Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Byron Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,794 a month against $2,366 in Byron Bay, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
115

Cost of Living Index in Byron Bay
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Byron Bay Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Byron Bay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,366

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Byron Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $2,366 in Byron Bay.

Seoul $1,794
Byron Bay $2,366

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $3,419 in Byron Bay.

Seoul $2,863
Byron Bay $3,419

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $4,471 in Byron Bay.

Seoul $3,931
Byron Bay $4,471

Living in Seoul costs roughly 24% less than in Byron Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 33% above, Byron Bay 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$17.61 A$25.33

-50.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩91.2K

$68.4 A$98.4

-0.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.1K

$11.27 A$16.22

-33.10%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,644

$3.61 A$5.20

17.17%

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

$1.63 ₩2,175

$1.37 A$1.98

18.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩988

$2.43 A$3.49

-69.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,860

$8.01 A$11.53

-54.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,203

$8.48 A$12.20

-27.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,688

$1.57 A$2.26

28.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,178

$2.74 A$3.95

14.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,764

$2.30 A$3.30

87.83%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,810

$4.95 A$7.12

-27.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.8K

$9.43 A$13.57

89.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$9.22 A$13.27

13.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.4K

$14.02 A$20.17

84.02%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$4.20 A$6.04

82.38%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,514

$2.99 A$4.31

13.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,750

$2.86 A$4.12

103.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,549

$4.92 A$7.08

30.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,000

$2.72 A$3.91

37.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,387

$2.32 A$3.34

9.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,796

$2.31 A$3.32

22.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,477

$1.18 A$1.70

-5.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,470

$34.02 A$48.95

-90.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.7K

$12.73 A$18.32

45.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,196

$5.26 A$7.57

-54.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,495

$5.10 A$7.34

-33.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$2.80 A$4.04

-59.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.5K

$84.0 A$121

-45.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,660

$3.06 A$4.40

14.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩843

$1.79 A$2.57

-64.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$40.19 A$57.8

-77.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,012

$1.45 A$2.08

4.14%

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

$29.3K ₩39.1M

$26.8K A$38.6K

9.15%

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

$28.2K ₩37.6M

$24.0K A$34.5K

17.64%

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

$218 ₩290.2K

$156 A$224

39.83%

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

$35.15 ₩46.9K

$14.09 A$20.28

149.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.4K

$41.43 A$59.6

-48.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.5K

$55.3 A$79.6

4.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.5K

$17.85 A$25.68

-9.80%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.1K

$17.32 A$24.93

-34.70%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$1,902 A$2,738

2.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.5M

$12.8K A$18.4K

78.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩76.1K

$71.0 A$102

-19.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.5K

$21.02 A$30.25

58.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.4K

$69.9 A$101

2.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.1K

$109 A$157

-24.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$1,405 A$2,022

-35.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩816.3K

$1,184 A$1,704

-48.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$2,177 A$3,133

16.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$1,813 A$2,609

-30.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.3M

$5,732 A$8,248

413.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.9M

$4,928 A$7,092

141.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$4,911 A$7,067

-25.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

-18.40%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Byron Bay: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Byron Bay

$1.2K 50% 93.5% $572

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Byron Bay

$362 15.3% 24.1% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Byron Bay

$211 8.9% 23% $63

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Byron Bay

$290 12.3% 57.9% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Byron Bay

$122 5.2% 10.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Byron Bay

$90 3.8% 11.5% $9.3

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Byron Bay

$107 4.5% 87% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $1,405 in Byron Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Byron Bay pays 35% 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 $68.0 in Byron Bay. Groceries flip the comparison at $477 vs $362, with Byron Bay cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇦🇺 Byron Bay

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

07:06 7:06 AM

2 h ahead of Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

10,538

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 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 = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 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 →

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Between locations

Seoul Byron Bay 7,870 km ≈ 10 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 Byron Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Byron Bay differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $2,366 including rent). Seoul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Byron Bay. 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 $1,405 in Byron Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,794 per month in Seoul versus $2,366 in Byron Bay – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Seoul runs roughly 82% less than in Byron Bay. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,794 in Seoul versus $2,366 in Byron Bay, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seoul but tight or insufficient in Byron Bay. 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 Byron Bay 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 32% less than in Byron Bay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.