Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Jeonju

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeonju: $1,149 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Jeonju
Learn more

Jeonju Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Jeonju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,149

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Jeonju

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $1,149 in Jeonju.

Melbourne $2,849
Jeonju $1,149

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $1,796 in Jeonju.

Melbourne $4,274
Jeonju $1,796

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $2,443 in Jeonju.

Melbourne $5,699
Jeonju $2,443

Living in Melbourne is roughly 148% more expensive than in Jeonju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Jeonju is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.88

$7.48 ₩9,930

133.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$22.90 ₩30.4K

268.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.30

$5.43 ₩7,201

124.13%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.81 ₩5,052

6.82%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$1.12 ₩1,485

183.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$0.61 ₩814

309.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.61

$2.85 ₩3,781

235.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.73

$4.16 ₩5,524

98.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$2.15 ₩2,851

-30.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.30 ₩3,058

29.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.82

$3.12 ₩4,136

-14.10%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.76

$2.30 ₩3,054

136.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.23

$10.99 ₩14.6K

-2.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.29

$10.53 ₩14.0K

-4.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.33

$25.57 ₩33.9K

-41.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.79

$11.45 ₩15.2K

-64.45%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$3.33 ₩4,419

-5.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$8.37 ₩11.1K

-62.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.73

$4.61 ₩6,123

2.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.24

$6.20 ₩8,220

-51.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.29 ₩3,039

8.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.91 ₩3,861

-14.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$0.77 ₩1,019

107.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.5

$3.47 ₩4,607

1186.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.03

$18.83 ₩25.0K

-32.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.89

$1.49 ₩1,974

272.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$3.51 ₩4,654

47.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.46

$1.22 ₩1,615

214.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.20

$3.32 ₩4,407

31.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$0.76 ₩1,010

80.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.26

$16.74 ₩22.2K

77.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.21 ₩1,612

23.14%

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

$29.1K A$41.4K

$39.1K ₩51.9M

-25.59%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$34.6K ₩46.0M

-25.89%

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

$236 A$335

$72.0 ₩95.5K

227.31%

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

$28.01 A$39.83

$30.65 ₩40.7K

-8.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.4

$27.49 ₩36.5K

108.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.12

$11.98 ₩15.9K

47.50%

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

$2,461 A$3,499

$638 ₩846.6K

285.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$22.0K ₩29.2M

35.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$105 ₩138.7K

-22.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.1

$64.9 ₩86.1K

-24.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$44.53 ₩59.1K

168.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$37.95 ₩50.4K

245.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,421

$266 ₩352.3K

541.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,003

$259 ₩344.3K

442.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,971

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,593

$460 ₩609.8K

449.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,812

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,053

$2,295 ₩3.0M

85.45%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Jeonju: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Jeonju

$259 22.6% 81.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Jeonju

$458 39.9% 18.6% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Jeonju

$130 11.3% 59.4% $191

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Jeonju

$151 13.2% 51.6% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Jeonju

$113 9.9% 33.9% $58

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Jeonju

$12 * 1% 92.7% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Jeonju

$24 * 2.1% 71.4% $60

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $266 in Jeonju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 85% 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: $84 in Melbourne vs $23 in Jeonju. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $458, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇰🇷 Jeonju

🕒 Local time

22:00 10:00 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

653,387

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.77 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD). 1 EUR = 1,477 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Jeonju 8,390 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Jeonju

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 Jeonju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jeonju is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 148% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 85% 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: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $266 in Jeonju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $638 in Jeonju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jeonju – a meal for two runs $23 versus $84 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,149 in Jeonju versus $2,849 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jeonju but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Jeonju 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 Jeonju are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Jeonju wins on affordability, Melbourne on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.