Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,822 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Seoul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $1,822 in Seoul.

Melbourne $2,852
Seoul $1,822

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $2,847 in Seoul.

Melbourne $4,297
Seoul $2,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $3,872 in Seoul.

Melbourne $5,742
Seoul $3,872

Living in Melbourne is roughly 57% more expensive than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 113% above, Seoul 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$9.10 ₩12.2K

95.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$67.0 ₩89.8K

26.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$7.42 ₩9,941

63.88%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$4.08 ₩5,470

-3.68%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$1.60 ₩2,141

96.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.80 ₩1,078

203.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$3.65 ₩4,886

171.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$5.94 ₩7,956

39.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$2.05 ₩2,742

-24.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$3.08 ₩4,130

-2.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$4.21 ₩5,646

-31.59%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$3.57 ₩4,784

52.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$17.95 ₩24.1K

-41.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$10.64 ₩14.3K

-9.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$26.44 ₩35.4K

-43.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$7.42 ₩9,946

-44.07%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$3.53 ₩4,732

-13.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$5.87 ₩7,866

-43.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$6.37 ₩8,534

-25.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$3.75 ₩5,028

-18.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$2.49 ₩3,337

2.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$2.92 ₩3,911

-15.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$1.15 ₩1,542

41.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$3.29 ₩4,408

1239.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-32.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$2.28 ₩3,057

133.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$3.28 ₩4,398

57.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$1.14 ₩1,526

236.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$45.47 ₩60.9K

211.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$3.48 ₩4,663

26.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.60 ₩803

133.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$8.70 ₩11.7K

242.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.50 ₩2,004

-2.67%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$29.1K ₩39.0M

-3.33%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$28.2K ₩37.8M

-7.97%

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

$233 A$333

$209 ₩279.9K

11.39%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$35.13 ₩47.1K

-22.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$21.18 ₩28.4K

169.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$57.3 ₩76.8K

-8.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$15.89 ₩21.3K

42.35%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$11.33 ₩15.2K

50.93%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$1,902 ₩2.5M

24.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$22.5K ₩30.2M

35.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$58.9 ₩78.9K

32.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$32.12 ₩43.0K

57.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$70.1 ₩94.0K

71.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$82.5 ₩110.5K

61.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$885 ₩1.2M

93.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$624 ₩835.5K

124.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$2,494 ₩3.3M

33.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$1,275 ₩1.7M

98.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$29.8K ₩40.0M

-76.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$11.8K ₩15.9M

-42.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$3,649 ₩4.9M

15.88%

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 6, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Seoul

$624 34.7% 55.5% $778

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 24.4% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 16.3% $52

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 41.5% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 36.3% $62

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 66.4% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 7.9% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $885 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 16% 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 $67.0 in Seoul. Groceries flip the comparison at $385 vs $479, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

15:07 3:07 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Melbourne Seoul 8,580 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 Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Seoul differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $1,822 including rent). Seoul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% 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: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $885 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $1,902 in Seoul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,822 in Seoul versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seoul but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Seoul 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 Seoul 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 Seoul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.