Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Incheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Incheon: $1,373 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Incheon
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Incheon Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Incheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,373

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Incheon

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,373 in Incheon, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Incheon $1,373

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $2,106 in Incheon, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Incheon $2,106

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $2,839 in Incheon, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Incheon $2,839

Melbourne costs about 105% more than Incheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Melbourne and Incheon sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Incheon by 2%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$5.92 ₩7,874

194.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$34.73 ₩46.2K

143.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$6.55 ₩8,703

90.23%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.75 ₩4,988

9.60%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.61 ₩2,147

90.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.64 ₩851

293.75%

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

$4.63 ₩6,162

85.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.04 ₩2,715

-27.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$3.13 ₩4,160

-6.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.34 ₩3,109

13.68%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$3.33 ₩4,427

66.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$15.51 ₩20.6K

-32.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$7.88 ₩10.5K

22.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$11.06 ₩14.7K

37.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$7.84 ₩10.4K

-49.11%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.16 ₩4,206

-4.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$5.66 ₩7,529

-45.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$6.38 ₩8,481

-24.45%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.45 ₩4,585

-12.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.42 ₩3,213

0.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.08 ₩2,768

18.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.15 ₩1,528

41.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.47 ₩4,609

1170.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$18.82 ₩25.0K

-32.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.20 ₩2,931

151.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.24 ₩4,306

61.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.06 ₩1,412

252.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$24.53 ₩32.6K

460.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.57 ₩4,752

26.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.64 ₩852

112.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$9.24 ₩12.3K

229.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.40 ₩1,860

5.00%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$29.0K ₩38.6M

-0.02%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$28.6K ₩38.0M

-7.29%

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

$234 A$336

$209 ₩277.2K

12.08%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$35.24 ₩46.9K

-20.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$20.80 ₩27.7K

167.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$33.40 ₩44.4K

47.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$38.21 ₩50.8K

-43.78%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.26 ₩15.0K

34.01%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$295 ₩392.8K

702.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$18.2K ₩24.1M

66.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$57.1 ₩76.0K

39.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$32.82 ₩43.6K

54.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$69.5 ₩92.4K

73.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$84.3 ₩112.1K

54.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$611 ₩812.1K

187.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$361 ₩480.1K

284.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,275 ₩1.7M

174.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$693 ₩921.3K

259.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$6,723 ₩8.9M

3.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$5,498 ₩7.3M

17.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$2,411 ₩3.2M

81.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

4.08

44.61%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Incheon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Incheon

$361 26.3% 74% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Incheon

$399 29% 3.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Incheon

$265 19.3% 16.6% $53

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Incheon

$147 10.7% 53.1% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Incheon

$110 8% 36.1% $62

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Incheon

$36 2.6% 78.3% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Incheon

$56 4.1% 29.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $611 in Incheon. 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 82% 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 Incheon. Groceries tell a different story – $384 in Melbourne vs $399 in Incheon – so Melbourne wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇰🇷 Incheon

🕒 Local time

07:59 7:59 AM

05:59 5:59 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

2,870,545

💱 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 Incheon 8,580 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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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 Incheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 105%, 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 $2,059 in Incheon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,821 in Melbourne and $1,373 in Incheon. That's a gap of about 105%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Incheon, where all-in costs run around $1,373, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Incheon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Incheon – 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 Incheon. 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.