Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Daegu

For one person, living is cheaper in Daegu: $1,569 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Daegu
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Daegu Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Daegu

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,569

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Daegu

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,569 in Daegu, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Daegu $1,569

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $2,402 in Daegu, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Daegu $2,402

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $3,235 in Daegu, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Daegu $3,235

Melbourne costs about 80% more than Daegu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Melbourne and Daegu sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Daegu by 16%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$9.29 ₩12.4K

87.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$37.12 ₩49.5K

127.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.67 ₩7,562

119.75%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.97 ₩5,303

3.53%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.56 ₩2,082

96.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.90 ₩1,206

180.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.82 ₩5,100

156.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$5.42 ₩7,229

58.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.38 ₩3,172

-37.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$4.49 ₩5,996

-34.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.66 ₩3,553

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.72 ₩3,631

103.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$10.30 ₩13.7K

2.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$7.44 ₩9,922

29.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$20.76 ₩27.7K

-26.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$6.59 ₩8,792

-39.45%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.69 ₩3,589

12.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$5.72 ₩7,625

-45.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$5.96 ₩7,949

-19.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.65 ₩3,530

14.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.06 ₩2,744

18.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$4.35 ₩5,809

-43.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.37 ₩1,831

18.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.88 ₩3,845

1430.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$14.91 ₩19.9K

-14.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.14 ₩2,858

158.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.49 ₩3,329

110.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.11 ₩1,478

236.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$76.4 ₩101.9K

80.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.14 ₩4,187

43.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.61 ₩814

122.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$8.02 ₩10.7K

279.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.33 ₩1,781

10.53%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$28.5K ₩38.0M

1.74%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$41.5K ₩55.3M

-36.14%

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

$234 A$336

$280 ₩372.9K

-16.39%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$50.5 ₩67.3K

-44.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$47.09 ₩62.8K

18.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$51.0 ₩68.0K

-3.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$11.89 ₩15.9K

80.66%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.26 ₩15.0K

34.01%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$531 ₩708.9K

346.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$27.9K ₩37.2M

8.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$56.3 ₩75.0K

42.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$50.3 ₩67.2K

0.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$96.0 ₩128.1K

25.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$164 ₩219.2K

-20.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$408 ₩544.0K

331.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$273 ₩364.8K

408.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,044 ₩1.4M

234.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$607 ₩809.5K

310.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$7,125 ₩9.5M

-2.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$5,559 ₩7.4M

15.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$2,478 ₩3.3M

76.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.07

16.37%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Daegu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Daegu

$273 17.4% 80.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Daegu

$414 26.4% 7.8% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Daegu

$377 24% 18.8% $60

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Daegu

$179 11.4% 43.1% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Daegu

$165 10.5% 3.9% $6.7

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Daegu

$87 5.5% 46.9% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Daegu

$73 4.7% 7.7% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $408 in Daegu. 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 77% 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 $37.00 in Daegu. Groceries tell a different story – $384 in Melbourne vs $414 in Daegu – so Melbourne wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇰🇷 Daegu

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

04:22 4:22 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

2,528,933

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 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 = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Daegu 8,360 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Daegu

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 Daegu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $1,569 in Daegu – roughly 80% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $2,353 in Daegu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $37.00 in Daegu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,821 in Melbourne and $1,569 in Daegu. That's a gap of about 80%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Daegu, where all-in costs run around $1,569, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Daegu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Daegu – 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 Daegu. 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.