51

$6.14 ₩8,164

30.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.48 A$3.57

$2.11 ₩2,811

17.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 A$3.47

$3.05 ₩4,051

-20.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 A$3.17

$4.21 ₩5,599

-47.74%

Eggs

$7.21 A$10.37

$3.54 ₩4,709

103.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.40 A$10.65

$18.02 ₩24.0K

-58.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.42 A$12.11

$10.35 ₩13.8K

-18.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 A$19.97

$26.47 ₩35.2K

-47.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 A$4.96

$7.91 ₩10.5K

-56.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.60 A$3.74

$3.44 ₩4,578

-24.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.12

$5.64 ₩7,493

-49.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.74 A$5.38

$6.41 ₩8,517

-41.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 A$2.73

$3.71 ₩4,938

-48.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 A$2.94

$2.52 ₩3,345

-19.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.57

$2.87 ₩3,816

-13.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 A$2.58

$1.16 ₩1,536

54.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.82 A$64.5

$3.37 ₩4,480

1229.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.12 A$31.84

$18.72 ₩24.9K

18.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.32 A$9.10

$2.28 ₩3,036

177.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.41 A$10.66

$3.31 ₩4,397

123.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.49

$1.13 ₩1,497

-69.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 A$3.20

$3.52 ₩4,684

-36.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 A$2.24

$0.64 ₩849

142.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 A$50.8

$8.76 ₩11.7K

302.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 A$2.06

$1.45 ₩1,930

-1.38%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

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

$92.0 A$132

$211 ₩280.4K

-56.36%

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

$31.28 A$45.01

$35.36 ₩47.0K

-11.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.1 A$92.2

$20.57 ₩27.4K

211.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.50 A$25.18

$57.7 ₩76.7K

-69.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,032 A$1,485

$878 ₩1.2M

17.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 A$1,463

$624 ₩829.7K

62.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 A$2,042

$2,513 ₩3.3M

-43.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 A$2,024

$1,287 ₩1.7M

9.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,265 A$6,137

$3,599 ₩4.8M

18.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.98

4.08

46.57%

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

Last update for Ipswich: October 19, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ipswich

$1K 49.8%

Seoul

$624 34.6% 38.6% $393

Eating Out

Ipswich

$422 20.7%

Seoul

$185 10.3% 56.1% $237

Groceries & Markets

Ipswich

$387 19%

Seoul

$480 26.6% 23.8% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ipswich

$187 9.2%

Seoul

$267 14.8% 42.4% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Ipswich

$18 * 0.9%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 360% $63

Getting Around

Ipswich

$11 * 0.6%

Seoul

$58 3.2% 411% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Ipswich

- * 0%

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,032 in Ipswich versus $878 in Seoul. 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 19% higher in Ipswich, 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 $76.0 in Ipswich versus $67.0 in Seoul. Groceries tell a different story – $387 in Ipswich vs $480 in Seoul – so Ipswich wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ipswich

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

1 h behind Ipswich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

229,208

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 21, 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 21, 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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Ipswich Seoul 7,730 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Ipswich vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ipswich is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,064 per month in Ipswich and $2,707 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seoul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 24% cheaper in Ipswich – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Ipswich and $67.0 in Seoul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seoul, where all-in costs run around $1,804, than in Ipswich at $2,043. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ipswich it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Seoul – 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 Seoul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ipswich makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.