Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Mount Victoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,794 a month against $2,682 in Mount Victoria, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Mount Victoria
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Mount Victoria Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Mount Victoria

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,682

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Mount Victoria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $2,682 in Mount Victoria.

Seoul $1,794
Mount Victoria $2,682

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $3,761 in Mount Victoria.

Seoul $2,863
Mount Victoria $3,761

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $4,841 in Mount Victoria.

Seoul $3,931
Mount Victoria $4,841

Living in Seoul costs roughly 33% less than in Mount Victoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 33% above, Mount Victoria 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.8K

$20.56 A$29.45

-57.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩91.7K

$88.6 A$127

-22.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.1K

$10.50 A$15.04

-28.19%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,672

$4.18 A$5.98

1.20%

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

$1.63 ₩2,186

$3.01 A$4.32

-45.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩993

$2.58 A$3.69

-71.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,885

$8.57 A$12.27

-57.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,245

$9.92 A$14.21

-38.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,702

$1.55 A$2.23

29.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,200

$3.19 A$4.57

-1.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,793

$2.59 A$3.71

66.80%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,835

$5.32 A$7.63

-32.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.9K

$12.85 A$18.41

38.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩14.0K

$9.68 A$13.87

7.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.6K

$15.35 A$22.00

68.08%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.3K

$3.89 A$5.58

96.92%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,537

$3.13 A$4.49

7.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,789

$3.52 A$5.05

65.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,592

$5.31 A$7.61

20.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,025

$3.02 A$4.33

24.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,404

$2.85 A$4.09

-10.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,815

$2.56 A$3.67

10.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,485

$1.32 A$1.89

-15.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,493

$44.59 A$63.9

-92.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$13.84 A$19.82

33.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,213

$4.65 A$6.66

-48.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,518

$5.53 A$7.93

-39.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,534

$3.19 A$4.57

-64.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.8K

$70.2 A$101

-34.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,683

$4.06 A$5.81

-14.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩847

$1.56 A$2.24

-59.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.9K

$42.77 A$61.3

-79.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,023

$1.31 A$1.88

15.27%

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

$29.3K ₩39.3M

$27.2K A$39.0K

7.62%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$30.1K A$43.1K

-6.20%

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

$218 ₩291.7K

$181 A$259

20.14%

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

$35.15 ₩47.1K

$26.19 A$37.52

34.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.5K

$55.1 A$79.0

-61.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.9K

$56.6 A$81.1

2.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.6K

$18.13 A$25.97

-11.20%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.2K

$15.87 A$22.74

-28.73%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$2,388 A$3,421

-18.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.7M

$20.1K A$28.8K

13.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩76.5K

$76.6 A$110

-25.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.8K

$56.8 A$81.3

-41.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.9K

$106 A$152

-32.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.7K

$134 A$192

-38.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$1,557 A$2,230

-42.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩820.4K

$1,343 A$1,924

-54.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$2,217 A$3,176

13.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$1,781 A$2,551

-28.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.5M

$5,418 A$7,762

442.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩16.0M

$5,563 A$7,969

113.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$4,096 A$5,868

-10.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.95

-31.43%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mount Victoria: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Mount Victoria

$1.3K 50.1% 120% $731

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Mount Victoria

$394 14.7% 17.4% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Mount Victoria

$262 9.8% 4.2% $12

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Mount Victoria

$331 12.4% 80.2% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Mount Victoria

$168 6.3% 52.9% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Mount Victoria

$88 3.3% 9.5% $7.7

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Mount Victoria

$95 3.5% 65.4% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $1,557 in Mount Victoria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mount Victoria pays 12% 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 $89.0 in Mount Victoria. Groceries flip the comparison at $477 vs $394, with Mount Victoria cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇦🇺 Mount Victoria

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

10:23 10:23 AM

2 h ahead of Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

989

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,501 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Mount Victoria 8,270 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Mount Victoria

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 Mount Victoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 49% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Mount Victoria. 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 $1,557 in Mount Victoria. 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 $2,682 in Mount Victoria – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Seoul runs roughly 52% less than in Mount Victoria. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,794 in Seoul versus $2,682 in Mount Victoria, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seoul but tight or insufficient in Mount Victoria. 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 Mount Victoria 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 49% less than in Mount Victoria. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.