Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Geelong

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,794 a month against $2,602 in Geelong, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
127

Cost of Living Index in Geelong
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Geelong Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Geelong

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,602

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Geelong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $2,602 in Geelong.

Seoul $1,794
Geelong $2,602

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $3,495 in Geelong.

Seoul $2,863
Geelong $3,495

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $4,387 in Geelong.

Seoul $3,931
Geelong $4,387

Living in Seoul costs roughly 31% less than in Geelong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 33% above, Geelong 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$17.56 A$25.27

-49.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$82.2 A$118

-16.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$10.29 A$14.80

-26.72%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$3.80 A$5.47

11.32%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$2.80 A$4.03

-41.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$2.16 A$3.10

-65.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$6.53 A$9.39

-44.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$7.85 A$11.30

-21.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.55 A$2.23

29.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$2.54 A$3.65

23.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.87 A$2.70

131.02%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$4.27 A$6.14

-15.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$7.75 A$11.15

130.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$9.66 A$13.90

8.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$15.35 A$22.08

68.08%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$4.12 A$5.92

85.92%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$2.92 A$4.20

15.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.90 A$4.18

100.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$3.23 A$4.65

98.45%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$3.06 A$4.40

22.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$2.17 A$3.12

17.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$2.07 A$2.98

37.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$1.55 A$2.24

-28.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$45.24 A$65.1

-92.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$12.64 A$18.19

46.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$3.78 A$5.45

-36.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.96 A$4.27

13.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$7.45 A$10.72

-84.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$128 A$184

-63.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$4.45 A$6.41

-21.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$1.36 A$1.96

-53.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$29.97 A$43.12

-70.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.29 A$1.85

17.05%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$28.0K A$40.2K

4.69%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$26.3K A$37.9K

7.17%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$155 A$222

40.70%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$25.90 A$37.28

35.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$56.5 A$81.3

-62.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$55.7 A$80.1

4.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$15.25 A$21.95

5.57%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$12.72 A$18.30

-11.08%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$2,138 A$3,076

-8.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$29.6K A$42.6K

-22.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$79.5 A$114

-28.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$48.93 A$70.4

-31.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$94.0 A$135

-23.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$105 A$151

-21.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$1,264 A$1,818

-28.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$1,343 A$1,933

-54.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$1,717 A$2,471

47.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$1,506 A$2,167

-15.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$6,557 A$9,436

348.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$5,281 A$7,600

125.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$3,086 A$4,441

18.28%

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 Geelong: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Geelong

$1.3K 51.6% 120% $732

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Geelong

$340 13.1% 28.8% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Geelong

$237 9.1% 13.5% $37

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Geelong

$285 11% 55.2% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Geelong

$147 5.7% 33.8% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Geelong

$81 3.1% 0.5% $0.4

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Geelong

$169 6.5% 195% $112

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $1,264 in Geelong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Seoul vs $82.0 in Geelong. Groceries flip the comparison at $477 vs $340, with Geelong cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇦🇺 Geelong

🕒 Local time

14:28 2:28 PM

16:28 4:28 PM

2 h ahead of Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

180,239

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Geelong 8,610 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Geelong

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 Geelong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Geelong differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $2,602 including rent). Seoul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 18% 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: $901 in Seoul versus $1,264 in Geelong. 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 $2,602 in Geelong – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Seoul runs roughly 177% less than in Geelong. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,794 in Seoul versus $2,602 in Geelong, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seoul but tight or insufficient in Geelong. 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 Geelong 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 45% less than in Geelong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.