Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Adelaide

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,804 a month against $2,640 in Adelaide, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Adelaide
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Adelaide Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Adelaide

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,640

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Adelaide

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,804 in Seoul versus $2,640 in Adelaide.

Seoul $1,804
Adelaide $2,640

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,877 in Seoul versus $3,759 in Adelaide.

Seoul $2,877
Adelaide $3,759

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,950 in Seoul versus $4,878 in Adelaide.

Seoul $3,950
Adelaide $4,878

Living in Seoul costs roughly 32% less than in Adelaide, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 33% above, Adelaide 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$17.10 A$24.61

-46.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$80.5 A$116

-17.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$11.64 A$16.75

-35.65%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$4.05 A$5.83

3.46%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$2.78 A$4.00

-44.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$2.55 A$3.68

-69.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$7.79 A$11.20

-53.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$8.26 A$11.89

-25.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.98 A$2.85

6.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$2.78 A$4.00

9.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$2.24 A$3.23

87.95%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$5.69 A$8.19

-37.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$11.77 A$16.94

53.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$9.20 A$13.24

12.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$18.97 A$27.29

39.54%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$3.94 A$5.67

100.76%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$3.03 A$4.36

13.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$3.63 A$5.22

55.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$5.06 A$7.28

26.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$3.20 A$4.60

15.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$2.47 A$3.56

2.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$2.49 A$3.58

15.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$2.31 A$3.33

-49.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$45.26 A$65.1

-92.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$13.93 A$20.05

34.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$5.52 A$7.94

-58.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$5.91 A$8.51

-43.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$3.20 A$4.61

-64.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$83.6 A$120

-44.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$3.53 A$5.07

-0.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$1.98 A$2.85

-67.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$31.11 A$44.77

-71.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.41 A$2.03

2.84%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$29.3K A$42.2K

1.14%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$25.7K A$36.9K

9.81%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$192 A$276

9.86%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$25.71 A$36.99

37.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$56.7 A$81.6

-63.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$63.0 A$90.6

-8.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$14.06 A$20.24

15.22%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$17.14 A$24.67

-33.66%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$2,072 A$2,982

-5.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$14.3K A$20.5K

59.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$70.3 A$101

-18.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$54.9 A$78.9

-39.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$115 A$165

-38.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$135 A$195

-37.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$1,713 A$2,466

-48.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$1,278 A$1,839

-51.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$2,431 A$3,498

3.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$1,833 A$2,637

-29.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$10.1K A$14.5K

200.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$6,880 A$9,901

72.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$3,830 A$5,511

-6.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.92

-31.08%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Adelaide: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Adelaide

$1.3K 48.4% 105% $654

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Adelaide

$415 15.7% 13.5% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Adelaide

$274 10.4% 2.8% $7.5

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Adelaide

$297 11.3% 60.3% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Adelaide

$169 6.4% 53.1% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Adelaide

$97 3.7% 20.9% $17

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Adelaide

$110 4.2% 89.5% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $878 in Seoul and $1,713 in Adelaide. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Adelaide pays 6% 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: $67.0 in Seoul vs $81.0 in Adelaide. Groceries flip the comparison at $480 vs $415, with Adelaide cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇦🇺 Adelaide

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

10:55 10:55 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

1,245,011

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 →

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Between locations

Seoul Adelaide 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Seoul vs Adelaide: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Adelaide differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($1,804 vs $2,640 including rent). Seoul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Adelaide. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $878 in Seoul versus $1,713 in Adelaide. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,967 in Seoul versus $2,072 in Adelaide. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Adelaide pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,804 in Seoul versus $2,640 in Adelaide, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seoul but tight or insufficient in Adelaide. The gap between the two cities makes Seoul 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, Seoul and Adelaide 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 Seoul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Adelaide. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.