Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Gongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Gongju: $1,539 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
75

Cost of Living Index in Gongju
Learn more

Gongju Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Gongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,539

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Gongju

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,539 in Gongju, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Gongju $1,539

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $2,437 in Gongju, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Gongju $2,437

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $3,335 in Gongju, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Gongju $3,335

Melbourne costs about 83% more than Gongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Melbourne and Gongju sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Gongju by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$7.29 ₩9,697

139.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$48.03 ₩63.9K

76.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$6.54 ₩8,700

90.52%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.77 ₩5,015

9.02%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.85 ₩2,461

65.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.44 ₩1,918

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.84 ₩5,104

155.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$4.30 ₩5,721

99.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.26 ₩3,004

-34.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$3.19 ₩4,246

-7.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.16 ₩4,197

-15.82%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.74 ₩3,641

102.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$10.89 ₩14.5K

-3.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$10.47 ₩13.9K

-7.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$24.73 ₩32.9K

-38.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-64.72%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.61 ₩4,803

-16.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$8.27 ₩11.0K

-62.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$5.95 ₩7,908

-18.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$6.11 ₩8,120

-50.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$3.22 ₩4,283

-24.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.83 ₩3,766

-13.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.28 ₩1,704

27.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.28 ₩4,357

1243.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$18.67 ₩24.8K

-31.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.38 ₩3,166

132.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.53 ₩4,700

48.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.14 ₩1,513

228.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.67 ₩4,884

22.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.73 ₩967

86.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$17.08 ₩22.7K

78.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.37 ₩1,819

7.30%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$29.5K ₩39.3M

-1.79%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$33.3K ₩44.3M

-20.56%

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

$234 A$336

$197 ₩262.1K

18.55%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$36.42 ₩48.4K

-23.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$26.72 ₩35.5K

108.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$51.9 ₩69.0K

-4.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$12.00 ₩16.0K

79.00%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.80 ₩15.7K

27.88%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$624 ₩830.3K

279.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$21.6K ₩28.7M

39.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$104 ₩137.8K

-22.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$66.4 ₩88.3K

-23.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$94.7 ₩125.9K

27.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$127 ₩168.5K

2.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$489 ₩650.1K

259.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$364 ₩484.6K

281.29%

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

$757 ₩1.0M

229.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$7,239 ₩9.6M

-4.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$5,410 ₩7.2M

19.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,309 ₩1.7M

234.86%

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 Gongju: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Gongju

$364 23.7% 73.8% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Gongju

$486 31.6% 26.6% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Gongju

$260 16.9% 18% $57

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Gongju

$164 10.7% 47.8% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Gongju

$176 11.5% 2.5% $4.4

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Gongju

$12 * 0.8% 92.8% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Gongju

$75 4.9% 5.2% $4.1

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 $489 in Gongju. 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 235% 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 Gongju. Groceries tell a different story – $384 in Melbourne vs $486 in Gongju – so Melbourne wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇰🇷 Gongju

🕒 Local time

08:41 8:41 AM

06:41 6:41 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

110,428

💱 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 Gongju 8,460 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Gongju

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 Gongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $1,539 in Gongju – roughly 83% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $2,308 in Gongju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gongju, 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 $1,539 in Gongju. That's a gap of about 83%.

Kindergarten costs $2,371 per month in Melbourne and $624 in Gongju. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Gongju, where all-in costs run around $1,539, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Gongju it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gongju – 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 Gongju. 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.