Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Cheonan

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheonan: $1,467 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 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
71

Cost of Living Index in Cheonan
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Cheonan Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Cheonan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,467

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Cheonan

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,467 in Cheonan, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Cheonan $1,467

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $2,259 in Cheonan, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Cheonan $2,259

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $3,051 in Cheonan, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Cheonan $3,051

Melbourne costs about 92% more than Cheonan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Melbourne and Cheonan sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Cheonan by 9%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$7.53 ₩10.0K

131.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$22.63 ₩30.1K

273.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.28 ₩5,693

191.12%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$1.47 ₩1,951

179.59%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.16 ₩1,538

163.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.40 ₩1,867

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.28 ₩3,031

329.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$4.40 ₩5,853

94.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.60 ₩2,125

-7.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$3.22 ₩4,287

-8.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.07 ₩4,078

-13.36%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.61 ₩3,476

112.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$11.19 ₩14.9K

-6.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$10.38 ₩13.8K

-7.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$25.11 ₩33.4K

-39.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$11.23 ₩14.9K

-64.47%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.73 ₩4,965

-19.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$8.07 ₩10.7K

-61.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$6.04 ₩8,035

-20.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$6.10 ₩8,106

-50.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$3.34 ₩4,438

-26.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.75 ₩3,651

-10.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.33 ₩1,765

22.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.38 ₩4,494

1203.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$18.30 ₩24.3K

-30.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.43 ₩3,229

127.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.35 ₩4,454

56.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.14 ₩1,509

228.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.05 ₩4,050

47.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.78 ₩1,036

74.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$16.69 ₩22.2K

82.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.24 ₩1,650

18.55%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$29.7K ₩39.5M

-2.49%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$34.2K ₩45.5M

-22.61%

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

$234 A$336

$199 ₩264.9K

17.31%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$35.67 ₩47.4K

-21.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$27.08 ₩36.0K

105.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$51.6 ₩68.6K

-4.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$11.77 ₩15.6K

82.50%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$12.13 ₩16.1K

24.40%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$636 ₩845.7K

272.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$21.5K ₩28.6M

40.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$66.2 ₩88.0K

20.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$59.5 ₩79.1K

-14.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$92.6 ₩123.1K

30.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$127 ₩168.9K

2.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$478 ₩636.1K

267.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$361 ₩479.5K

285.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,153 ₩1.5M

203.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$739 ₩982.3K

237.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$7,244 ₩9.6M

-4.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$5,422 ₩7.2M

18.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,824 ₩2.4M

140.27%

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 Cheonan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Cheonan

$361 24.6% 74% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Cheonan

$480 32.8% 25% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Cheonan

$262 17.9% 17.5% $55

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Cheonan

$121 8.3% 61.5% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Cheonan

$155 10.6% 9.5% $16

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Cheonan

$11 * 0.8% 93% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Cheonan

$76 5.2% 4.7% $3.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $478 in Cheonan. 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 140% higher in Melbourne, 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 $85.0 in Melbourne versus $23.00 in Cheonan. Groceries tell a different story – $384 in Melbourne vs $480 in Cheonan – so Melbourne wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇰🇷 Cheonan

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

04:20 4:20 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

658,486

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Cheonan 8,500 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Cheonan

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 Cheonan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 92% more than Cheonan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $2,200 in Cheonan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,821 in Melbourne and $1,467 in Cheonan. That's a gap of about 92%.

Kindergarten costs $2,371 per month in Melbourne and $636 in Cheonan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cheonan, where all-in costs run around $1,467, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Cheonan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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