Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $1,627 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Busan
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Busan Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,627

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan and in Dhaka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,627 in Busan versus $426 in Dhaka.

Busan $1,627
Dhaka $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,557 in Busan versus $735 in Dhaka.

Busan $2,557
Dhaka $735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,486 in Busan versus $1,043 in Dhaka.

Busan $3,486
Dhaka $1,043

Living in Busan is roughly 282% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Busan is 21% above, Dhaka is 68% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.25 ₩9,741

$2.49 ৳306

191.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.28 ₩64.8K

$13.06 ৳1,605

269.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.47 ₩8,684

$4.83 ৳594

33.95%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 ৳606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ৳504

Cappuccino

$3.65 ₩4,899

$2.34 ৳287

55.98%

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

$1.77 ₩2,378

$0.30 ৳37.39

490.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 ₩1,870

$0.16 ৳19.96

768.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 ₩5,149

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 ₩5,870

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 ₩3,114

$0.80 ৳98.1

190.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 ₩4,383

$0.65 ৳79.3

401.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.11 ₩4,177

$0.71 ৳87.3

338.03%

Eggs

$2.62 ₩3,514

$1.21 ৳149

116.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.18 ₩15.0K

$8.67 ৳1,065

28.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 ₩13.9K

$3.21 ৳395

223.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.03 ₩33.6K

$6.70 ৳823

273.58%

Apples (1kg)

$11.02 ₩14.8K

$2.73 ৳335

303.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.54 ₩4,749

$0.88 ৳109

302.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.6K

$2.37 ৳291

231.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.85 ₩7,863

$0.65 ৳79.6

800.00%

Potato (1kg)

$5.88 ₩7,901

$0.24 ৳29.20

2350.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 ₩4,556

$0.49 ৳60.7

591.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 ₩3,665

$0.32 ৳38.88

753.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 ₩1,775

$0.30 ৳37.31

340.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.07 ৳1,483

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.51 ৳677

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.66 ৳819

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 ₩4,469

$3.23 ৳396

3.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.44 ₩24.8K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₩3,191

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₩4,668

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,592

$0.42 ৳52.1

183.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.1 ₩79.4K

$22.54 ৳2,770

162.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ₩4,839

$1.19 ৳147

202.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 ₩964

$0.40 ৳48.60

80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.66 ₩22.4K

$3.35 ৳411

397.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,830

$1.15 ৳141

18.26%

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

$29.8K ₩40.1M

$30.3K ৳3.7M

-1.50%

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

$33.8K ₩45.4M

$33.0K ৳4.1M

2.24%

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

$196 ₩263.8K

$46.32 ৳5,692

324.05%

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

$36.52 ₩49.1K

$4.33 ৳532

743.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.50 ₩36.9K

$10.63 ৳1,306

158.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.5 ₩83.9K

$16.37 ৳2,012

281.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.62 ₩12.9K

$16.14 ৳1,983

-40.40%

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 ₩16.2K

$4.13 ৳508

191.53%

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

$637 ₩855.9K

$90.7 ৳11.1K

602.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K ₩29.0M

$2,649 ৳325.5K

714.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 ₩142.6K

$16.48 ৳2,025

544.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.6 ₩88.0K

$21.00 ৳2,580

212.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.5 ₩126.9K

$50.3 ৳6,175

88.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 ₩172.1K

$36.46 ৳4,480

251.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 ₩985.6K

$152 ৳18.6K

383.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 ₩489.9K

$73.6 ৳9,044

395.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 ₩1.8M

$436 ৳53.6K

207.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$701 ₩941.6K

$214 ৳26.3K

227.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.0K ₩13.4M

$1,622 ৳199.3K

517.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,421 ₩8.6M

$761 ৳93.5K

743.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,841 ₩3.8M

$249 ৳30.6K

1041.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

10.48

-59.73%

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

Last update for Busan: October 4, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Busan

$483 30.1%

Dhaka

$123 28.5% 74.6% $361

Accommodation & Living

Busan

$365 22.7%

Dhaka

$74 17.1% 79.8% $291

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busan

$260 16.2%

Dhaka

$61 14.3% 76.5% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Busan

$177 11.1%

Dhaka

$56 13% 68.5% $122

Eating Out

Busan

$162 10.1%

Dhaka

$64 15% 60.3% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Busan

$87 5.4%

Dhaka

$25 5.7% 71.5% $62

Getting Around

Busan

$71 4.4%

Dhaka

$27 6.4% 61.4% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $734 in Busan and $152 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 1041% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $48.00 in Busan vs $13.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $483 vs $123 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Busan

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

16:10 4:10 PM

13:10 1:10 PM

3 h behind Busan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, 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).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Busan Dhaka 3,930 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Busan
Dhaka

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 Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka wins on cost – living expenses run 282% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Dhaka the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1041% 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: $734 in Busan versus $152 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 162% less than in Busan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $637 in Busan versus $90.7 in Dhaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $426 in Dhaka versus $1,627 in Busan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Busan. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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

Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 282% less than in Busan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.