Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sale and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,794 a month against $2,445 in Sale, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Sale
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Sale Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Sale

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,445

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,445 per month in Sale vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

Sale $2,445
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $3,589 per month in Sale vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

Sale $3,589
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $4,732 per month in Sale vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

Sale $4,732
Seoul $3,931

Sale costs about 36% more than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sale and Seoul sit above the global median – Sale by 81%, Seoul by 33%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 A$21.72

$8.80 ₩11.8K

72.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 A$118

$68.4 ₩91.7K

20.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.48 A$16.45

$7.54 ₩10.1K

52.25%

Cappuccino

$3.80 A$5.44

$4.23 ₩5,672

-10.17%

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

$3.10 A$4.44

$1.63 ₩2,186

90.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 A$3.02

$0.74 ₩993

183.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.47 A$12.13

$3.64 ₩4,885

132.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.86 A$11.25

$6.15 ₩8,245

27.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 A$2.29

$2.01 ₩2,702

-20.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 A$3.56

$3.13 ₩4,200

-20.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 A$3.26

$4.32 ₩5,793

-47.45%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.94

$3.61 ₩4,835

53.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.18 A$13.15

$17.83 ₩23.9K

-48.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 A$12.85

$10.45 ₩14.0K

-14.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.39 A$22.05

$25.80 ₩34.6K

-40.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 A$5.15

$7.66 ₩10.3K

-53.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.89 A$4.15

$3.38 ₩4,537

-14.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.28

$5.81 ₩7,789

-48.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 A$6.02

$6.41 ₩8,592

-34.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 A$3.94

$3.75 ₩5,025

-26.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.28

$2.54 ₩3,404

-9.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 A$3.04

$2.84 ₩3,815

-25.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 A$1.95

$1.11 ₩1,485

22.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.03 A$63.1

$3.35 ₩4,493

1214.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 A$21.52

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-18.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.58 A$6.56

$2.40 ₩3,213

90.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.49

$3.37 ₩4,518

55.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 A$4.17

$1.14 ₩1,534

155.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.6 A$121

$46.11 ₩61.8K

83.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 A$5.62

$3.49 ₩4,683

12.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 A$2.13

$0.63 ₩847

136.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.41 A$65.1

$8.86 ₩11.9K

412.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 A$1.64

$1.51 ₩2,023

-23.84%

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

$26.1K A$37.4K

$29.3K ₩39.3M

-10.75%

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

$28.3K A$40.5K

$28.2K ₩37.8M

0.17%

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

$210 A$301

$218 ₩291.7K

-3.51%

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

$31.51 A$45.14

$35.15 ₩47.1K

-10.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.5 A$86.7

$21.29 ₩28.5K

184.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.9 A$90.1

$58.1 ₩77.9K

8.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.87 A$24.17

$16.10 ₩21.6K

4.78%

Cinema Ticket

$15.86 A$22.72

$11.31 ₩15.2K

40.23%

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

$2,317 A$3,319

$1,948 ₩2.6M

18.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K A$31.2K

$22.9K ₩30.7M

-4.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.7 A$106

$57.0 ₩76.5K

29.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 A$72.4

$33.39 ₩44.8K

51.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 A$147

$71.5 ₩95.9K

43.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 A$153

$82.5 ₩110.7K

29.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,502 A$2,151

$901 ₩1.2M

66.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 A$1,648

$612 ₩820.4K

87.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,440 A$3,496

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-3.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,855 A$2,657

$1,266 ₩1.7M

46.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,605 A$9,462

$29.4K ₩39.5M

-77.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,309 A$6,173

$11.9K ₩16.0M

-63.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

4.08

43.14%

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

Last update for Sale: October 13, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sale

$1.2K 47.1%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 46.8% $538

Groceries & Markets

Sale

$360 14.7%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 32.4% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sale

$302 12.4%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 9.3% $28

Eating Out

Sale

$280 11.5%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 34.4% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Sale

$150 6.1%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 26.7% $40

Getting Around

Sale

$108 4.4%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 46.7% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Sale

$95 3.9%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 14.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,502 in Sale versus $901 in Seoul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Sale versus $68.0 in Seoul. Groceries tell a different story – $360 in Sale vs $477 in Seoul – so Sale wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sale

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

07:20 7:20 AM

2 h behind Sale

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,673

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,501 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Sale Seoul 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sale
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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

Sale vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,445 in Sale, $1,794 in Seoul – roughly 36% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,667 per month in Sale and $2,692 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seoul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 32% cheaper in Sale – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Sale and $68.0 in Seoul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seoul, where all-in costs run around $1,794, than in Sale at $2,445. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sale it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Seoul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Seoul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sale makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.