Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Collie

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,794 a month against $2,531 in Collie, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Collie
Learn more

Collie Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Collie

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,531

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Collie

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $2,531 in Collie, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Collie $2,531

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $3,689 in Collie, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Collie $3,689

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $4,847 in Collie, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Collie $4,847

Seoul is about 29% cheaper than Collie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Seoul and Collie sit above the global median – Seoul by 33%, Collie by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$20.00 A$28.78

-56.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$84.6 A$122

-19.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$10.59 A$15.25

-28.80%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$4.54 A$6.53

-6.83%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$2.82 A$4.06

-42.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$2.20 A$3.16

-66.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$8.55 A$12.30

-57.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$8.49 A$12.21

-27.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.75 A$2.52

14.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$3.19 A$4.59

-1.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.95 A$2.81

121.54%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$5.27 A$7.59

-31.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$9.05 A$13.02

97.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$9.03 A$13.00

15.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$14.04 A$20.20

83.76%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$4.60 A$6.62

66.52%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$3.13 A$4.51

7.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$3.31 A$4.76

75.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$4.91 A$7.07

30.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$2.92 A$4.20

28.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.94 A$2.79

30.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$2.32 A$3.34

22.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$1.38 A$1.99

-19.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$41.25 A$59.4

-91.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$12.62 A$18.16

46.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$4.40 A$6.33

-45.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.42 A$4.92

-1.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$2.55 A$3.67

-55.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$79.5 A$114

-41.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$3.62 A$5.20

-3.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$1.38 A$1.98

-54.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$40.45 A$58.2

-78.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.39 A$2.00

8.63%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$27.7K A$39.8K

5.73%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$29.8K A$42.8K

-5.20%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$192 A$276

13.33%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$33.78 A$48.61

4.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$63.0 A$90.7

-66.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$51.0 A$73.4

13.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$19.81 A$28.50

-18.73%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$17.68 A$25.44

-36.03%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$2,293 A$3,300

-15.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$22.7K A$32.7K

0.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$77.3 A$111

-26.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$65.8 A$94.6

-49.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$125 A$180

-42.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$163 A$234

-49.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$1,400 A$2,015

-35.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$1,171 A$1,685

-47.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$2,124 A$3,057

18.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$1,783 A$2,565

-28.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$6,126 A$8,815

380.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$4,730 A$6,806

151.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

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 Collie: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Collie

$1.2K 46.3% 91.4% $559

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Collie

$365 14.4% 23.5% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Collie

$289 11.4% 5.4% $15

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Collie

$326 12.9% 77.4% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Collie

$194 7.7% 76.2% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Collie

$86 3.4% 7% $5.7

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Collie

$100 4% 74.7% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $1,400 in Collie. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul versus $85.0 in Collie. Groceries tell a different story – $477 in Seoul vs $365 in Collie – so Collie wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇦🇺 Collie

🕒 Local time

00:41 12:41 AM

23:41 11:41 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

7,000

💱 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 Collie 7,970 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Collie

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 Collie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,794 in Seoul, $2,531 in Collie – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $3,796 in Collie. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seoul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $2,293 in Collie. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 31% cheaper in Collie – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seoul, where all-in costs run around $1,794, than in Collie at $2,531. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Collie it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Seoul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Seoul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Collie makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.