Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Icheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Icheon: $1,595 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Icheon
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Icheon Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Icheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,595

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Icheon

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,595 in Icheon, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Icheon $1,595

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $2,043 in Icheon, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Icheon $2,043

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $2,491 in Icheon, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Icheon $2,491

Melbourne costs about 77% more than Icheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Melbourne and Icheon sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Icheon by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$6.20 ₩8,238

181.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$48.38 ₩64.3K

74.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$6.62 ₩8,804

88.22%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.70 ₩4,924

11.08%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.33 ₩1,774

130.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.17 ₩1,553

115.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.80 ₩5,052

157.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$4.22 ₩5,607

103.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.23 ₩2,970

-33.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$3.27 ₩4,346

-10.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.21 ₩4,263

-17.13%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.74 ₩3,650

102.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$10.97 ₩14.6K

-4.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$10.56 ₩14.0K

-8.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$25.36 ₩33.7K

-39.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$11.33 ₩15.1K

-64.78%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.56 ₩4,731

-15.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$8.13 ₩10.8K

-61.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$5.90 ₩7,849

-18.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$6.05 ₩8,043

-49.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$3.38 ₩4,489

-27.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.74 ₩3,647

-10.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.28 ₩1,701

27.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.29 ₩4,378

1239.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$18.65 ₩24.8K

-31.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.44 ₩3,245

127.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.42 ₩4,546

52.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.10 ₩1,466

240.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.64 ₩4,836

23.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.77 ₩1,028

76.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$16.77 ₩22.3K

81.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.37 ₩1,821

7.30%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$29.9K ₩39.8M

-3.09%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$33.4K ₩44.4M

-20.72%

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

$234 A$336

$200 ₩265.3K

17.12%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$36.02 ₩47.9K

-22.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$27.21 ₩36.2K

104.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$22.45 ₩29.8K

120.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.28 ₩15.0K

33.78%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$642 ₩853.2K

269.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$22.1K ₩29.4M

36.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$106 ₩141.3K

-24.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$65.5 ₩87.1K

-22.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$93.9 ₩124.8K

28.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$129 ₩171.6K

1.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$748 ₩994.5K

135.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$459 ₩609.7K

203.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$2,317 ₩3.1M

89.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.9

51.28%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Icheon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Icheon

$459 28.8% 67% $931

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Icheon

$488 30.6% 27.1% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Icheon

$263 16.5% 17.2% $55

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Icheon

$151 9.5% 51.9% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Icheon

$178 11.1% 3.4% $5.8

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Icheon

$12 * 0.8% 92.7% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Icheon

$45 2.8% 43.4% $35

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 $748 in Icheon. 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 89% 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 Icheon. Groceries tell a different story – $384 in Melbourne vs $488 in Icheon – so Melbourne wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇰🇷 Icheon

🕒 Local time

06:37 6:37 AM

04:37 4:37 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

213,059

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Melbourne Icheon 8,540 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Icheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $2,393 in Icheon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Icheon, 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 $48.00 in Icheon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 27% cheaper in Melbourne – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Icheon, where all-in costs run around $1,595, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Icheon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Icheon – 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 Icheon. 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.