Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Busan: $1,627 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Busan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Melbourne and in Busan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $1,627 in Busan.

Melbourne $2,852
Busan $1,627

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $2,557 in Busan.

Melbourne $4,297
Busan $2,557

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $3,486 in Busan.

Melbourne $5,742
Busan $3,486

Living in Melbourne is roughly 75% more expensive than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 113% above, Busan 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.49

$7.25 ₩9,741

144.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$122

$48.28 ₩64.8K

75.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.46

$6.47 ₩8,684

87.94%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.64

$3.65 ₩4,899

7.67%

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

$3.14 A$4.51

$1.77 ₩2,378

77.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.49

$1.39 ₩1,870

74.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.22

$3.83 ₩5,149

158.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.91

$4.37 ₩5,870

89.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.22

$2.32 ₩3,114

-33.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.32

$3.26 ₩4,383

-7.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.14

$3.11 ₩4,177

-7.40%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.82

$2.62 ₩3,514

107.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.22

$11.18 ₩15.0K

-5.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.81

$10.38 ₩13.9K

-7.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.54

$25.03 ₩33.6K

-40.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.96

$11.02 ₩14.8K

-62.34%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.38

$3.54 ₩4,749

-13.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.74

$7.86 ₩10.6K

-58.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.83

$5.85 ₩7,863

-18.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.36

$5.88 ₩7,901

-48.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.66

$3.39 ₩4,556

-24.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.56

$2.73 ₩3,665

-9.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.32 ₩1,775

23.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.3

$3.33 ₩4,469

1223.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.85

$18.44 ₩24.8K

-32.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.65

$2.38 ₩3,191

123.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.41

$3.48 ₩4,668

48.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.52

$1.19 ₩1,592

222.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$59.1 ₩79.4K

139.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.32

$3.60 ₩4,839

22.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.72 ₩964

94.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.84

$16.66 ₩22.4K

79.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.36 ₩1,830

7.35%

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

$28.1K A$40.4K

$29.8K ₩40.1M

-5.67%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$33.8K ₩45.4M

-23.17%

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

$233 A$334

$196 ₩263.8K

18.45%

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

$27.28 A$39.19

$36.52 ₩49.1K

-25.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.9

$27.50 ₩36.9K

107.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.7

$62.5 ₩83.9K

-15.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.49

$9.62 ₩12.9K

135.14%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.57

$12.04 ₩16.2K

42.03%

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

$2,373 A$3,409

$637 ₩855.9K

272.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.8K

$21.6K ₩29.0M

41.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$106 ₩142.6K

-26.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.5

$65.6 ₩88.0K

-23.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$94.5 ₩126.9K

27.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$128 ₩172.1K

3.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,460

$734 ₩985.6K

133.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,014

$365 ₩489.9K

284.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,796

$1,341 ₩1.8M

148.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,632

$701 ₩941.6K

260.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.1K

$10.0K ₩13.4M

-29.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,721

$6,421 ₩8.6M

5.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,074

$2,841 ₩3.8M

48.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

4.22

39.81%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Busan: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Busan

$365 22.7% 74% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Busan

$483 30.1% 25.4% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Busan

$260 16.2% 17.8% $57

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Busan

$162 10.1% 48.5% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Busan

$177 11.1% 3.1% $5.4

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Busan

$71 4.4% 57.8% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Busan

$87 5.4% 0.4% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $734 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 49% 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: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $48.00 in Busan. Groceries flip the comparison at $385 vs $483, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

17:16 5:16 PM

15:16 3:16 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

3,586,079

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Busan 8,280 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Busan

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

Melbourne vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Busan wins on cost – living expenses run 75% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Busan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 49% higher in Melbourne, 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: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $734 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Busan runs roughly 139% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $637 in Busan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,627 in Busan versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Busan but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Busan 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, Melbourne and Busan 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 Busan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.