Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Suwon

For one person, living is cheaper in Suwon: $1,363 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 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 Suwon
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Suwon Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Suwon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Suwon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $1,363 in Suwon.

Melbourne $2,853
Suwon $1,363

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $2,148 in Suwon.

Melbourne $4,275
Suwon $2,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $2,933 in Suwon.

Melbourne $5,697
Suwon $2,933

Living in Melbourne is roughly 109% more expensive than in Suwon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 111% above, Suwon 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$5.96 ₩7,921

188.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$30.15 ₩40.1K

175.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$7.57 ₩10.1K

64.20%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$3.39 ₩4,512

19.47%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$1.60 ₩2,126

95.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.63 ₩836

290.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$3.86 ₩5,129

146.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$4.77 ₩6,336

71.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$2.65 ₩3,528

-41.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$2.67 ₩3,546

8.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.40 ₩4,517

-21.76%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$3.15 ₩4,184

70.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$11.04 ₩14.7K

-3.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$11.50 ₩15.3K

-14.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$11.06 ₩14.7K

38.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$6.28 ₩8,355

-33.60%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$2.95 ₩3,916

6.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$5.29 ₩7,030

-38.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$4.44 ₩5,910

7.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$3.45 ₩4,590

-11.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$2.64 ₩3,516

-6.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$4.86 ₩6,458

-49.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.30 ₩1,726

25.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$3.78 ₩5,029

1094.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$13.86 ₩18.4K

-8.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$2.53 ₩3,369

124.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$3.71 ₩4,939

40.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$1.21 ₩1,603

219.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$47.15 ₩62.7K

201.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$2.81 ₩3,739

61.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$0.66 ₩882

115.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$8.80 ₩11.7K

247.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.40 ₩1,856

5.00%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$28.4K ₩37.7M

1.74%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$25.5K ₩33.9M

1.76%

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

$235 A$338

$185 ₩246.1K

27.00%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$17.99 ₩23.9K

52.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$17.72 ₩23.6K

216.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$44.21 ₩58.8K

13.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$11.73 ₩15.6K

83.21%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$11.21 ₩14.9K

58.43%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$696 ₩925.0K

242.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$18.0K ₩24.0M

64.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$36.84 ₩49.0K

114.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$106 ₩140.4K

-53.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$73.8 ₩98.1K

60.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$59.2 ₩78.7K

123.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$433 ₩575.7K

307.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$351 ₩466.4K

302.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$1,164 ₩1.5M

202.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$813 ₩1.1M

210.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$12.7K ₩16.8M

-43.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$7,005 ₩9.3M

-9.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$2,576 ₩3.4M

65.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.5

-9.23%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Suwon: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Suwon

$351 25.7% 75.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Suwon

$394 28.9% 1.5% $5.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Suwon

$221 16.2% 30.7% $98

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Suwon

$149 10.9% 51.9% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Suwon

$124 9.1% 27.4% $47

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Suwon

$58 4.3% 65.6% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Suwon

$67 4.9% 22.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $433 in Suwon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 65% 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: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $30.00 in Suwon. Groceries flip the comparison at $388 vs $394, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇰🇷 Suwon

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

1,203,000

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Suwon 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Suwon

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 Suwon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Suwon differ by about 109% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $1,363 including rent). Suwon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 65% 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: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $433 in Suwon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $696 in Suwon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,363 in Suwon versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Suwon but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Suwon 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 Suwon 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 Suwon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 109% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.