Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Andong

For one person, living is cheaper in Andong: $1,426 a month against $1,842 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Busan
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Busan Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Andong
Learn more

Andong Living Index

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Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,842

/mo nomad

Andong

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan and in Andong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,842 in Busan versus $1,426 in Andong.

Busan $1,842
Andong $1,426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,019 in Busan versus $2,208 in Andong.

Busan $3,019
Andong $2,208

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,196 in Busan versus $2,991 in Andong.

Busan $4,196
Andong $2,991

Living in Busan is roughly 29% more expensive than in Andong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Busan 35% above, Andong 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.69 ₩10.3K

$5.96 ₩7,999

29.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.41 ₩66.3K

$34.72 ₩46.6K

42.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 ₩8,907

$6.93 ₩9,309

-4.33%

Cappuccino

$3.68 ₩4,941

$3.60 ₩4,837

2.22%

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

$1.86 ₩2,494

$1.61 ₩2,162

15.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 ₩1,872

$0.64 ₩859

117.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.73 ₩5,014

$3.55 ₩4,771

5.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₩5,920

$4.59 ₩6,163

-3.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ₩3,033

$2.29 ₩3,071

-1.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,365

$3.09 ₩4,149

5.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.11 ₩4,173

$2.32 ₩3,118

34.05%

Eggs

$2.67 ₩3,583

$3.34 ₩4,489

-20.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ₩15.0K

$15.55 ₩20.9K

-28.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.70 ₩14.4K

$7.71 ₩10.4K

38.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.98 ₩33.5K

$11.28 ₩15.1K

121.45%

Apples (1kg)

$11.16 ₩15.0K

$7.41 ₩9,948

50.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,822

$3.31 ₩4,440

8.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.17 ₩11.0K

$7.54 ₩10.1K

8.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.11 ₩8,199

$6.89 ₩9,258

-11.32%

Potato (1kg)

$6.20 ₩8,324

$3.58 ₩4,807

73.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 ₩4,466

$2.42 ₩3,247

37.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 ₩3,870

$2.12 ₩2,849

35.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₩1,732

$1.34 ₩1,802

-3.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.46 ₩4,643

$3.32 ₩4,459

4.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.56 ₩24.9K

$19.00 ₩25.5K

-2.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$2.22 ₩2,984

9.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₩4,826

$3.50 ₩4,706

2.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₩1,538

$1.12 ₩1,499

2.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 ₩94.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,769

$3.02 ₩4,059

17.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 ₩986

$0.61 ₩822

19.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.97 ₩22.8K

$8.95 ₩12.0K

89.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₩1,903

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

$39.9K ₩53.6M

$29.3K ₩39.4M

36.25%

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

$33.9K ₩45.6M

$36.0K ₩48.4M

-5.78%

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

$206 ₩276.2K

$215 ₩288.6K

-4.30%

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

$36.67 ₩49.2K

$43.95 ₩59.0K

-16.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.39 ₩36.8K

$20.59 ₩27.7K

33.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ₩69.3K

$55.5 ₩74.5K

-6.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.15 ₩13.6K

$13.94 ₩18.7K

-27.19%

Cinema Ticket

$11.88 ₩15.9K

$11.46 ₩15.4K

3.66%

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

$638 ₩857.0K

$300 ₩402.5K

112.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K ₩29.9M

$18.1K ₩24.3M

23.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₩140.1K

$65.8 ₩88.3K

58.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 ₩87.4K

$65.0 ₩87.2K

0.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 ₩124.6K

$74.8 ₩100.5K

23.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₩174.6K

$98.4 ₩132.1K

32.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 ₩1.0M

$485 ₩651.5K

53.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 ₩782.5K

$360 ₩483.2K

61.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 ₩2.9M

$1,198 ₩1.6M

79.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,450 ₩1.9M

$756 ₩1.0M

91.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,485 ₩11.4M

$7,134 ₩9.6M

18.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,272 ₩4.4M

$5,608 ₩7.5M

-41.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,826 ₩3.8M

$1,884 ₩2.5M

49.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

4.1

2.93%

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

Last update for Busan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Andong: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Busan

$583 31.6%

Andong

$360 25.2% 38.3% $223

Groceries & Markets

Busan

$489 26.6%

Andong

$413 29% 15.5% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busan

$270 14.7%

Andong

$280 19.6% 3.6% $9.7

Clothing & Footwear

Busan

$177 9.6%

Andong

$137 9.6% 22.5% $40

Eating Out

Busan

$166 9%

Andong

$148 10.4% 11.1% $18

Getting Around

Busan

$82 4.5%

Andong

$11 * 0.7% 87.2% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Busan

$75 4.1%

Andong

$78 5.5% 4% $3

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $746 in Busan and $485 in Andong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 50% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $49 in Busan vs $35 in Andong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $489 vs $413 per month, with Andong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Busan

🇰🇷 Andong

🕒 Local time

02:40 2:40 AM

Same time as Busan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

166,274

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Busan Andong 160 km

From you

Busan
Andong

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

Busan vs Andong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Andong wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Andong the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 50% higher in Busan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $746 in Busan versus $485 in Andong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $638 in Busan versus $300 in Andong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Andong – a meal for two runs $35 versus $49 in Busan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Andong is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Andong is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Busan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Busan and Andong are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Andong wins on affordability, Busan on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.