Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Changwon

For one person, living is cheaper in Changwon: $1,538 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Changwon
Learn more

Changwon Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Changwon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Changwon

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 Changwon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,538 in Changwon.

Melbourne $2,821
Changwon $1,538

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $2,371 in Changwon.

Melbourne $4,235
Changwon $2,371

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $3,204 in Changwon.

Melbourne $5,650
Changwon $3,204

Living in Melbourne is roughly 83% more expensive than in Changwon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Changwon 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$7.54 ₩10.0K

131.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$28.15 ₩37.4K

200.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.24 ₩6,968

137.79%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.70 ₩4,923

11.08%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.79 ₩2,383

70.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.01 ₩1,338

149.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.03 ₩4,023

223.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$4.18 ₩5,563

105.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.24 ₩2,983

-33.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$3.20 ₩4,254

-8.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.20 ₩4,257

-16.88%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.61 ₩3,476

112.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$10.83 ₩14.4K

-2.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$10.63 ₩14.1K

-9.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$24.43 ₩32.5K

-37.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$11.09 ₩14.7K

-64.02%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.62 ₩4,807

-16.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$8.02 ₩10.7K

-61.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$6.01 ₩7,991

-19.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$5.82 ₩7,745

-47.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$3.28 ₩4,358

-25.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.82 ₩3,746

-12.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.33 ₩1,771

22.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.39 ₩4,508

1200.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$18.77 ₩25.0K

-32.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.34 ₩3,114

136.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.35 ₩4,451

56.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.98 ₩1,300

281.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$2.91 ₩3,874

54.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.78 ₩1,031

74.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$16.59 ₩22.1K

83.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.36 ₩1,806

8.09%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$29.3K ₩39.0M

-1.00%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$33.1K ₩44.0M

-19.95%

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

$234 A$336

$199 ₩264.0K

17.71%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$36.37 ₩48.4K

-23.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$26.52 ₩35.3K

110.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$52.5 ₩69.8K

-5.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$12.48 ₩16.6K

72.12%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$10.99 ₩14.6K

37.31%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$629 ₩836.2K

277.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$21.9K ₩29.2M

37.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$106 ₩140.8K

-24.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$64.4 ₩85.6K

-21.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$92.8 ₩123.4K

29.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$127 ₩168.7K

2.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$543 ₩722.4K

223.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$378 ₩502.1K

267.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,240 ₩1.6M

181.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$753 ₩1.0M

231.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$7,598 ₩10.1M

-8.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$6,197 ₩8.2M

4.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,705 ₩2.3M

157.04%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Changwon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Changwon

$378 24.6% 72.8% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Changwon

$483 31.4% 25.8% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Changwon

$261 17% 17.6% $56

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Changwon

$155 10.1% 50.7% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Changwon

$175 11.4% 2.2% $3.7

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Changwon

$11 * 0.7% 93.5% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Changwon

$74 4.8% 6.4% $5.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $543 in Changwon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 157% 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 $28.00 in Changwon. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $483, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇰🇷 Changwon

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

12:20 12:20 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

1,055,839

💱 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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Changwon 8,290 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Changwon

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 Changwon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Changwon differ by about 83% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,538 including rent). Changwon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 157% 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: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $543 in Changwon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 26% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $1,538 in Changwon – a 83% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,538 in Changwon versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Changwon but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Changwon 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 Changwon 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 Changwon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.