Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Gwangju

For one person, living is cheaper in Gwangju: $1,329 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Gwangju
Learn more

Gwangju Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Gwangju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Gwangju

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,329 in Gwangju.

Melbourne $2,821
Gwangju $1,329

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $2,038 in Gwangju.

Melbourne $4,235
Gwangju $2,038

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,747 in Gwangju.

Melbourne $5,650
Gwangju $2,747

Living in Melbourne is roughly 112% more expensive than in Gwangju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Gwangju is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$5.98 ₩7,948

191.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$34.07 ₩45.3K

148.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$6.12 ₩8,131

103.59%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.25 ₩4,317

26.46%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.60 ₩2,127

91.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.63 ₩837

300.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.48 ₩3,297

295.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$4.52 ₩6,008

89.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.71 ₩2,269

-13.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$2.37 ₩3,153

24.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.26 ₩3,009

17.70%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.74 ₩3,639

102.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$8.85 ₩11.8K

18.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$7.97 ₩10.6K

21.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$11.26 ₩15.0K

35.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$5.15 ₩6,854

-22.52%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.04 ₩4,037

-0.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.76 ₩5,002

-17.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$3.04 ₩4,037

58.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.57 ₩4,747

-15.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.89 ₩2,515

29.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.00 ₩2,663

23.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.35 ₩1,791

20.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.45 ₩4,584

1177.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$11.10 ₩14.8K

14.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.46 ₩1,935

279.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.27 ₩3,024

130.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.06 ₩1,410

252.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$68.2 ₩90.6K

101.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.18 ₩4,223

41.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.62 ₩821

119.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$7.79 ₩10.4K

290.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.22 ₩1,616

20.49%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$28.0K ₩37.3M

3.46%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$35.3K ₩46.9M

-24.99%

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

$234 A$336

$210 ₩279.5K

11.15%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$43.76 ₩58.2K

-36.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$21.18 ₩28.2K

163.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$51.7 ₩68.7K

-4.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$11.71 ₩15.6K

83.43%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.25 ₩15.0K

34.13%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$300 ₩399.0K

690.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$17.9K ₩23.8M

68.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$31.74 ₩42.2K

151.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$26.01 ₩34.6K

94.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$63.6 ₩84.5K

89.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$88.6 ₩117.8K

47.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$495 ₩657.9K

255.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$363 ₩482.7K

282.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,164 ₩1.5M

200.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$747 ₩992.8K

233.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$7,812 ₩10.4M

-11.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$6,383 ₩8.5M

0.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$2,883 ₩3.8M

52.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.6

63.89%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Gwangju: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Gwangju

$363 27.3% 73.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Gwangju

$308 23.2% 19.8% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Gwangju

$275 20.7% 13.3% $42

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Gwangju

$135 10.2% 56.9% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Gwangju

$94 7.1% 45% $77

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Gwangju

$79 5.9% 52% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Gwangju

$74 5.6% 6.8% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $495 in Gwangju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 52% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $34.00 in Gwangju for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $308 per month, with Gwangju cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇰🇷 Gwangju

🕒 Local time

12:35 12:35 PM

10:35 10:35 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

1,467,996

💱 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 Gwangju 8,330 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Gwangju

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 Gwangju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gwangju is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 112% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 52% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $495 in Gwangju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Gwangju – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $1,329 in Gwangju – a 112% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,329 in Gwangju versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gwangju but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Gwangju the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Melbourne and Gwangju are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Gwangju gentler on the wallet – expenses run 112% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.