Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Penshurst, NSW

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,804 a month against $2,478 in Penshurst, NSW, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
120

Cost of Living Index in Penshurst, NSW
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Penshurst, NSW Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Penshurst, NSW

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,478

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,804 in Seoul versus $2,478 in Penshurst, NSW.

Seoul $1,804
Penshurst, NSW $2,478

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,877 in Seoul versus $3,587 in Penshurst, NSW.

Seoul $2,877
Penshurst, NSW $3,587

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,950 in Seoul versus $4,696 in Penshurst, NSW.

Seoul $3,950
Penshurst, NSW $4,696

Living in Seoul costs roughly 27% less than in Penshurst, NSW, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 33% above, Penshurst, NSW 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$17.72 A$25.50

-48.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$84.1 A$121

-20.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$10.31 A$14.84

-27.35%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$4.08 A$5.87

2.70%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$2.89 A$4.16

-46.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$2.24 A$3.22

-64.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$7.80 A$11.23

-53.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$7.43 A$10.70

-17.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.56 A$2.25

35.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$2.63 A$3.79

15.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$2.22 A$3.19

89.64%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$4.96 A$7.14

-28.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$9.02 A$12.99

99.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$9.17 A$13.20

12.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$14.85 A$21.37

78.25%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$3.85 A$5.53

105.45%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$2.98 A$4.29

15.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$3.27 A$4.71

72.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$4.53 A$6.52

41.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$2.73 A$3.93

35.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$2.40 A$3.46

5.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$2.36 A$3.39

21.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$1.55 A$2.22

-25.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$41.48 A$59.7

-91.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$14.09 A$20.28

32.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$4.78 A$6.87

-52.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$5.13 A$7.38

-35.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$2.82 A$4.06

-59.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$81.9 A$118

-42.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$3.42 A$4.92

2.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$1.58 A$2.27

-59.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$39.61 A$57.0

-77.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.35 A$1.95

7.41%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$27.1K A$39.0K

9.59%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$29.2K A$42.1K

-3.53%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$204 A$293

3.56%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$27.94 A$40.20

26.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$56.4 A$81.2

-63.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$55.3 A$79.6

4.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$17.31 A$24.91

-6.41%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$14.86 A$21.39

-23.49%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$2,170 A$3,123

-9.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$20.0K A$28.8K

13.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$77.5 A$112

-25.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$53.1 A$76.4

-37.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$106 A$153

-33.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$120 A$173

-30.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$1,365 A$1,964

-35.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$1,179 A$1,697

-47.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$2,117 A$3,047

18.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$1,782 A$2,565

-27.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$5,918 A$8,517

413.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$4,848 A$6,977

145.01%

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 Penshurst, NSW: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Penshurst, NSW

$1.2K 47.6% 89% $555

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Penshurst, NSW

$364 14.7% 24% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Penshurst, NSW

$288 11.6% 7.9% $21

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Penshurst, NSW

$296 12% 59.7% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Penshurst, NSW

$161 6.5% 45.8% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Penshurst, NSW

$85 3.4% 5.7% $4.6

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Penshurst, NSW

$105 4.2% 80.4% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $878 in Seoul and $1,365 in Penshurst, NSW. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67.0 in Seoul vs $84.0 in Penshurst, NSW. Groceries flip the comparison at $480 vs $364, with Penshurst, NSW cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇦🇺 Penshurst, NSW

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

11:19 11:19 AM

2 h ahead of Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

12,673

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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

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Between locations

Seoul Penshurst, NSW 8,340 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Penshurst, 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 Penshurst, NSW: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 37% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,707 in Seoul and $3,717 in Penshurst, NSW 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 $1,365 in Penshurst, NSW. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,804 per month in Seoul versus $2,478 in Penshurst, NSW – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Seoul runs roughly 75% less than in Penshurst, NSW. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,804 in Seoul versus $2,478 in Penshurst, NSW, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seoul but tight or insufficient in Penshurst, NSW. 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 Penshurst, 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.

Expats usually find Seoul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Penshurst, NSW. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.