Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Carlton

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,794 a month against $2,287 in Carlton, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Carlton
Learn more

Carlton Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Carlton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,287

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Carlton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $2,287 in Carlton.

Seoul $1,794
Carlton $2,287

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $3,321 in Carlton.

Seoul $2,863
Carlton $3,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $4,355 in Carlton.

Seoul $3,931
Carlton $4,355

Living in Seoul costs roughly 22% less than in Carlton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 33% above, Carlton 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$17.71 A$25.48

-50.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$68.7 A$98.9

-0.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$9.96 A$14.34

-24.30%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.92 A$4.21

44.86%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$2.63 A$3.78

-38.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$2.13 A$3.06

-65.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$6.76 A$9.73

-46.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$6.54 A$9.41

-5.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.32 A$1.90

52.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$2.05 A$2.95

52.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.32 A$1.90

227.27%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$3.20 A$4.60

12.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$10.28 A$14.79

73.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$9.99 A$14.38

4.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$15.28 A$21.98

68.85%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.32 A$4.78

130.72%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$2.81 A$4.05

20.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$3.20 A$4.60

81.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$4.48 A$6.44

43.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$2.46 A$3.54

52.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$2.22 A$3.19

14.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$2.13 A$3.07

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.90 A$1.29

23.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$25.25 A$36.33

-86.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$10.62 A$15.28

74.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$5.74 A$8.26

-58.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$5.12 A$7.37

-34.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$3.05 A$4.38

-62.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$80.9 A$116

-43.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$3.72 A$5.36

-6.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$1.26 A$1.82

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$26.18 A$37.68

-66.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.36 A$1.95

11.03%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$18.4K A$26.5K

58.99%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$13.8K A$19.9K

104.00%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$89.5 A$129

142.96%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$27.31 A$39.31

28.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$45.80 A$65.9

-53.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$31.60 A$45.47

83.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$17.32 A$24.92

-7.04%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$12.96 A$18.64

-12.73%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$2,061 A$2,965

-5.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$12.6K A$18.1K

81.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$79.1 A$114

-27.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$49.37 A$71.1

-32.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$70.0 A$101

2.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$134 A$193

-38.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$1,391 A$2,001

-35.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$1,204 A$1,732

-49.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$2,150 A$3,093

17.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$1,829 A$2,631

-30.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$5,647 A$8,126

421.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$5,209 A$7,496

128.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$5,717 A$8,227

-36.16%

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 Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Carlton: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Carlton

$1.2K 52.6% 96.7% $592

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Carlton

$338 14.8% 29% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Carlton

$163 7.1% 40.6% $111

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Carlton

$273 11.9% 48.3% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Carlton

$150 6.5% 36% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Carlton

$58 2.5% 28.7% $23

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Carlton

$103 4.5% 79.9% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $1,391 in Carlton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carlton pays 57% 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 $69.0 in Carlton. Groceries flip the comparison at $477 vs $338, with Carlton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇦🇺 Carlton

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

10:23 10:23 AM

2 h ahead of Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

19,001

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Carlton 8,580 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Carlton

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 Carlton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Carlton differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $2,287 including rent). Seoul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 57% lower in Carlton. 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 $1,391 in Carlton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $2,061 in Carlton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Carlton pay roughly 41% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,794 in Seoul versus $2,287 in Carlton, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seoul but tight or insufficient in Carlton. 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 Carlton 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 27% less than in Carlton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.