Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Iksan

For one person, living is cheaper in Iksan: $1,408 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Iksan
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Iksan Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Iksan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,408

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Iksan

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,408 in Iksan, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Iksan $1,408

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $2,188 in Iksan, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Iksan $2,188

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $2,968 in Iksan, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Iksan $2,968

Melbourne costs about 100% more than Iksan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Melbourne and Iksan sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Iksan by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$5.91 ₩7,860

194.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$34.97 ₩46.5K

141.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$6.88 ₩9,149

81.10%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.75 ₩4,990

9.60%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.56 ₩2,069

96.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.62 ₩823

306.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.42 ₩4,544

186.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$4.58 ₩6,086

87.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.21 ₩2,934

-33.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$3.18 ₩4,233

-7.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.31 ₩3,076

15.15%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$3.26 ₩4,334

69.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$15.55 ₩20.7K

-32.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$7.74 ₩10.3K

24.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$11.13 ₩14.8K

36.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$7.61 ₩10.1K

-47.57%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.20 ₩4,255

-5.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$7.38 ₩9,806

-57.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$6.98 ₩9,281

-30.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.54 ₩4,710

-14.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.47 ₩3,285

-1.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.08 ₩2,762

18.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.34 ₩1,784

21.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.35 ₩4,453

1215.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$18.88 ₩25.1K

-32.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.18 ₩2,897

154.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.54 ₩4,703

47.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.14 ₩1,519

228.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.55 ₩4,717

27.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.65 ₩870

109.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$13.03 ₩17.3K

133.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.41 ₩1,875

4.26%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$29.8K ₩39.7M

-2.81%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$35.8K ₩47.6M

-26.00%

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

$234 A$336

$207 ₩274.6K

13.13%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$43.18 ₩57.4K

-35.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$21.21 ₩28.2K

162.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$52.4 ₩69.6K

-5.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$12.04 ₩16.0K

78.41%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$10.98 ₩14.6K

37.43%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$295 ₩392.1K

704.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$18.0K ₩23.9M

68.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$64.3 ₩85.5K

24.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$64.0 ₩85.2K

-20.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$74.7 ₩99.3K

61.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$101 ₩134.8K

28.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$481 ₩639.8K

265.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$354 ₩470.2K

292.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,171 ₩1.6M

198.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$750 ₩997.1K

232.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$7,071 ₩9.4M

-2.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$5,496 ₩7.3M

17.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,690 ₩2.2M

159.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

4.1

43.90%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Iksan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Iksan

$354 25.1% 74.6% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Iksan

$412 29.3% 7.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Iksan

$271 19.3% 14.6% $46

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Iksan

$148 10.5% 53% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Iksan

$137 9.7% 20.2% $35

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Iksan

$11 * 0.8% 93% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Iksan

$74 5.3% 6.6% $5.3

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 $481 in Iksan. 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 159% 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 $35.00 in Iksan. Groceries tell a different story – $384 in Melbourne vs $412 in Iksan – so Melbourne wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇰🇷 Iksan

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

07:25 7:25 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

307,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Melbourne Iksan 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Iksan

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 Iksan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 100% more than Iksan, 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 $2,111 in Iksan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iksan, 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 $35.00 in Iksan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Melbourne – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Iksan, where all-in costs run around $1,408, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Iksan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Iksan – 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 Iksan. 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.