Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Gold Coast

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,848 a month against $2,922 in Gold Coast, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Gold Coast
Learn more

Gold Coast Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Gold Coast

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Gold Coast

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,848 in Seoul versus $2,922 in Gold Coast.

Seoul $1,848
Gold Coast $2,922

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,986 in Seoul versus $4,497 in Gold Coast.

Seoul $2,986
Gold Coast $4,497

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,125 in Seoul versus $6,073 in Gold Coast.

Seoul $4,125
Gold Coast $6,073

Living in Seoul costs roughly 37% less than in Gold Coast, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 36% above, Gold Coast 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$20.81 A$29.70

-56.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.7K

$105 A$149

-34.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,864

$10.62 A$15.15

-30.79%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,527

$3.76 A$5.36

9.57%

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

$1.64 ₩2,206

$2.83 A$4.03

-42.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,082

$2.46 A$3.51

-67.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,978

$7.77 A$11.09

-52.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,232

$7.51 A$10.72

-18.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,741

$1.57 A$2.23

29.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,309

$2.65 A$3.78

21.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,889

$2.36 A$3.37

86.02%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,820

$4.90 A$7.00

-26.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.5K

$9.09 A$12.98

100.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.1K

$9.50 A$13.56

10.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩36.1K

$14.71 A$21.00

82.80%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$3.95 A$5.63

98.99%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,737

$3.19 A$4.56

10.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,657

$3.47 A$4.95

64.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,293

$4.16 A$5.93

48.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,051

$2.59 A$3.69

45.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,371

$2.48 A$3.54

1.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,778

$2.45 A$3.49

15.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,489

$2.32 A$3.31

-52.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,430

$45.55 A$65.0

-92.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩25.0K

$14.19 A$20.25

31.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,246

$5.73 A$8.18

-57.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,507

$6.73 A$9.60

-50.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,599

$2.73 A$3.89

-56.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.9K

$56.0 A$80.0

-17.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,768

$2.22 A$3.16

59.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩810

$1.65 A$2.35

-63.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.2K

$36.90 A$52.7

-75.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,930

$1.38 A$1.97

4.35%

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

$30.3K ₩40.6M

$29.2K A$41.7K

3.67%

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

$28.9K ₩38.8M

$26.6K A$38.0K

8.57%

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

$213 ₩285.3K

$218 A$311

-2.57%

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

$35.83 ₩48.1K

$31.16 A$44.48

14.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.7K

$54.4 A$77.6

-60.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.7K

$60.7 A$86.6

1.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩22.0K

$17.58 A$25.09

-6.66%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.3K

$13.50 A$19.27

-15.41%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$2,134 A$3,046

-8.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.6M

$12.1K A$17.3K

88.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩80.2K

$76.3 A$109

-21.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.9K

$53.6 A$76.4

-36.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.6K

$106 A$151

-37.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩109.9K

$124 A$177

-34.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$2,293 A$3,272

-59.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩884.7K

$1,588 A$2,267

-58.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$3,278 A$4,679

-8.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$2,998 A$4,279

-51.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.5M

$10.8K A$15.4K

151.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.2M

$7,117 A$10.2K

58.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

$4,118 A$5,877

-13.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.69

-28.30%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gold Coast: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Gold Coast

$1.6K 54.4% 141% $929

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Gold Coast

$384 13.2% 20.5% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Gold Coast

$304 10.4% 12.6% $34

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Gold Coast

$318 10.9% 72.7% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Gold Coast

$162 5.5% 48.8% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Gold Coast

$88 3% 3.8% $3.2

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Gold Coast

$77 2.7% 34.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $924 in Seoul and $2,293 in Gold Coast. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gold Coast pays 15% 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 in Seoul vs $105 in Gold Coast. Groceries flip the comparison at $483 vs $384, with Gold Coast cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇦🇺 Gold Coast

🕒 Local time

03:25 3:25 AM

04:25 4:25 AM

1 h ahead of Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

607,665

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.68 EUR

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,342 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,498 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.68 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Gold Coast 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Gold Coast

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 Gold Coast: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,848 in Seoul and $2,922 in Gold Coast, so Seoul is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Seoul. 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: $924 in Seoul versus $2,293 in Gold Coast. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Seoul runs roughly 18% less than in Gold Coast. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $2,134 in Gold Coast. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Gold Coast are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Seoul wins on affordability, Gold Coast on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.