Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Northam

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,804 a month against $2,498 in Northam, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Northam
Learn more

Northam Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Northam

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Northam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,804 in Seoul versus $2,498 in Northam.

Seoul $1,804
Northam $2,498

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,877 in Seoul versus $3,618 in Northam.

Seoul $2,877
Northam $3,618

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,950 in Seoul versus $4,737 in Northam.

Seoul $3,950
Northam $4,737

Living in Seoul costs roughly 28% less than in Northam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 33% above, Northam 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.0K

$19.97 A$28.40

-54.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.2K

$85.1 A$121

-21.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,911

$10.55 A$15.01

-29.00%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,542

$4.48 A$6.37

-6.47%

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

$1.55 ₩2,057

$2.84 A$4.04

-45.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,050

$2.29 A$3.26

-65.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,823

$8.30 A$11.80

-56.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,124

$8.10 A$11.52

-24.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,798

$1.74 A$2.48

21.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,032

$2.58 A$3.67

18.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,572

$1.98 A$2.82

112.63%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,686

$4.48 A$6.37

-20.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩23.8K

$6.37 A$9.06

182.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.7K

$9.12 A$12.98

13.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.0K

$14.08 A$20.02

88.00%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$2.73 A$3.88

189.74%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,556

$3.25 A$4.62

5.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,457

$3.44 A$4.90

63.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,476

$4.92 A$6.99

30.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,914

$2.89 A$4.12

28.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,329

$1.97 A$2.81

27.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,797

$2.25 A$3.20

27.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,528

$0.73 A$1.04

58.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,458

$41.37 A$58.8

-91.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.8K

$3.49 A$4.97

436.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,021

$4.40 A$6.25

-48.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,376

$3.51 A$5.00

-5.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,490

$2.92 A$4.16

-61.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩61.8K

$80.6 A$115

-41.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,662

$3.53 A$5.02

-0.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩844

$1.46 A$2.07

-56.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.6K

$41.14 A$58.5

-78.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,921

$1.35 A$1.91

7.41%

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

$29.7K ₩39.3M

$26.9K A$38.2K

10.48%

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

$28.2K ₩37.3M

$29.5K A$41.9K

-4.30%

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

$211 ₩279.0K

$196 A$279

7.67%

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

$35.36 ₩46.8K

$24.09 A$34.27

46.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.2K

$64.3 A$91.5

-68.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.4K

$56.5 A$80.3

2.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.4K

$17.81 A$25.33

-9.04%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.0K

$17.30 A$24.61

-34.28%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$2,328 A$3,310

-15.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.1M

$23.2K A$33.0K

-1.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.0K

$77.3 A$110

-25.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩43.8K

$66.3 A$94.3

-50.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩92.8K

$123 A$174

-42.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩111.5K

$161 A$229

-47.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$1,391 A$1,978

-36.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩825.7K

$1,190 A$1,693

-47.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$2,173 A$3,091

15.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$1,783 A$2,536

-27.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.2M

$5,780 A$8,221

425.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.7M

$4,889 A$6,954

142.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.91

-30.96%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Northam: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Northam

$1.2K 47.6% 90.7% $566

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Northam

$314 12.6% 34.5% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Northam

$284 11.4% 6.5% $17

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Northam

$323 12.9% 74.4% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Northam

$192 7.7% 74.4% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Northam

$91 3.7% 13.2% $11

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Northam

$103 4.1% 77.9% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $878 in Seoul and $1,391 in Northam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Seoul vs $85 in Northam. Groceries flip the comparison at $480 vs $314, with Northam cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇦🇺 Northam

🕒 Local time

09:42 9:42 AM

08:42 8:42 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

6,000

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.56 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.75 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 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 October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1,323 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.56 USD). 1 EUR = 1,483 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.75 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Seoul Northam 7,770 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Seoul vs Northam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Northam. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Seoul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,707 in Seoul and $3,747 in Northam to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $878 in Seoul versus $1,391 in Northam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Seoul – a meal for two runs $67 versus $85 in Northam. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,804 per month in Seoul versus $2,498 in Northam – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,804 in Seoul versus $2,498 in Northam, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seoul but tight or insufficient in Northam. The gap between the two cities makes Seoul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Seoul is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Northam, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Seoul and Northam are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.