Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Budapest

For one person, living costs are similar in Busan and in Budapest: $1,627 and $1,621 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Busan
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Busan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,627

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $1,627 per month in Busan vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Busan $1,627
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,557 per month in Busan vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Busan $2,557
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,486 per month in Busan vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Busan $3,486
Budapest $3,489

Busan and Budapest have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Busan and Budapest sit above the global median – Busan by 21%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.25 ₩9,741

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-48.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.28 ₩64.8K

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-19.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.47 ₩8,684

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-35.04%

Cappuccino

$3.65 ₩4,899

$3.38 Ft 1,102

7.99%

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

$1.77 ₩2,378

$2.13 Ft 693

-16.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 ₩1,870

$1.87 Ft 609

-25.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 ₩5,149

$3.75 Ft 1,222

2.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 ₩5,870

$3.57 Ft 1,163

22.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 ₩3,114

$1.13 Ft 369

105.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 ₩4,383

$1.84 Ft 600

77.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.11 ₩4,177

$2.39 Ft 777

30.13%

Eggs

$2.62 ₩3,514

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-31.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.18 ₩15.0K

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-1.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 ₩13.9K

$6.74 Ft 2,194

54.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.03 ₩33.6K

$14.69 Ft 4,784

70.39%

Apples (1kg)

$11.02 ₩14.8K

$1.84 Ft 598

498.91%

Banana (1kg)

$3.54 ₩4,749

$2.01 Ft 654

76.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.6K

$2.36 Ft 767

233.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.85 ₩7,863

$3.77 Ft 1,227

55.17%

Potato (1kg)

$5.88 ₩7,901

$0.96 Ft 314

512.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 ₩4,556

$1.03 Ft 335

229.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 ₩3,665

$1.56 Ft 509

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 ₩1,775

$0.66 Ft 216

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 ₩4,469

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-58.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.44 ₩24.8K

$6.01 Ft 1,956

206.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₩3,191

$1.30 Ft 422

83.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₩4,668

$2.08 Ft 677

67.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,592

$1.50 Ft 490

-20.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.1 ₩79.4K

$27.61 Ft 8,991

114.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ₩4,839

$3.30 Ft 1,075

9.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 ₩964

$1.30 Ft 424

-44.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.66 ₩22.4K

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-15.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,830

$1.81 Ft 591

-24.86%

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

$29.8K ₩40.1M

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

1.74%

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

$33.8K ₩45.4M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-0.99%

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

$196 ₩263.8K

$170 Ft 55.3K

15.58%

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

$36.52 ₩49.1K

$23.98 Ft 7,809

52.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.50 ₩36.9K

$23.42 Ft 7,628

17.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.5 ₩83.9K

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-5.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.62 ₩12.9K

$19.18 Ft 6,245

-49.84%

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 ₩16.2K

$9.52 Ft 3,101

26.47%

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

$637 ₩855.9K

$537 Ft 174.8K

18.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K ₩29.0M

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

29.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 ₩142.6K

$101 Ft 33.0K

4.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.6 ₩88.0K

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

52.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.5 ₩126.9K

$113 Ft 36.7K

-16.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 ₩172.1K

$119 Ft 38.7K

7.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 ₩985.6K

$805 Ft 262.2K

-8.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 ₩489.9K

$629 Ft 204.9K

-42.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 ₩1.8M

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-13.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$701 ₩941.6K

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-39.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.0K ₩13.4M

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

78.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,421 ₩8.6M

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

61.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,841 ₩3.8M

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

74.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

6.43

-34.37%

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

Last update for Busan: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Busan

$483 30.1%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 46.7% $226

Accommodation & Living

Busan

$365 22.7%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 72.5% $264

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busan

$260 16.2%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 16.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Busan

$177 11.1%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 4.7% $8.3

Eating Out

Busan

$162 10.1%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 38.6% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Busan

$87 5.4%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 1.4% $1.2

Getting Around

Busan

$71 4.4%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 38.9% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $734 in Busan versus $805 in Budapest. 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 75% higher in Busan. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Busan versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $483 in Busan vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Busan

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

05:08 5:08 AM

7 h behind Busan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Busan Budapest 8,490 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Busan
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,441 per month in Busan and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Busan and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 114% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Busan at $1,627. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Busan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Busan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.