Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,822 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Seoul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sydney and in Seoul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,182 per month in Sydney vs $1,822 in Seoul, rent included.

Sydney $3,182
Seoul $1,822

A couple spends around $4,696 per month in Sydney vs $2,847 in Seoul, rent included.

Sydney $4,696
Seoul $2,847

A family of three spends $6,210 per month in Sydney vs $3,872 in Seoul, rent included.

Sydney $6,210
Seoul $3,872

Sydney costs about 75% more than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sydney and Seoul sit above the global median – Sydney by 137%, Seoul by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.37

$9.10 ₩12.2K

94.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$67.0 ₩90.0K

44.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.15

$7.42 ₩9,964

60.92%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.75

$4.08 ₩5,482

-1.96%

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

$2.84 A$4.07

$1.60 ₩2,146

77.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.26

$0.80 ₩1,081

183.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.33

$3.65 ₩4,898

116.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.24

$5.94 ₩7,974

20.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.39

$2.05 ₩2,748

-19.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.01

$3.08 ₩4,139

-9.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.34

$4.21 ₩5,659

-44.89%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.94

$3.57 ₩4,795

54.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.35

$17.95 ₩24.1K

-32.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.14

$10.64 ₩14.3K

-7.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.87

$26.44 ₩35.5K

-37.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.78

$7.42 ₩9,969

-45.82%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$3.53 ₩4,743

-10.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.03

$5.87 ₩7,884

-40.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.42

$6.37 ₩8,554

-29.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.77

$3.75 ₩5,040

-11.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.31

$2.49 ₩3,345

-7.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.37

$2.92 ₩3,920

-19.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.66

$1.15 ₩1,545

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.7

$3.29 ₩4,418

1268.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$20.05

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-24.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.72

$2.28 ₩3,064

74.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.84

$3.28 ₩4,408

24.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.54

$1.14 ₩1,529

177.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$45.47 ₩61.1K

229.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.96

$3.48 ₩4,674

-0.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.60 ₩805

171.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.4

$8.70 ₩11.7K

359.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.50 ₩2,008

-6.67%

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

$28.4K A$40.8K

$29.1K ₩39.1M

-2.39%

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

$29.4K A$42.2K

$28.2K ₩37.9M

4.30%

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

$220 A$316

$209 ₩280.5K

5.28%

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

$27.70 A$39.79

$35.13 ₩47.2K

-21.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.8

$21.18 ₩28.4K

162.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$107

$57.3 ₩77.0K

29.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.41

$15.89 ₩21.3K

50.72%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.46

$11.33 ₩15.2K

56.49%

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

$2,157 A$3,098

$1,902 ₩2.6M

13.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.6K

$22.5K ₩30.2M

25.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$58.9 ₩79.1K

33.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$32.12 ₩43.1K

119.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$70.1 ₩94.2K

58.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$82.5 ₩110.8K

59.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,612

$885 ₩1.2M

184.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,487

$624 ₩837.5K

177.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$7,022

$2,494 ₩3.3M

96.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,365

$1,275 ₩1.7M

138.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$19.0K

$29.8K ₩40.1M

-55.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.7K

$11.8K ₩15.9M

-31.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,864

$3,649 ₩4.9M

11.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

4.08

43.14%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Seoul

$624 34.7% 64% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 25.9% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 12.5% $38

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 38.6% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 37.8% $67

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 67.6% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 27.1% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,514 in Sydney versus $885 in Seoul. 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 12% higher in Sydney, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $97.0 in Sydney versus $67.0 in Seoul. Groceries tell a different story – $380 in Sydney vs $479 in Seoul – so Sydney wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

15:22 3:22 PM

2 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sydney Seoul 8,330 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Seoul

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

Sydney vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney costs about 75% more than Seoul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,774 per month in Sydney and $2,733 in Seoul. 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.

Public transport costs about 230% less in Seoul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,157 per month in Sydney and $1,902 in Seoul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seoul, where all-in costs run around $1,822, than in Sydney at $3,182. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney 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, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.