Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Songdo-dong

For one person, living is cheaper in Songdo-dong: $1,444 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 Songdo-dong
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Songdo-dong Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Songdo-dong

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,444

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Songdo-dong

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 Songdo-dong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,444 in Songdo-dong.

Melbourne $2,821
Songdo-dong $1,444

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $2,292 in Songdo-dong.

Melbourne $4,235
Songdo-dong $2,292

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $3,140 in Songdo-dong.

Melbourne $5,650
Songdo-dong $3,140

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$5.87 ₩7,825

196.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$34.90 ₩46.6K

142.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$6.63 ₩8,847

87.93%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.62 ₩4,831

13.54%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.53 ₩2,039

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.58 ₩780

334.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.06 ₩4,077

220.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$4.56 ₩6,088

87.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.20 ₩2,935

-32.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$3.06 ₩4,080

-3.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.35 ₩3,137

13.19%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$3.33 ₩4,444

66.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$15.79 ₩21.1K

-33.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$7.80 ₩10.4K

23.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$11.34 ₩15.1K

34.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$7.80 ₩10.4K

-48.85%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.18 ₩4,249

-5.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$7.67 ₩10.2K

-59.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$6.78 ₩9,048

-28.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.55 ₩4,736

-14.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.42 ₩3,227

0.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.04 ₩2,727

20.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.47 ₩1,967

10.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.29 ₩4,394

1239.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$18.48 ₩24.7K

-31.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.29 ₩3,054

141.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

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

$3.64 ₩4,853

23.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.61 ₩820

122.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.35 ₩1,796

8.89%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$29.2K ₩38.9M

-0.62%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$35.7K ₩47.6M

-25.79%

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

$234 A$336

$210 ₩279.6K

11.52%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$43.59 ₩58.2K

-35.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$20.61 ₩27.5K

170.45%

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

$11.32 ₩15.1K

33.30%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$380 ₩507.1K

523.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$17.9K ₩23.9M

68.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$64.3 ₩85.8K

24.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$64.7 ₩86.3K

-21.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$75.5 ₩100.8K

59.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$99.0 ₩132.0K

31.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$453 ₩604.7K

206.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,914 ₩2.6M

82.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,064 ₩1.4M

134.42%

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

$3,372 ₩4.5M

29.96%

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 Songdo-dong: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Songdo-dong

$453 31.4% 67.4% $936

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Songdo-dong

$408 * 28.3% 6.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Songdo-dong

$274 19% 13.7% $44

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Songdo-dong

$143 9.9% 54.5% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Songdo-dong

$137 9.5% 20.5% $35

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Songdo-dong

$6.7 * 0.5% 95.9% $157

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Songdo-dong

$23 * 1.6% 71.5% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

Melbourne pays 30% 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 Songdo-dong. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $408, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇰🇷 Songdo-dong

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

05:27 5:27 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 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 = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Songdo-dong 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Songdo-dong

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 Songdo-dong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Songdo-dong differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,444 including rent). Songdo-dong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 30% 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 6% 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 $1,444 in Songdo-dong – a 95% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,444 in Songdo-dong versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Songdo-dong but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Songdo-dong 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 Songdo-dong 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 Songdo-dong 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.