Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Chungju

For one person, living is cheaper in Chungju: $1,450 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.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Chungju
Learn more

Chungju Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Chungju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Chungju

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,450 in Chungju, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Chungju $1,450

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $2,285 in Chungju, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Chungju $2,285

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $3,121 in Chungju, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Chungju $3,121

Melbourne costs about 95% more than Chungju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Melbourne and Chungju sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Chungju by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$7.39 ₩9,829

135.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$47.62 ₩63.3K

77.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$6.59 ₩8,761

89.07%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.70 ₩4,915

11.08%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.81 ₩2,401

69.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.41 ₩1,870

78.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.82 ₩5,074

156.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$4.36 ₩5,797

96.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.28 ₩3,036

-35.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$3.01 ₩4,007

-2.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.05 ₩4,054

-12.79%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.63 ₩3,498

110.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$11.21 ₩14.9K

-6.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$7.67 ₩10.2K

25.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$24.54 ₩32.6K

-37.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$8.71 ₩11.6K

-54.19%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.59 ₩4,769

-15.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$8.12 ₩10.8K

-61.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$5.79 ₩7,697

-16.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$5.87 ₩7,810

-48.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$3.39 ₩4,505

-28.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.76 ₩3,670

-10.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.29 ₩1,714

26.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.35 ₩4,449

1215.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$18.30 ₩24.3K

-30.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.39 ₩3,180

131.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.94 ₩3,913

77.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.14 ₩1,518

228.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.60 ₩4,785

25.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.74 ₩983

83.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$16.81 ₩22.3K

81.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.35 ₩1,790

8.89%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$29.6K ₩39.4M

-2.01%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$34.1K ₩45.4M

-22.39%

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

$234 A$336

$201 ₩266.7K

16.48%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$26.62 ₩35.4K

4.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$27.03 ₩35.9K

106.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$52.1 ₩69.2K

-5.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$12.15 ₩16.2K

76.79%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.74 ₩15.6K

28.53%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$632 ₩840.9K

274.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$21.6K ₩28.7M

39.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$73.4 ₩97.6K

8.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$38.03 ₩50.6K

33.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$75.5 ₩100.4K

59.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$113 ₩150.3K

15.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$490 ₩652.0K

258.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$356 ₩473.4K

290.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,179 ₩1.6M

196.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$733 ₩974.6K

240.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$7,100 ₩9.4M

-2.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$5,588 ₩7.4M

15.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,678 ₩2.2M

161.22%

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 Chungju: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Chungju

$356 24.6% 74.4% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Chungju

$453 31.3% 18% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Chungju

$254 17.5% 19.9% $63

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Chungju

$164 11.3% 47.9% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Chungju

$135 9.3% 21.4% $37

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Chungju

$12 * 0.8% 92.8% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Chungju

$76 5.2% 5.1% $4

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 $490 in Chungju. 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 161% 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 $48.00 in Chungju. Groceries tell a different story – $384 in Melbourne vs $453 in Chungju – so Melbourne wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇰🇷 Chungju

🕒 Local time

08:26 8:26 AM

06:26 6:26 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

208,529

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Chungju 8,500 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Chungju

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 Chungju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 95% more than Chungju, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $2,175 in Chungju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chungju, 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 $1,450 in Chungju. That's a gap of about 95%.

Kindergarten costs $2,371 per month in Melbourne and $632 in Chungju. 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 Chungju, where all-in costs run around $1,450, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Chungju it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chungju – 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 Chungju. 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.