Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Pohang

For one person, living is cheaper in Pohang: $1,362 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Pohang
Learn more

Pohang Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Pohang

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Pohang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,362 in Pohang.

Melbourne $2,821
Pohang $1,362

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,682 in Pohang.

Melbourne $4,235
Pohang $1,682

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,002 in Pohang.

Melbourne $5,650
Pohang $2,002

Living in Melbourne is roughly 107% more expensive than in Pohang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Pohang 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$5.91 ₩7,857

194.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$22.55 ₩30.0K

274.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$6.52 ₩8,675

91.10%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.02 ₩4,012

36.09%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.48 ₩1,967

106.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.53 ₩710

375.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.64 ₩4,836

169.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$3.81 ₩5,062

124.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.36 ₩3,142

-37.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$3.25 ₩4,319

-9.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.46 ₩1,940

82.19%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.73 ₩3,634

102.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$10.95 ₩14.6K

-4.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$10.36 ₩13.8K

-6.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$24.86 ₩33.1K

-38.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.20 ₩2,929

81.36%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.61 ₩4,798

-16.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$7.91 ₩10.5K

-60.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$2.92 ₩3,879

65.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$5.00 ₩6,653

-39.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$3.41 ₩4,532

-28.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.27 ₩3,015

8.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.34 ₩1,785

21.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.31 ₩4,407

1231.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$6.49 ₩8,631

95.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.53 ₩2,031

262.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.49 ₩4,638

49.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.30 ₩4,388

36.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.58 ₩766

134.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$16.64 ₩22.1K

82.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.24 ₩1,647

18.55%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$29.5K ₩39.2M

-1.61%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$28.4K ₩37.8M

-6.77%

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

$234 A$336

$102 ₩136.1K

128.31%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$36.26 ₩48.2K

-22.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$26.84 ₩35.7K

107.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$30.38 ₩40.4K

62.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$7.43 ₩9,884

189.10%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.38 ₩15.1K

32.60%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$637 ₩847.5K

272.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$21.8K ₩29.0M

38.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$105 ₩139.2K

-23.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$64.3 ₩85.5K

-21.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$92.5 ₩122.9K

30.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$111 ₩147.9K

17.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$447 ₩594.3K

210.89%

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

$2,990 ₩4.0M

115.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$2,240 ₩3.0M

95.66%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Pohang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Pohang

$447 32.8% 67.8% $943

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Pohang

$386 28.3% 0.4% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Pohang

$165 12.2% 47.9% $152

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Pohang

$137 10.1% 56.5% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Pohang

$168 12.3% 2.3% $4

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Pohang

$6.2 * 0.5% 96.2% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Pohang

$53 3.9% 33.2% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

Melbourne pays 96% 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 $23.00 in Pohang. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $386, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇰🇷 Pohang

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

04:49 4:49 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

514,869

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Pohang 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Pohang

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 Pohang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Pohang differ by about 107% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,362 including rent). Pohang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 96% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $1,362 in Pohang – a 107% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,362 in Pohang versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Pohang but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Pohang 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 Pohang 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 Pohang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 107% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.