Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Chungju

For one person, living is cheaper in Chungju: $1,472 a month against $1,812 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Busan
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Busan Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Chungju
Learn more

Chungju Living Index

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Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,812

/mo nomad

Chungju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,472

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan and in Chungju

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,812 in Busan versus $1,472 in Chungju.

Busan $1,812
Chungju $1,472

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,952 in Busan versus $2,441 in Chungju.

Busan $2,952
Chungju $2,441

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,091 in Busan versus $3,411 in Chungju.

Busan $4,091
Chungju $3,411

Living in Busan is roughly 23% more expensive than in Chungju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Busan 34% above, Chungju 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.34 ₩9,835

$7.65 ₩10.3K

-4.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.83 ₩65.5K

$48.57 ₩65.1K

0.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.59 ₩8,830

$6.49 ₩8,706

1.54%

Cappuccino

$3.75 ₩5,030

$3.71 ₩4,977

1.08%

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

$1.78 ₩2,381

$1.84 ₩2,470

-3.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ₩1,937

$1.38 ₩1,849

5.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.67 ₩4,921

$3.74 ₩5,014

-1.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 ₩5,810

$4.16 ₩5,582

4.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 ₩3,109

$2.28 ₩3,056

1.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 ₩4,340

$2.94 ₩3,948

10.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 ₩4,114

$3.12 ₩4,186

-1.60%

Eggs

$2.71 ₩3,627

$2.70 ₩3,623

0.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 ₩14.7K

$11.06 ₩14.8K

-0.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₩14.1K

$7.22 ₩9,680

45.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.00 ₩33.5K

$25.09 ₩33.6K

-0.36%

Apples (1kg)

$11.04 ₩14.8K

$9.09 ₩12.2K

21.45%

Banana (1kg)

$3.65 ₩4,888

$3.64 ₩4,877

0.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.6K

$8.21 ₩11.0K

-3.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.78 ₩7,754

$6.04 ₩8,095

-4.30%

Potato (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,869

$6.06 ₩8,120

-3.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 ₩4,362

$3.21 ₩4,308

1.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.72 ₩3,643

$2.85 ₩3,824

-4.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₩1,693

$1.32 ₩1,769

-4.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ₩4,436

$3.25 ₩4,356

1.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.92 ₩25.4K

$18.65 ₩25.0K

1.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,245

$2.42 ₩3,251

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ₩4,877

$2.91 ₩3,903

25.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 ₩1,580

$1.13 ₩1,509

4.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.1 ₩91.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ₩4,832

$3.53 ₩4,729

1.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₩891

$0.68 ₩909

-2.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.88 ₩20.0K

$14.61 ₩19.6K

1.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,827

$1.39 ₩1,870

-2.16%

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

$40.0K ₩53.6M

$39.8K ₩53.4M

0.44%

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

$33.0K ₩44.2M

$33.2K ₩44.5M

-0.51%

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

$197 ₩263.9K

$199 ₩267.3K

-1.28%

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

$35.89 ₩48.1K

$26.32 ₩35.3K

36.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.71 ₩35.8K

$27.05 ₩36.3K

-1.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ₩68.2K

$53.9 ₩72.2K

-5.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.86 ₩13.2K

$15.85 ₩21.2K

-37.79%

Cinema Ticket

$11.71 ₩15.7K

$11.77 ₩15.8K

-0.51%

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

$624 ₩836.2K

$628 ₩841.7K

-0.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K ₩29.5M

$21.5K ₩28.8M

2.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₩139.7K

$72.9 ₩97.6K

43.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.9 ₩88.4K

$37.90 ₩50.8K

73.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 ₩123.6K

$73.6 ₩98.6K

25.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 ₩172.3K

$113 ₩151.9K

13.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ₩1.0M

$438 ₩587.0K

71.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 ₩771.2K

$374 ₩501.0K

53.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,202 ₩3.0M

$1,424 ₩1.9M

54.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 ₩1.9M

$1,002 ₩1.3M

38.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,126 ₩6.9M

$6,880 ₩9.2M

-25.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,249 ₩4.4M

$6,119 ₩8.2M

-46.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,658 ₩3.6M

$1,696 ₩2.3M

56.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

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

Last update for Busan: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chungju: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Busan

$575 31.7%

Chungju

$374 25.4% 35% $202

Groceries & Markets

Busan

$484 26.7%

Chungju

$457 31.1% 5.5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busan

$259 14.3%

Chungju

$253 17.2% 2.6% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Busan

$176 9.7%

Chungju

$134 9.1% 23.9% $42

Eating Out

Busan

$163 9%

Chungju

$165 11.2% 1.1% $1.8

Getting Around

Busan

$80 4.4%

Chungju

$11 * 0.8% 85.7% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Busan

$74 4.1%

Chungju

$77 5.3% 4.2% $3.1

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 $753 in Busan and $438 in Chungju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 57% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $49 in Busan vs $49 in Chungju. Groceries flip the comparison at $484 vs $457, with Chungju cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Busan

🇰🇷 Chungju

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

Same time as Busan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

208,529

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Busan Chungju 230 km

From you

Busan
Chungju

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 Chungju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chungju wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chungju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 57% 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: $753 in Busan versus $438 in Chungju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,812 per month in Busan versus $1,472 in Chungju – Chungju is about 19% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Busan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

Safety-wise, Busan and Chungju are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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