Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Daejeon

For one person, living is cheaper in Daejeon: $1,344 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Daejeon
Learn more

Daejeon Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Daejeon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,344

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Daejeon

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,344 in Daejeon, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Daejeon $1,344

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $2,104 in Daejeon, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Daejeon $2,104

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $2,865 in Daejeon, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Daejeon $2,865

Melbourne costs about 110% more than Daejeon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Melbourne and Daejeon sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Daejeon by 0%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$7.28 ₩9,678

139.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$36.77 ₩48.9K

129.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.57 ₩7,412

123.70%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.60 ₩4,784

14.17%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.22 ₩1,622

150.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.65 ₩859

287.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.50 ₩4,659

180.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$3.70 ₩4,917

131.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.18 ₩2,900

-32.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$2.66 ₩3,542

10.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.64 ₩3,514

0.76%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.55 ₩3,385

117.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$10.92 ₩14.5K

-3.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$8.24 ₩11.0K

17.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$20.43 ₩27.2K

-25.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$11.12 ₩14.8K

-64.12%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$5.49 ₩7,300

-44.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$5.81 ₩7,732

-46.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$6.07 ₩8,072

-20.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$5.34 ₩7,102

-43.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.82 ₩3,744

-13.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.71 ₩2,273

43.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.14 ₩1,510

42.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.33 ₩4,426

1223.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$18.90 ₩25.1K

-32.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.55 ₩3,393

117.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.54 ₩4,712

47.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.10 ₩1,456

240.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$11.09 ₩14.7K

1140.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.31 ₩4,398

36.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.71 ₩950

91.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$16.82 ₩22.4K

81.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.23 ₩1,638

19.51%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$28.5K ₩37.8M

1.93%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$23.7K ₩31.6M

11.52%

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

$234 A$336

$172 ₩228.4K

36.02%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$42.96 ₩57.1K

-34.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$22.18 ₩29.5K

151.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$33.10 ₩44.0K

49.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.31 ₩15.0K

33.42%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$304 ₩403.8K

680.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$21.9K ₩29.1M

37.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$64.5 ₩85.8K

23.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$41.91 ₩55.7K

20.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$92.4 ₩122.8K

30.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$107 ₩142.0K

22.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$369 ₩490.2K

377.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$294 ₩391.3K

372.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,028 ₩1.4M

239.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$593 ₩788.5K

320.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$5,547 ₩7.4M

24.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$4,546 ₩6.0M

41.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$2,336 ₩3.1M

87.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.65

61.64%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Daejeon: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Daejeon

$294 21.9% 78.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Daejeon

$446 33.2% 16.3% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Daejeon

$237 17.6% 25.3% $80

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Daejeon

$151 11.2% 52.1% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Daejeon

$138 10.2% 19.9% $34

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Daejeon

$22 1.7% 86.4% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Daejeon

$56 4.2% 30% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $369 in Daejeon. 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 88% 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 Daejeon. Groceries tell a different story – $384 in Melbourne vs $446 in Daejeon – so Melbourne wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇰🇷 Daejeon

🕒 Local time

11:48 11:48 AM

09:48 9:48 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

1,537,324

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Daejeon 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Daejeon

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 Daejeon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 110% more than Daejeon, 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 $2,016 in Daejeon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Daejeon, 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 $1,344 in Daejeon. That's a gap of about 110%.

Public transport costs about 1140% less in Daejeon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Daejeon, where all-in costs run around $1,344, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Daejeon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Daejeon – 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 Daejeon. 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.