Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Cranbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,822 a month against $2,459 in Cranbourne, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
119

Cost of Living Index in Cranbourne
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Cranbourne Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Cranbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,459

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Cranbourne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,822 in Seoul versus $2,459 in Cranbourne.

Seoul $1,822
Cranbourne $2,459

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,847 in Seoul versus $3,550 in Cranbourne.

Seoul $2,847
Cranbourne $3,550

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,872 in Seoul versus $4,641 in Cranbourne.

Seoul $3,872
Cranbourne $4,641

Living in Seoul costs roughly 26% less than in Cranbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 36% above, Cranbourne 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$8.75 A$12.52

4.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$83.2 A$119

-19.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$12.39 A$17.73

-40.11%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$2.62 A$3.74

55.73%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$2.82 A$4.04

-43.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$1.61 A$2.31

-50.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$7.14 A$10.22

-48.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$7.63 A$10.91

-22.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$2.70 A$3.87

-24.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$3.41 A$4.88

-9.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$3.88 A$5.55

8.51%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$5.10 A$7.30

-30.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$10.06 A$14.39

78.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$10.91 A$15.61

-2.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$12.32 A$17.63

114.61%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$3.34 A$4.78

122.16%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$3.47 A$4.96

1.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$4.21 A$6.03

39.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$3.50 A$5.00

82.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$3.34 A$4.79

12.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$2.19 A$3.14

13.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$1.56 A$2.23

87.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$1.53 A$2.18

-24.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$51.3 A$73.4

-93.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$23.14 A$33.11

-20.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$8.75 A$12.53

-73.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$5.32 A$7.62

-38.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$1.42 A$2.03

-19.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

$82.1 A$117

-44.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$6.73 A$9.63

-48.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$1.47 A$2.11

-59.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$24.20 A$34.63

-64.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$1.34 A$1.91

11.94%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$27.1K A$38.9K

7.25%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$30.6K A$43.7K

-7.76%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$267 A$382

-21.71%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$28.38 A$40.61

23.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$22.84 A$32.69

-7.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$39.23 A$56.1

46.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$17.65 A$25.26

-9.97%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$9.15 A$13.09

23.83%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$2,144 A$3,069

-11.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$20.2K A$28.9K

11.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$78.5 A$112

-24.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$27.98 A$40.04

14.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$107 A$154

-34.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$123 A$177

-33.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$1,383 A$1,979

-36.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$1,180 A$1,689

-47.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$2,114 A$3,025

17.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$1,807 A$2,586

-29.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$5,955 A$8,523

401.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$5,019 A$7,183

136.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$1,772 A$2,536

105.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.84

-30.14%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cranbourne: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Cranbourne

$1.2K 48.2% 89.3% $557

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Cranbourne

$430 17.6% 10.2% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Cranbourne

$318 13% 19.9% $53

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Cranbourne

$207 8.5% 12.8% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Cranbourne

$152 6.2% 38.4% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Cranbourne

$58 2.4% 28.1% $22

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Cranbourne

$102 4.2% 80.2% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $885 in Seoul and $1,383 in Cranbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 106% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Seoul vs $83.0 in Cranbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $479 vs $430, with Cranbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇦🇺 Cranbourne

🕒 Local time

15:18 3:18 PM

17:18 5:18 PM

2 h ahead of Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

21,281

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Cranbourne 8,620 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Cranbourne

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 Cranbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Cranbourne differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,822 vs $2,459 including rent). Seoul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 106% higher in Seoul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $885 in Seoul versus $1,383 in Cranbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,902 in Seoul versus $2,144 in Cranbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Cranbourne pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,822 in Seoul versus $2,459 in Cranbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seoul but tight or insufficient in Cranbourne. 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 Cranbourne 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 35% less than in Cranbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.