Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Seogwipo

For one person, living is cheaper in Seogwipo: $1,427 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 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 Seogwipo
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Seogwipo Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Seogwipo

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Seogwipo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,427 in Seogwipo.

Melbourne $2,821
Seogwipo $1,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $2,220 in Seogwipo.

Melbourne $4,235
Seogwipo $2,220

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $3,014 in Seogwipo.

Melbourne $5,650
Seogwipo $3,014

Living in Melbourne is roughly 98% more expensive than in Seogwipo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Seogwipo 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$7.43 ₩9,873

134.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$35.06 ₩46.6K

141.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$6.50 ₩8,637

91.69%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.57 ₩4,741

15.13%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.60 ₩2,129

91.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.67 ₩886

276.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.53 ₩4,694

177.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$4.49 ₩5,964

90.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.24 ₩2,984

-33.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$3.14 ₩4,176

-6.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.64 ₩3,513

0.76%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.61 ₩3,470

112.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$10.88 ₩14.5K

-3.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$8.11 ₩10.8K

18.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$21.44 ₩28.5K

-29.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$7.80 ₩10.4K

-48.85%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.63 ₩4,831

-16.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$7.59 ₩10.1K

-59.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$6.02 ₩8,003

-19.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.61 ₩4,802

-16.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.62 ₩3,490

-6.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.83 ₩3,764

-13.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.27 ₩1,695

28.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.46 ₩4,598

1173.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$18.68 ₩24.8K

-32.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.20 ₩2,926

151.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.48 ₩4,629

50.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.09 ₩1,445

243.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.19 ₩4,243

41.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.61 ₩809

122.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$12.89 ₩17.1K

136.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.39 ₩1,850

5.76%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$29.7K ₩39.5M

-2.37%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$33.2K ₩44.1M

-20.21%

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

$234 A$336

$197 ₩261.9K

18.64%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$36.18 ₩48.1K

-22.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$22.11 ₩29.4K

152.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$51.6 ₩68.6K

-4.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$11.92 ₩15.8K

80.20%

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

$523 ₩695.5K

353.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$22.0K ₩29.3M

37.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$64.5 ₩85.7K

24.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$62.8 ₩83.6K

-19.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$75.4 ₩100.3K

59.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$98.2 ₩130.5K

32.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$479 ₩637.3K

266.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$362 ₩482.0K

283.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,189 ₩1.6M

193.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$748 ₩994.7K

233.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$7,181 ₩9.5M

-3.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$5,441 ₩7.2M

18.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,097 ₩1.5M

299.64%

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 Seogwipo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Seogwipo

$362 25.4% 73.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Seogwipo

$432 30.2% 12.4% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Seogwipo

$255 17.9% 19.6% $62

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Seogwipo

$157 11% 50% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Seogwipo

$135 9.5% 21.2% $36

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Seogwipo

$11 * 0.7% 93.5% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Seogwipo

$74 5.2% 6.6% $5.3

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 $479 in Seogwipo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 300% 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 $35.00 in Seogwipo. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $432, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇰🇷 Seogwipo

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

07:46 7:46 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

155,641

💱 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 Seogwipo 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Seogwipo

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 Seogwipo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Seogwipo differ by about 98% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,427 including rent). Seogwipo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 300% 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 $479 in Seogwipo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 12% 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 $1,427 in Seogwipo – a 98% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,427 in Seogwipo versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seogwipo but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Seogwipo 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 Seogwipo 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 Seogwipo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 98% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.