Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Suji-gu

For one person, living is cheaper in Suji-gu: $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
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Melbourne Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Suji-gu
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Suji-gu Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Suji-gu

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Suji-gu

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 Suji-gu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Melbourne $2,821
Suji-gu $1,362

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $2,100 in Suji-gu.

Melbourne $4,235
Suji-gu $2,100

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,839 in Suji-gu.

Melbourne $5,650
Suji-gu $2,839

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$6.06 ₩8,060

187.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$34.21 ₩45.5K

147.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$6.88 ₩9,145

81.10%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.63 ₩4,825

13.22%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.55 ₩2,064

97.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.61 ₩817

313.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.39 ₩4,510

189.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$4.35 ₩5,779

97.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.01 ₩2,669

-26.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$3.16 ₩4,199

-6.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.34 ₩3,107

13.68%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$3.32 ₩4,416

66.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$15.59 ₩20.7K

-32.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$7.95 ₩10.6K

21.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$11.07 ₩14.7K

37.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$7.50 ₩9,977

-46.80%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.26 ₩4,335

-7.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$5.54 ₩7,364

-44.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$6.21 ₩8,261

-22.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.40 ₩4,515

-10.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.49 ₩3,305

-2.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.99 ₩2,646

23.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.10 ₩1,467

48.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.28 ₩4,360

1243.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$18.68 ₩24.8K

-32.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.29 ₩3,046

141.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.30 ₩4,385

58.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.14 ₩1,516

228.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.60 ₩4,785

25.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.60 ₩795

126.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$9.02 ₩12.0K

237.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.42 ₩1,888

3.52%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$29.8K ₩39.6M

-2.71%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$27.9K ₩37.1M

-5.25%

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

$234 A$336

$214 ₩283.9K

9.42%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$35.39 ₩47.1K

-21.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$20.99 ₩27.9K

165.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$52.1 ₩69.3K

-5.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$11.86 ₩15.8K

81.11%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.26 ₩15.0K

34.01%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$518 ₩688.4K

357.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$17.8K ₩23.7M

69.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$57.3 ₩76.1K

39.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$32.66 ₩43.4K

55.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$69.8 ₩92.8K

72.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$81.9 ₩108.9K

59.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$478 ₩635.3K

268.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$354 ₩470.8K

292.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,159 ₩1.5M

201.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$736 ₩978.7K

238.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$7,177 ₩9.5M

-3.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$5,439 ₩7.2M

18.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,135 ₩1.5M

286.16%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Suji-gu: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Suji-gu

$354 26% 74.5% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Suji-gu

$396 29.1% 3.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Suji-gu

$270 19.8% 14.9% $47

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Suji-gu

$147 10.8% 53.3% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Suji-gu

$109 8% 36.7% $63

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Suji-gu

$11 * 0.8% 93.2% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Suji-gu

$75 5.5% 6.2% $5

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 $478 in Suji-gu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 286% 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 $34.00 in Suji-gu. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $396, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇰🇷 Suji-gu

🕒 Local time

10:39 10:39 AM

08:39 8:39 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

374,948

💱 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 Suji-gu 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Suji-gu

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 Suji-gu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 286% 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 $478 in Suji-gu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 3% 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 Suji-gu – a 107% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,362 in Suji-gu versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Suji-gu but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Suji-gu 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 Suji-gu 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 Suji-gu 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.