Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seongnam and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Seongnam: $1,405 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Seongnam
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Seongnam Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Seongnam

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,405

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seongnam and in Melbourne

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Seongnam and in Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,405 in Seongnam versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Seongnam $1,405
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,330 in Seongnam versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Seongnam $2,330
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,255 in Seongnam versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Seongnam $3,255
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Seongnam costs roughly 50% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seongnam 4% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.61 ₩8,787

$17.43 A$25.08

-62.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.26 ₩53.5K

$84.6 A$122

-52.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.67 ₩8,870

$12.46 A$17.92

-46.47%

Cappuccino

$4.16 ₩5,528

$4.11 A$5.91

1.22%

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

$1.59 ₩2,120

$3.06 A$4.40

-48.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 ₩1,093

$2.52 A$3.62

-67.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 ₩4,727

$9.80 A$14.10

-63.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 ₩5,065

$8.57 A$12.33

-55.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ₩3,005

$1.48 A$2.14

52.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,098

$2.94 A$4.23

4.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,779

$2.66 A$3.82

34.96%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,804

$5.54 A$7.97

-34.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.24 ₩12.3K

$10.51 A$15.13

-12.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.73 ₩10.3K

$9.65 A$13.89

-19.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.02 ₩27.9K

$15.22 A$21.91

38.11%

Apples (1kg)

$7.75 ₩10.3K

$3.99 A$5.75

94.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.42 ₩4,552

$3.02 A$4.34

13.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,808

$3.10 A$4.46

89.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.99 ₩9,288

$4.82 A$6.93

45.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 ₩4,793

$3.03 A$4.36

18.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,354

$2.44 A$3.52

3.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 ₩3,725

$2.46 A$3.54

13.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,766

$1.63 A$2.34

-18.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.45 ₩4,584

$44.07 A$63.4

-92.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.42 ₩24.5K

$12.70 A$18.28

45.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ₩2,776

$5.54 A$7.97

-62.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ₩2,422

$5.23 A$7.52

-65.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 ₩1,368

$3.74 A$5.38

-72.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 ₩4,841

$4.51 A$6.50

-19.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₩876

$1.36 A$1.96

-51.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$30.45 A$43.81

-70.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,811

$1.47 A$2.12

-7.48%

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

$29.3K ₩39.0M

$29.0K A$41.7K

1.06%

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

$28.4K ₩37.8M

$26.5K A$38.1K

7.28%

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

$207 ₩275.9K

$234 A$336

-11.21%

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

$36.39 ₩48.4K

$27.93 A$40.19

30.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.67 ₩27.5K

$55.7 A$80.2

-62.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ₩68.6K

$49.40 A$71.1

4.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.09 ₩16.1K

$21.48 A$30.91

-43.72%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 ₩14.6K

$15.09 A$21.72

-27.17%

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

$532 ₩707.0K

$2,371 A$3,412

-77.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ₩23.5M

$30.2K A$43.5K

-41.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 ₩76.6K

$80.0 A$115

-27.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.21 ₩42.8K

$50.7 A$73.0

-36.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 ₩92.6K

$121 A$174

-42.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.8 ₩108.8K

$130 A$188

-37.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ₩635.4K

$1,759 A$2,531

-72.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 ₩486.9K

$1,390 A$2,000

-73.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 ₩1.6M

$3,494 A$5,027

-66.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 ₩1.4M

$2,493 A$3,588

-58.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,163 ₩9.5M

$6,926 A$9,967

3.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,429 ₩7.2M

$6,445 A$9,274

-15.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.9

-30.85%

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

Last update for Seongnam: October 11, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Seongnam

$423 30.1%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 9.3% $39

Accommodation & Living

Seongnam

$366 26.1%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 280% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seongnam

$265 18.8%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 20% $53

Eating Out

Seongnam

$158 11.2%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 99.3% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Seongnam

$109 7.7%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 58.2% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Seongnam

$74 5.2%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 8.2% $6

Getting Around

Seongnam

$11 * 0.8%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 1382% $153

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 $478 in Seongnam and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Seongnam vs $85.0 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $423 vs $384, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seongnam

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

03:49 3:49 AM

05:49 5:49 AM

2 h ahead of Seongnam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

967,510

5,031,195

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

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).

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).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Seongnam Melbourne 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Seongnam
Melbourne

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

Seongnam vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seongnam and Melbourne differ by about 101% in total monthly costs ($1,405 vs $2,821 including rent). Seongnam is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,108 in Seongnam and $4,231 in Melbourne 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: $478 in Seongnam versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,405 per month in Seongnam versus $2,821 in Melbourne – a 101% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,405 in Seongnam versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seongnam but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Seongnam 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, Seongnam and Melbourne 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 Seongnam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.