Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Bunbury

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,794 a month against $2,181 in Bunbury, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Bunbury
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Bunbury Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Bunbury

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,181

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Bunbury

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $2,181 in Bunbury.

Seoul $1,794
Bunbury $2,181

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $3,382 in Bunbury.

Seoul $2,863
Bunbury $3,382

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $4,582 in Bunbury.

Seoul $3,931
Bunbury $4,582

Living in Seoul costs roughly 18% less than in Bunbury, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 33% above, Bunbury 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$20.48 A$29.47

-57.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$85.2 A$123

-19.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$10.82 A$15.57

-30.31%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$4.23 A$6.08

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$2.89 A$4.16

-43.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$2.19 A$3.15

-66.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$8.37 A$12.05

-56.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$8.39 A$12.08

-26.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.07 A$1.55

87.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.12 A$1.61

179.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.97 A$2.83

119.29%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$5.12 A$7.37

-29.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$9.34 A$13.45

90.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$8.25 A$11.86

26.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$8.46 A$12.18

204.96%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.71 A$5.35

106.47%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$3.25 A$4.67

4.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.83 A$4.07

105.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$4.79 A$6.89

33.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$2.71 A$3.90

38.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.90 A$2.73

33.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.77 A$2.54

60.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.83 A$1.19

33.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$26.22 A$37.73

-87.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$6.78 A$9.75

172.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$4.39 A$6.32

-45.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.52 A$5.06

-4.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$2.79 A$4.02

-59.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$55.8 A$80.4

-17.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$3.63 A$5.22

-3.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$1.43 A$2.06

-55.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$34.44 A$49.56

-74.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.17 A$1.69

29.06%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$21.0K A$30.2K

39.33%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$18.7K A$27.0K

50.52%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$162 A$232

34.64%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$33.73 A$48.53

4.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$64.5 A$92.8

-66.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$56.1 A$80.7

3.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$10.38 A$14.93

55.11%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$14.18 A$20.40

-20.24%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$2,300 A$3,310

-15.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$23.0K A$33.0K

-0.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$78.0 A$112

-26.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$63.9 A$91.9

-47.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$122 A$176

-41.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$93.3 A$134

-11.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$979 A$1,408

-7.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$982 A$1,413

-37.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$1,817 A$2,614

39.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$1,842 A$2,650

-31.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$4,913 A$7,070

498.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$3,961 A$5,701

200.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$4,606 A$6,628

-20.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.91

-30.96%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bunbury: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Bunbury

$982 45% 60.5% $370

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Bunbury

$290 13.3% 39.2% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Bunbury

$260 11.9% 5.2% $14

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Bunbury

$326 15% 77.4% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Bunbury

$161 7.4% 46.2% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Bunbury

$84 3.9% 4.6% $3.7

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Bunbury

$78 3.6% 35.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $979 in Bunbury. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bunbury pays 26% 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: $68.0 in Seoul vs $85.0 in Bunbury. Groceries flip the comparison at $477 vs $290, with Bunbury cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇦🇺 Bunbury

🕒 Local time

06:46 6:46 AM

05:46 5:46 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

75,196

💱 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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Between locations

Seoul Bunbury 7,970 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Bunbury

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 Bunbury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 22% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Bunbury. 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: $901 in Seoul versus $979 in Bunbury. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $2,300 in Bunbury. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bunbury pay roughly 65% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,794 in Seoul versus $2,181 in Bunbury, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seoul but tight or insufficient in Bunbury. 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 Bunbury 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 22% less than in Bunbury. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.