Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Pyeongtaek

For one person, living is cheaper in Pyeongtaek: $1,446 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Pyeongtaek
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Pyeongtaek Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Pyeongtaek

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,446

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Pyeongtaek

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,446 in Pyeongtaek.

Melbourne $2,821
Pyeongtaek $1,446

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $2,845 in Pyeongtaek.

Melbourne $4,235
Pyeongtaek $2,845

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $4,244 in Pyeongtaek.

Melbourne $5,650
Pyeongtaek $4,244

Living in Melbourne is roughly 95% more expensive than in Pyeongtaek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Pyeongtaek 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$7.31 ₩9,726

138.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$22.36 ₩29.7K

278.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.85 ₩6,443

156.91%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.74 ₩4,977

9.89%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.24 ₩1,648

146.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.91 ₩1,212

176.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.74 ₩4,967

162.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$4.40 ₩5,844

94.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.27 ₩3,024

-34.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$3.21 ₩4,263

-8.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.13 ₩4,161

-15.02%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.71 ₩3,605

104.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$10.91 ₩14.5K

-3.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$10.58 ₩14.1K

-8.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$24.50 ₩32.6K

-37.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$11.37 ₩15.1K

-64.91%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.76 ₩4,996

-19.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$8.16 ₩10.8K

-62.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$5.92 ₩7,865

-18.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$6.13 ₩8,151

-50.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$3.42 ₩4,550

-28.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.87 ₩3,817

-14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.33 ₩1,765

22.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.43 ₩4,567

1184.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$18.71 ₩24.9K

-32.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.44 ₩3,240

127.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.39 ₩4,502

54.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.26 ₩1,681

196.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$46.79 ₩62.2K

193.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.57 ₩4,746

26.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.55 ₩727

147.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$8.85 ₩11.8K

244.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.43 ₩1,899

2.80%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$15.1K ₩20.0M

92.67%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$15.0K ₩19.9M

77.04%

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

$234 A$336

$201 ₩266.7K

16.50%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$16.98 ₩22.6K

64.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$27.05 ₩36.0K

106.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.83 ₩15.7K

27.56%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$646 ₩858.4K

267.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$21.5K ₩28.6M

40.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$103 ₩137.2K

-22.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$65.1 ₩86.6K

-22.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$92.0 ₩122.3K

31.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$126 ₩167.2K

3.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$516 ₩685.7K

241.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$304 ₩403.5K

357.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,889 ₩2.5M

84.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,871 ₩2.5M

33.29%

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

$1,879 ₩2.5M

133.31%

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 Pyeongtaek: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Pyeongtaek

$304 21% 78.2% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Pyeongtaek

$488 33.8% 27.1% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Pyeongtaek

$245 16.9% 22.9% $73

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Pyeongtaek

$154 10.7% 51% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Pyeongtaek

$174 12% 1.1% $1.9

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Pyeongtaek

$58 4% 64.5% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Pyeongtaek

$24 * 1.6% 70.3% $56

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 $1,759 in Melbourne and $516 in Pyeongtaek. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 133% 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 $22.00 in Pyeongtaek. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $488, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇰🇷 Pyeongtaek

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

08:05 8:05 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

489,081

💱 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 Pyeongtaek 8,520 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 Pyeongtaek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Pyeongtaek differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,446 including rent). Pyeongtaek is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 133% 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: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $516 in Pyeongtaek. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $646 in Pyeongtaek. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 27% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,446 in Pyeongtaek versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pyeongtaek but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Pyeongtaek 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 Pyeongtaek 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 Pyeongtaek gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.