Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Northam and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,804 a month against $2,498 in Northam, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Northam
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Northam Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Northam

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,498

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Northam 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 Northam and in Seoul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,498 in Northam versus $1,804 in Seoul.

Northam $2,498
Seoul $1,804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,618 in Northam versus $2,877 in Seoul.

Northam $3,618
Seoul $2,877

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,737 in Northam versus $3,950 in Seoul.

Northam $4,737
Seoul $3,950

Living in Northam is roughly 38% more expensive than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Northam 84% above, Seoul 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.97 A$28.37

$9.10 ₩12.1K

119.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 A$121

$66.7 ₩88.4K

27.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 A$15.00

$7.49 ₩9,927

40.85%

Cappuccino

$4.48 A$6.36

$4.19 ₩5,551

6.92%

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

$2.84 A$4.03

$1.55 ₩2,060

83.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 A$3.25

$0.79 ₩1,052

189.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.30 A$11.79

$3.64 ₩4,831

128.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.10 A$11.51

$6.14 ₩8,138

31.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.48

$2.11 ₩2,802

-17.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 A$3.66

$3.05 ₩4,038

-15.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 A$2.82

$4.21 ₩5,582

-52.97%

Eggs

$4.48 A$6.36

$3.54 ₩4,694

26.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.37 A$9.05

$18.02 ₩23.9K

-64.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 A$12.96

$10.35 ₩13.7K

-11.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.08 A$20.01

$26.47 ₩35.1K

-46.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 A$3.88

$7.91 ₩10.5K

-65.49%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.62

$3.44 ₩4,563

-5.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.89

$5.64 ₩7,469

-39.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 A$6.99

$6.41 ₩8,490

-23.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 A$4.11

$3.71 ₩4,922

-22.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 A$2.81

$2.52 ₩3,335

-21.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 A$3.20

$2.87 ₩3,804

-21.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 A$1.04

$1.16 ₩1,531

-37.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.37 A$58.8

$3.37 ₩4,466

1127.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.49 A$4.96

$18.72 ₩24.8K

-81.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.40 A$6.25

$2.28 ₩3,026

92.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 A$4.99

$3.31 ₩4,383

6.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 A$4.15

$1.13 ₩1,493

158.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.6 A$114

$46.73 ₩61.9K

72.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.02

$3.52 ₩4,669

0.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.07

$0.64 ₩846

128.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.14 A$58.5

$8.76 ₩11.6K

369.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.91

$1.45 ₩1,924

-6.90%

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

$26.9K A$38.2K

$29.7K ₩39.3M

-9.48%

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

$29.5K A$41.9K

$28.2K ₩37.4M

4.49%

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

$196 A$278

$211 ₩279.5K

-7.12%

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

$24.09 A$34.24

$35.36 ₩46.9K

-31.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 A$91.4

$20.57 ₩27.3K

212.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.5 A$80.2

$57.7 ₩76.5K

-2.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 A$25.31

$16.20 ₩21.5K

9.94%

Cinema Ticket

$17.30 A$24.59

$11.37 ₩15.1K

52.15%

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

$2,328 A$3,307

$1,967 ₩2.6M

18.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K A$33.0K

$22.8K ₩30.2M

1.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.3 A$110

$57.5 ₩76.1K

34.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.3 A$94.2

$33.08 ₩43.8K

100.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$174

$70.1 ₩93.0K

74.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 A$229

$84.3 ₩111.7K

91.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 A$1,976

$878 ₩1.2M

58.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 A$1,691

$624 ₩827.1K

90.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,173 A$3,088

$2,513 ₩3.3M

-13.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,783 A$2,533

$1,287 ₩1.7M

38.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,780 A$8,213

$30.4K ₩40.3M

-80.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,889 A$6,947

$11.9K ₩15.7M

-58.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

4.08

44.85%

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

Last update for Northam: October 19, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Northam

$1.2K 47.6%

Seoul

$624 34.6% 47.6% $566

Eating Out

Northam

$323 12.9%

Seoul

$185 10.3% 42.7% $138

Groceries & Markets

Northam

$314 12.6%

Seoul

$480 26.6% 52.8% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Northam

$284 11.4%

Seoul

$267 14.8% 6.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Northam

$192 7.7%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 42.6% $82

Getting Around

Northam

$103 4.1%

Seoul

$58 3.2% 43.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Northam

$91 3.7%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 11.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,391 in Northam and $878 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85 in Northam vs $67 in Seoul. Groceries flip the comparison at $314 vs $480, with Northam cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Northam

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

07:54 7:54 AM

08:54 8:54 AM

1 h ahead of Northam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,000

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.73 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.628 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1,325 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD). 1 EUR = 1,485 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.73 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Northam Seoul 7,770 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Northam
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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

Northam vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Northam. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Seoul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,747 in Northam and $2,707 in Seoul to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,391 in Northam versus $878 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Seoul – a meal for two runs $67 versus $85 in Northam. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,498 per month in Northam versus $1,804 in Seoul – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,804 in Seoul versus $2,498 in Northam, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seoul but tight or insufficient in Northam. The gap between the two cities makes Seoul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Seoul is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Northam, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Northam 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.