Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Kalgoorlie

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,794 a month against $1,929 in Kalgoorlie, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Kalgoorlie despite lower rent and utilities.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Kalgoorlie
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Kalgoorlie Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Kalgoorlie

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,929

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Kalgoorlie

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $1,929 in Kalgoorlie.

Seoul $1,794
Kalgoorlie $1,929

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $3,287 in Kalgoorlie.

Seoul $2,863
Kalgoorlie $3,287

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $4,645 in Kalgoorlie.

Seoul $3,931
Kalgoorlie $4,645

Living in Seoul costs roughly 7% less than in Kalgoorlie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 33% above, Kalgoorlie 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$17.55 A$25.25

-49.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$84.3 A$121

-18.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$10.63 A$15.29

-29.07%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$4.42 A$6.36

-4.30%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$3.72 A$5.35

-56.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$3.58 A$5.15

-79.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$6.37 A$9.16

-42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$7.24 A$10.42

-15.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.53 A$2.20

31.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$3.46 A$4.99

-9.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$2.28 A$3.28

89.47%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$4.52 A$6.50

-20.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$9.34 A$13.44

90.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$9.09 A$13.08

14.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$14.84 A$21.35

73.85%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.80 A$5.46

101.58%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$2.99 A$4.30

13.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$3.34 A$4.80

73.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$4.72 A$6.78

35.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$2.68 A$3.86

39.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$2.33 A$3.36

9.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$2.14 A$3.08

32.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$1.49 A$2.15

-25.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$40.93 A$58.9

-91.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$13.69 A$19.70

35.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$4.82 A$6.94

-50.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$5.16 A$7.43

-34.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$2.94 A$4.23

-61.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$81.8 A$118

-43.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$3.51 A$5.05

-0.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$1.47 A$2.12

-57.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$43.13 A$62.1

-79.46%

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

$23.0K A$33.2K

27.01%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$33.7K A$48.5K

-16.32%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$310 A$446

-29.78%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$55.8 A$80.3

-36.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$68.5 A$98.6

-68.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$37.87 A$54.5

53.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$20.04 A$28.83

-19.66%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$17.75 A$25.54

-36.28%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$1,839 A$2,646

5.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$18.3K A$26.3K

25.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$78.2 A$113

-27.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$55.3 A$79.5

-39.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$107 A$155

-33.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$132 A$189

-37.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$1,387 A$1,996

-35.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$479 A$689

27.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$1,659 A$2,387

52.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$1,543 A$2,221

-17.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$5,435 A$7,821

441.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$5,339 A$7,683

122.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$6,038 A$8,688

-39.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

6.25

-34.72%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kalgoorlie: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Kalgoorlie

$479 24.8% 21.7% $133

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Kalgoorlie

$370 19.2% 22.4% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Kalgoorlie

$434 22.5% 58.4% $160

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Kalgoorlie

$301 15.6% 63.7% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Kalgoorlie

$168 8.7% 52.4% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Kalgoorlie

$73 3.8% 9.1% $7.3

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Kalgoorlie

$104 5.4% 82.2% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $1,387 in Kalgoorlie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kalgoorlie pays 65% 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 $84.0 in Kalgoorlie. Groceries flip the comparison at $477 vs $370, with Kalgoorlie cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇦🇺 Kalgoorlie

🕒 Local time

19:45 7:45 PM

18:45 6:45 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

29,068

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 →

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Between locations

Seoul Kalgoorlie 7,620 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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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 Kalgoorlie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Kalgoorlie. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Seoul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 65% lower in Kalgoorlie. 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 $1,387 in Kalgoorlie. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Seoul runs roughly 77% less than in Kalgoorlie. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $1,839 in Kalgoorlie. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,794 in Seoul versus $1,929 in Kalgoorlie, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seoul but tight or insufficient in Kalgoorlie. 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 Kalgoorlie 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 8% less than in Kalgoorlie. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.