Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Rockhampton

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,848 a month against $1,987 in Rockhampton, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Seoul, South Korea
Rockhampton, Australia
Seoul
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,848
/mo nomad
Rockhampton
🇦🇺 Australia
$1,987
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Rockhampton

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

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Seoul vs $1,987 in Rockhampton, rent included.

  • Seoul $1,848
  • Rockhampton $1,987

A couple spends around $2,986 per month in Seoul vs $3,229 in Rockhampton, rent included.

  • Seoul $2,986
  • Rockhampton $3,229

A family of three spends $4,125 per month in Seoul vs $4,471 in Rockhampton, rent included.

  • Seoul $4,125
  • Rockhampton $4,471

Seoul is about 7% cheaper than Rockhampton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Seoul and Rockhampton sit above the global median – Seoul by 36%, Rockhampton by 46%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seoul
Rockhampton
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.05 ₩12.1K
$20.51 A$29.27
-55.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.3 ₩91.7K
$83.9 A$120
-18.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.35 ₩9,864
$9.90 A$14.14
-25.76%
Cappuccino
$4.12 ₩5,527
$5.01 A$7.15
-17.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 ₩2,206
$2.40 A$3.43
-31.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 ₩1,082
$2.77 A$3.96
-70.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.71 ₩4,978
$7.66 A$10.94
-51.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.13 ₩8,232
$6.47 A$9.23
-5.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seoul
Rockhampton
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.04 ₩2,741
$2.38 A$3.40
-14.29%
White Bread (500g)
$3.21 ₩4,309
$2.34 A$3.34
37.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.39 ₩5,889
$2.17 A$3.09
102.30%
Eggs
$3.59 ₩4,820
$3.84 A$5.48
-6.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.23 ₩24.5K
$6.86 A$9.79
165.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.51 ₩14.1K
$11.15 A$15.92
-5.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$26.89 ₩36.1K
$15.74 A$22.46
70.84%
Apples (1kg)
$7.86 ₩10.5K
$2.66 A$3.80
195.49%
Banana (1kg)
$3.53 ₩4,737
$2.06 A$2.94
71.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.70 ₩7,657
$1.87 A$2.67
204.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.18 ₩8,293
$4.95 A$7.07
24.85%
Potato (1kg)
$3.76 ₩5,051
$1.99 A$2.84
88.94%
Onion (1kg)
$2.51 ₩3,371
$2.32 A$3.32
8.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.82 ₩3,778
$1.92 A$2.75
46.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 ₩1,489
$2.23 A$3.18
-50.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.30 ₩4,430
$37.33 A$53.3
-91.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.64 ₩25.0K
$15.17 A$21.66
22.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 ₩3,246
$3.52 A$5.02
-31.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.36 ₩4,507
$5.93 A$8.47
-43.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Seoul
Rockhampton
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.19 ₩1,599
$1.72 A$2.46
-30.81%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$46.13 ₩61.9K
$63.2 A$90.2
-27.04%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.55 ₩4,768
$3.46 A$4.93
2.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.60 ₩810
$1.76 A$2.51
-65.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.08 ₩12.2K
$39.29 A$56.1
-76.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 ₩1,930
$1.21 A$1.73
19.01%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K ₩40.6M
$29.8K A$42.6K
1.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.9K ₩38.8M
$22.9K A$32.7K
26.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul
Rockhampton
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$213 ₩285.3K
$203 A$290
4.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.83 ₩48.1K
$23.89 A$34.10
49.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.39 ₩28.7K
$67.6 A$96.5
-68.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seoul
Rockhampton
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.6 ₩82.7K
$39.77 A$56.8
54.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.41 ₩22.0K
$14.23 A$20.31
15.32%
Cinema Ticket
$11.42 ₩15.3K
$15.89 A$22.68
-28.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seoul
Rockhampton
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,948 ₩2.6M
$1,776 A$2,535
9.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.8K ₩30.6M
$6,584 A$9,398
245.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seoul
Rockhampton
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.8 ₩80.2K
$127 A$182
-53.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.19 ₩45.9K
$59.5 A$85.0
-42.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$66.0 ₩88.6K
$141 A$202
-53.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.9 ₩109.9K
$64.0 A$91.3
28.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seoul
Rockhampton
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$924 ₩1.2M
$819 A$1,169
12.78%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$659 ₩884.7K
$678 A$968
-2.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,012 ₩4.0M
$1,625 A$2,319
85.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,440 ₩1.9M
$1,549 A$2,211
-7.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$27.2K ₩36.5M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$11.3K ₩15.2M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seoul
Rockhampton
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,570 ₩4.8M
$3,315 A$4,731
7.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.08
6.27
-34.93%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rockhampton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Seoul
$659
Rockhampton
$678 2.9% $19
Groceries & Markets
Seoul
$483
Rockhampton
$358 26% $126
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul
$270
Rockhampton
$295 9.3% $25
Eating Out
Seoul
$184
Rockhampton
$326 76.7% $141
Clothing & Footwear
Seoul
$109
Rockhampton
$176 62.1% $68
Sport & Entertainment
Seoul
$84
Rockhampton
$72 15.3% $13
Getting Around
Seoul
$57
Rockhampton
$82 43.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Seoul versus $819 in Rockhampton. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 8% higher in Seoul, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Seoul versus $84 in Rockhampton. Groceries tell a different story – $483 in Seoul vs $358 in Rockhampton – so Rockhampton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇰🇷 Seoul
🇦🇺 Rockhampton
🕒 Local time
00:57 12:57 AM
01:57 1:57 AM
1 h ahead of Seoul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,509,458 Capital
63,151
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,342 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,498 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.68 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.628 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Seoul Rockhampton 7,210 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Seoul
  • Rockhampton

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 Rockhampton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Seoul cheaper than Rockhampton?
Yes – Rockhampton is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,771 per month in Seoul and $2,981 in Rockhampton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Rockhampton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $819 there versus $924 in Seoul.
What are total monthly expenses in Seoul and in Rockhampton?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,848 in Seoul and $1,987 in Rockhampton. That makes Seoul about 7% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 27% less in Seoul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city is safer, Seoul or Rockhampton?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Seoul vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?