Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Karratha

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,804 a month against $2,473 in Karratha, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Karratha
Learn more

Karratha Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Karratha

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,473

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Karratha

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

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Seoul vs $2,473 in Karratha, rent included.

Seoul $1,804
Karratha $2,473

A couple spends around $2,877 per month in Seoul vs $3,581 in Karratha, rent included.

Seoul $2,877
Karratha $3,581

A family of three spends $3,950 per month in Seoul vs $4,690 in Karratha, rent included.

Seoul $3,950
Karratha $4,690

Seoul is about 27% cheaper than Karratha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seoul and Karratha sit above the global median – Seoul by 33%, Karratha by 83%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$17.59 A$25.31

-48.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$82.6 A$119

-19.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$10.31 A$14.84

-27.35%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$3.88 A$5.59

7.99%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$2.83 A$4.07

-45.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$2.19 A$3.15

-63.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$7.54 A$10.85

-51.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$7.58 A$10.91

-19.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.52 A$2.19

38.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$2.72 A$3.91

12.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$2.26 A$3.25

86.28%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$4.83 A$6.94

-26.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$9.42 A$13.56

91.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$9.43 A$13.56

9.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$14.89 A$21.42

77.77%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$3.97 A$5.72

99.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$3.11 A$4.48

10.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$3.29 A$4.74

71.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$4.75 A$6.84

34.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$2.81 A$4.04

32.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$2.39 A$3.44

5.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$2.33 A$3.35

23.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$1.47 A$2.12

-21.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$41.46 A$59.7

-91.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$13.65 A$19.64

37.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$4.76 A$6.84

-52.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$5.35 A$7.70

-38.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$2.89 A$4.16

-60.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$82.2 A$118

-43.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$3.38 A$4.87

4.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$1.58 A$2.27

-59.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$39.46 A$56.8

-77.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.36 A$1.96

6.62%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$27.0K A$38.8K

9.97%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$29.6K A$42.6K

-4.80%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$202 A$290

4.61%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$27.87 A$40.10

26.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$55.4 A$79.7

-62.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$56.7 A$81.6

1.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$17.66 A$25.42

-8.27%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$14.78 A$21.27

-23.07%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$2,176 A$3,131

-9.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$20.4K A$29.3K

11.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$77.6 A$112

-25.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$54.7 A$78.6

-39.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$108 A$155

-34.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$120 A$173

-29.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$1,391 A$2,002

-36.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$1,176 A$1,692

-46.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$2,113 A$3,041

18.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$1,779 A$2,559

-27.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$5,861 A$8,434

418.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$4,940 A$7,109

140.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

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 18, 2026

Last update for Karratha: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Karratha

$1.2K 47.5% 88.4% $552

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Karratha

$368 14.9% 23.2% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Karratha

$285 11.5% 6.8% $18

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Karratha

$291 11.8% 57.1% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Karratha

$162 6.6% 47.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Karratha

$86 3.5% 7.2% $5.8

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Karratha

$105 4.3% 81.3% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $878 in Seoul versus $1,391 in Karratha. 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 $67.0 in Seoul versus $83.0 in Karratha. Groceries tell a different story – $480 in Seoul vs $368 in Karratha – so Karratha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇦🇺 Karratha

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

05:47 5:47 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

17,013

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Karratha 6,570 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Karratha

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 Karratha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,804 in Seoul, $2,473 in Karratha – roughly 37% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,707 per month in Seoul and $3,710 in Karratha. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,804 in Seoul and $2,473 in Karratha. That's a gap of about 37%.

Public transport costs about 76% less in Seoul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seoul, where all-in costs run around $1,804, than in Karratha at $2,473. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Karratha 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, Karratha makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.