Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucheon and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucheon: $1,490 a month against $1,842 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Bucheon
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Bucheon Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Bucheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,490

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucheon and in Busan

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

A single person spends $1,490 per month in Bucheon vs $1,842 in Busan, rent included.

Bucheon $1,490
Busan $1,842

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Bucheon vs $3,019 in Busan, rent included.

Bucheon $2,399
Busan $3,019

A family of three spends $3,308 per month in Bucheon vs $4,196 in Busan, rent included.

Bucheon $3,308
Busan $4,196

Bucheon is about 19% cheaper than Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bucheon and Busan sit above the global median – Bucheon by 10%, Busan by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.03 ₩12.1K

$7.69 ₩10.3K

17.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 ₩91.3K

$49.41 ₩66.2K

37.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩10.0K

$6.63 ₩8,891

12.97%

Cappuccino

$4.18 ₩5,607

$3.68 ₩4,932

13.59%

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

$1.54 ₩2,068

$1.86 ₩2,489

-17.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,081

$1.39 ₩1,869

-41.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 ₩4,903

$3.73 ₩5,005

-1.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.86 ₩7,855

$4.41 ₩5,909

32.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,747

$2.26 ₩3,028

-9.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 ₩4,142

$3.25 ₩4,357

-4.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.40 ₩5,901

$3.11 ₩4,166

41.48%

Eggs

$3.73 ₩4,996

$2.67 ₩3,576

39.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.50 ₩23.5K

$11.14 ₩14.9K

57.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.55 ₩14.1K

$10.70 ₩14.3K

-1.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.16 ₩35.1K

$24.98 ₩33.5K

4.72%

Apples (1kg)

$7.64 ₩10.2K

$11.16 ₩15.0K

-31.54%

Banana (1kg)

$3.43 ₩4,593

$3.59 ₩4,813

-4.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.84 ₩7,834

$8.17 ₩11.0K

-28.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.35 ₩8,516

$6.11 ₩8,185

3.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₩5,052

$6.20 ₩8,310

-39.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 ₩3,481

$3.33 ₩4,458

-21.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,805

$2.88 ₩3,863

-1.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,558

$1.29 ₩1,729

-10.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.40 ₩4,558

$3.46 ₩4,635

-1.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ₩25.2K

$18.56 ₩24.9K

1.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,049

$2.42 ₩3,243

-5.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 ₩4,348

$3.59 ₩4,818

-9.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.16 ₩1,550

$1.15 ₩1,535

0.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 ₩94.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 ₩4,925

$3.55 ₩4,761

3.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩800

$0.73 ₩985

-17.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ₩11.9K

$16.97 ₩22.7K

-47.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₩1,955

$1.42 ₩1,899

2.82%

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

$30.0K ₩40.2M

$39.9K ₩53.5M

-24.99%

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

$28.5K ₩38.3M

$33.9K ₩45.5M

-15.85%

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

$215 ₩287.9K

$206 ₩275.7K

4.40%

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

$35.76 ₩47.9K

$36.67 ₩49.2K

-2.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.84 ₩27.9K

$27.39 ₩36.7K

-23.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 ₩73.8K

$51.6 ₩69.1K

6.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.32 ₩19.2K

$10.15 ₩13.6K

41.08%

Cinema Ticket

$11.13 ₩14.9K

$11.88 ₩15.9K

-6.31%

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

$374 ₩501.6K

$638 ₩855.5K

-41.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K ₩30.9M

$22.3K ₩29.8M

3.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 ₩79.2K

$104 ₩139.9K

-43.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.12 ₩44.4K

$65.1 ₩87.2K

-49.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 ₩94.2K

$92.8 ₩124.3K

-24.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩109.8K

$130 ₩174.3K

-36.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$497 ₩665.9K

$746 ₩999.6K

-33.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 ₩478.9K

$583 ₩781.1K

-38.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 ₩1.6M

$2,151 ₩2.9M

-44.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$740 ₩991.6K

$1,450 ₩1.9M

-48.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,114 ₩9.5M

$8,485 ₩11.4M

-16.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,501 ₩7.4M

$3,272 ₩4.4M

68.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,529 ₩2.0M

$2,826 ₩3.8M

-45.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

4.22

-3.32%

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

Last update for Bucheon: October 25, 2026

Last update for Busan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bucheon

$479 32.1%

Busan

$489 26.6% 2.2% $10

Accommodation & Living

Bucheon

$357 24%

Busan

$583 31.6% 63.1% $225

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucheon

$271 18.2%

Busan

$270 14.7% 0.6% $1.6

Eating Out

Bucheon

$184 12.4%

Busan

$166 9% 9.9% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Bucheon

$110 7.4%

Busan

$177 9.6% 60.4% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Bucheon

$77 5.2%

Busan

$75 4.1% 2.6% $2

Getting Around

Bucheon

$11 * 0.8%

Busan

$82 4.5% 630% $71

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $497 in Bucheon versus $746 in Busan. 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 85% higher in Busan. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Bucheon versus $49 in Busan. Groceries tell a different story – $479 in Bucheon vs $489 in Busan – so Bucheon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Bucheon

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

Same time as Bucheon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

848,191

3,586,079

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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From you

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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

Bucheon vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,490 in Bucheon, $1,842 in Busan – Bucheon comes out roughly 19% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,236 per month in Bucheon and $2,763 in Busan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bucheon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $497 there versus $746 in Busan.

Kindergarten costs $374 per month in Bucheon and $638 in Busan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,490 in Bucheon and $1,842 in Busan. That makes Bucheon about 19% cheaper.

Families tend to lean toward Bucheon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Bucheon. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Busan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.