Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Nowra NSW

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,794 a month against $2,373 in Nowra NSW, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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 Nowra NSW
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Nowra NSW Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Nowra NSW

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,373

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Nowra NSW

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $2,373 in Nowra NSW, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Nowra NSW $2,373

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $3,634 in Nowra NSW, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Nowra NSW $3,634

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $4,895 in Nowra NSW, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Nowra NSW $4,895

Seoul is about 24% cheaper than Nowra NSW, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Seoul and Nowra NSW sit above the global median – Seoul by 33%, Nowra NSW by 76%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.8K

$20.68 A$29.62

-57.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩91.7K

$91.4 A$131

-25.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.1K

$10.37 A$14.85

-27.29%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,672

$3.97 A$5.69

6.55%

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

$1.63 ₩2,186

$3.16 A$4.53

-48.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩993

$2.61 A$3.74

-71.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,885

$8.41 A$12.05

-56.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,245

$9.90 A$14.18

-37.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,702

$1.26 A$1.81

59.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,200

$2.86 A$4.10

9.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,793

$2.53 A$3.63

70.75%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,835

$5.40 A$7.74

-33.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.9K

$11.68 A$16.73

52.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩14.0K

$9.94 A$14.24

5.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.6K

$15.16 A$21.72

70.18%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.3K

$3.92 A$5.62

95.41%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,537

$3.17 A$4.54

6.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,789

$3.55 A$5.09

63.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,592

$5.25 A$7.52

22.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,025

$3.05 A$4.37

22.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,404

$2.76 A$3.95

-7.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,815

$2.46 A$3.52

15.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,485

$1.37 A$1.97

-18.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,493

$44.71 A$64.1

-92.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$14.03 A$20.10

31.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,213

$4.83 A$6.91

-50.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,518

$5.37 A$7.69

-37.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,534

$2.89 A$4.14

-60.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.8K

$80.0 A$115

-42.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,683

$4.11 A$5.89

-15.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩847

$1.62 A$2.33

-61.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.9K

$42.29 A$60.6

-79.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,023

$1.38 A$1.97

9.42%

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

$29.3K ₩39.3M

$26.4K A$37.8K

10.80%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$29.7K A$42.6K

-5.07%

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

$218 ₩291.7K

$182 A$261

19.25%

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

$35.15 ₩47.1K

$26.74 A$38.30

31.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.5K

$54.9 A$78.6

-61.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.9K

$52.7 A$75.5

10.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.6K

$19.49 A$27.92

-17.39%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.2K

$15.77 A$22.59

-28.28%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$2,394 A$3,430

-18.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.7M

$20.3K A$29.0K

12.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩76.5K

$75.4 A$108

-24.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.8K

$55.3 A$79.2

-39.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.9K

$106 A$152

-32.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.7K

$130 A$186

-36.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$1,409 A$2,019

-36.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩820.4K

$1,040 A$1,490

-41.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$2,010 A$2,879

25.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$1,838 A$2,633

-31.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.5M

$5,656 A$8,102

420.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩16.0M

$4,294 A$6,151

177.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

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 Nowra NSW: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Nowra NSW

$1K 43.8% 70% $429

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Nowra NSW

$386 16.3% 19% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Nowra NSW

$264 11.1% 3.6% $9.9

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Nowra NSW

$329 13.9% 79.1% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Nowra NSW

$165 7% 50% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Nowra NSW

$84 3.6% 4.4% $3.6

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Nowra NSW

$104 4.4% 81% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $1,409 in Nowra NSW. 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 $68.0 in Seoul versus $91.0 in Nowra NSW. Groceries tell a different story – $477 in Seoul vs $386 in Nowra NSW – so Nowra NSW wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇦🇺 Nowra NSW

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

10:24 10:24 AM

2 h ahead of Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

9,598

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Nowra NSW 8,420 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Nowra NSW

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 Nowra NSW: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,794 in Seoul, $2,373 in Nowra NSW – roughly 32% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $3,559 in Nowra NSW. 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 $1,794 in Seoul and $2,373 in Nowra NSW. That's a gap of about 32%.

Public transport costs about 73% 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 $1,794, than in Nowra NSW at $2,373. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nowra NSW 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, Nowra NSW makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.