Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Korea and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in South Korea: $1,543 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,543
/mo nomad
Melbourne
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,852
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: South Korea is 22.7% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 45.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: South Korea is 22.4% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 39.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Korea
Melbourne
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.67 ₩10.3K
$17.75 A$25.40
-56.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.23 ₩60.6K
$84.8 A$121
-46.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.43 ₩8,617
$12.16 A$17.40
-47.12%
Cappuccino
$3.92 ₩5,254
$3.93 A$5.62
-0.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 ₩2,194
$3.14 A$4.49
-47.77%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 ₩1,115
$2.43 A$3.47
-65.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.63 ₩4,863
$9.90 A$14.17
-63.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.55 ₩6,098
$8.29 A$11.86
-45.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Korea
Melbourne
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.09 ₩2,804
$1.55 A$2.21
34.84%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₩4,051
$3.01 A$4.31
0.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.38 ₩4,534
$2.88 A$4.12
17.36%
Eggs
$3.22 ₩4,311
$5.44 A$7.79
-40.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.53 ₩18.1K
$10.59 A$15.16
27.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.81 ₩11.8K
$9.61 A$13.76
-8.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$26.06 ₩34.9K
$14.99 A$21.46
73.85%
Apples (1kg)
$8.59 ₩11.5K
$4.15 A$5.94
106.99%
Banana (1kg)
$3.38 ₩4,535
$3.05 A$4.37
10.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.23 ₩8,345
$3.30 A$4.72
88.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.09 ₩8,166
$4.76 A$6.81
27.94%
Potato (1kg)
$3.97 ₩5,319
$3.04 A$4.34
30.59%
Onion (1kg)
$2.72 ₩3,645
$2.55 A$3.65
6.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.60 ₩3,484
$2.48 A$3.55
4.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 ₩1,608
$1.63 A$2.33
-26.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.38 ₩4,531
$44.07 A$63.1
-92.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.90 ₩21.3K
$12.43 A$17.79
27.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.02 ₩2,706
$5.33 A$7.63
-62.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.89 ₩3,866
$5.16 A$7.38
-43.99%
🚌 Getting Around
South Korea
Melbourne
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.14 ₩1,529
$3.84 A$5.50
-70.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$46.85 ₩62.8K
$142 A$203
-66.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.43 ₩4,599
$4.40 A$6.29
-22.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₩860
$1.40 A$2.01
-54.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.10 ₩12.2K
$29.83 A$42.69
-69.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.38 ₩1,852
$1.46 A$2.09
-5.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K ₩39.9M
$28.1K A$40.3K
5.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.9K ₩40.1M
$25.9K A$37.1K
15.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Korea
Melbourne
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$206 ₩275.7K
$233 A$333
-11.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.21 ₩52.5K
$27.28 A$39.04
43.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.22 ₩31.1K
$57.0 A$81.6
-59.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Korea
Melbourne
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.8 ₩70.7K
$52.7 A$75.4
0.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.59 ₩22.2K
$22.62 A$32.37
-26.66%
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 ₩14.7K
$17.10 A$24.48
-35.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Korea
Melbourne
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$906 ₩1.2M
$2,373 A$3,397
-61.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.3K ₩31.2M
$30.5K A$43.6K
-23.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Korea
Melbourne
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.7 ₩76.0K
$78.2 A$112
-27.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.14 ₩57.8K
$50.5 A$72.2
-14.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.5 ₩106.6K
$121 A$172
-34.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.1 ₩128.8K
$133 A$191
-27.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Korea
Melbourne
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$593 ₩794.3K
$1,713 A$2,451
-65.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$423 ₩566.8K
$1,402 A$2,006
-69.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,531 ₩2.1M
$3,339 A$4,778
-54.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$922 ₩1.2M
$2,529 A$3,619
-63.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$16.5K ₩22.1M
$7,018 A$10.0K
134.69%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,341 ₩11.2M
$6,767 A$9,685
23.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Korea
Melbourne
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,293 ₩3.1M
$4,228 A$6,051
-45.78%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.23
5.9
-28.31%

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

Last update for South Korea: October 4, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
South Korea
$449
Melbourne
$385 14.2% $64
Accommodation & Living
South Korea
$423
Melbourne
$1.4K 231% $979
Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Korea
$268
Melbourne
$317 18.2% $49
Eating Out
South Korea
$165
Melbourne
$314 90.5% $149
Clothing & Footwear
South Korea
$124
Melbourne
$172 38.8% $48
Sport & Entertainment
South Korea
$75
Melbourne
$87 16.2% $12
Getting Around
South Korea
$58
Melbourne
$168 190% $110
Good to know
🇰🇷 South Korea
🇦🇺 Melbourne
🕒 Local time
21:36 9:36 PM
23:36 11:36 PM
2 h ahead of South Korea
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
51,466,201
5,031,195
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • South Korea Melbourne 8,580 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • South Korea
  • Melbourne

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

South Korea vs other spots: cost of living compared

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