Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Orange, NSW

For one person, living costs are similar in Seoul and in Orange, NSW: $1,794 and $1,748 a month, rent and utilities included.

Seoul
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,794
/mo nomad
Orange, NSW
🇦🇺 Australia
$1,748
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Orange, 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 Orange, NSW actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $1,748 in Orange, NSW.

  • Seoul $1,794
  • Orange, NSW $1,748

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $2,934 in Orange, NSW.

  • Seoul $2,863
  • Orange, NSW $2,934

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $4,119 in Orange, NSW.

  • Seoul $3,931
  • Orange, NSW $4,119

Living in Seoul is roughly 3% more expensive than in Orange, NSW, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 33% above, Orange, NSW 29% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seoul
Orange, NSW
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.80 ₩11.8K
$14.25 A$20.42
-38.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.4 ₩91.7K
$77.7 A$111
-11.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.54 ₩10.1K
$10.58 A$15.15
-28.73%
Cappuccino
$4.23 ₩5,672
$3.46 A$4.96
22.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 ₩2,186
$3.20 A$4.58
-49.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 ₩993
$2.16 A$3.10
-65.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.64 ₩4,885
$6.76 A$9.68
-46.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.15 ₩8,245
$7.05 A$10.10
-12.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seoul
Orange, NSW
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.01 ₩2,702
$1.19 A$1.71
68.91%
White Bread (500g)
$3.13 ₩4,200
$2.86 A$4.09
9.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.32 ₩5,793
$2.07 A$2.96
108.70%
Eggs
$3.61 ₩4,835
$3.84 A$5.51
-5.99%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.83 ₩23.9K
$8.44 A$12.09
111.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 ₩14.0K
$8.60 A$12.32
21.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$25.80 ₩34.6K
$14.14 A$20.25
82.46%
Apples (1kg)
$7.66 ₩10.3K
$2.89 A$4.14
165.05%
Banana (1kg)
$3.38 ₩4,537
$2.54 A$3.63
33.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.81 ₩7,789
$3.27 A$4.68
77.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.41 ₩8,592
$3.77 A$5.40
70.03%
Potato (1kg)
$3.75 ₩5,025
$1.79 A$2.56
109.50%
Onion (1kg)
$2.54 ₩3,404
$2.55 A$3.65
-0.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.84 ₩3,815
$1.96 A$2.81
44.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 ₩1,485
$1.78 A$2.55
-37.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.35 ₩4,493
$34.89 A$49.98
-90.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.49 ₩24.8K
$11.32 A$16.21
63.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₩3,213
$2.73 A$3.91
-12.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.37 ₩4,518
$4.78 A$6.84
-29.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Seoul
Orange, NSW
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.14 ₩1,534
$2.83 A$4.05
-59.72%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$46.11 ₩61.8K
$81.2 A$116
-43.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.49 ₩4,683
$2.48 A$3.56
40.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.63 ₩847
$1.57 A$2.25
-59.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.86 ₩11.9K
$38.36 A$55.0
-76.90%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 ₩2,023
$1.37 A$1.96
10.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K ₩39.3M
$29.3K A$42.0K
-0.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.2K ₩37.8M
$42.5K A$60.9K
-33.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul
Orange, NSW
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$218 ₩291.7K
$161 A$231
35.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.15 ₩47.1K
$17.33 A$24.82
102.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.29 ₩28.5K
$49.86 A$71.4
-57.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seoul
Orange, NSW
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.1 ₩77.9K
$55.2 A$79.1
5.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.10 ₩21.6K
$17.96 A$25.73
-10.36%
Cinema Ticket
$11.31 ₩15.2K
$13.30 A$19.05
-14.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seoul
Orange, NSW
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,948 ₩2.6M
$2,142 A$3,068
-9.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.9K ₩30.7M
$22.2K A$31.9K
2.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seoul
Orange, NSW
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.0 ₩76.5K
$54.9 A$78.7
3.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.39 ₩44.8K
$62.6 A$89.7
-46.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.5 ₩95.9K
$142 A$204
-49.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$82.5 ₩110.7K
$110 A$158
-25.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seoul
Orange, NSW
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$901 ₩1.2M
$821 A$1,176
9.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$612 ₩820.4K
$590 A$845
3.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,526 ₩3.4M
$1,382 A$1,980
82.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,266 ₩1.7M
$1,478 A$2,118
-14.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$29.4K ₩39.5M
$6,092 A$8,727
382.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$11.9K ₩16.0M
$4,225 A$6,052
181.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seoul
Orange, NSW
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,650 ₩4.9M
$4,766 A$6,827
-23.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.08
5.23
-21.99%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Orange, NSW: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Seoul
$612
Orange, NSW
$590 3.5% $22
Groceries & Markets
Seoul
$477
Orange, NSW
$322 32.5% $155
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul
$274
Orange, NSW
$228 16.7% $46
Eating Out
Seoul
$184
Orange, NSW
$257 39.6% $73
Clothing & Footwear
Seoul
$110
Orange, NSW
$167 51.4% $57
Sport & Entertainment
Seoul
$81
Orange, NSW
$82 1.4% $1.2
Getting Around
Seoul
$57
Orange, NSW
$103 79.4% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $821 in Orange, NSW. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Orange, NSW pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Seoul vs $78.0 in Orange, NSW. Groceries flip the comparison at $477 vs $322, with Orange, NSW cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇰🇷 Seoul
🇦🇺 Orange, NSW
🕒 Local time
06:14 6:14 AM
08:14 8:14 AM
2 h ahead of Seoul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,509,458 Capital
40,127
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Seoul Orange, NSW 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Seoul
  • Orange, 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 Orange, NSW: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Seoul and in Orange, NSW?
Seoul and Orange, NSW differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $1,748 including rent). Orange, NSW is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Orange, NSW. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Seoul and in Orange, NSW?
Rent for a central apartment: $901 in Seoul versus $821 in Orange, NSW. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Seoul and Orange, NSW?
Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $2,142 in Orange, NSW. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $1,748 in Orange, NSW versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Orange, NSW but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Orange, NSW the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Seoul and Orange, NSW?
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.
Is Seoul or Orange, NSW safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Seoul and Orange, NSW are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Seoul or Orange, NSW?
Expats usually find Orange, NSW gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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