Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Fiji

For one person, living is cheaper in Fiji: $709 a month against $1,627 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Busan
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,627
/mo nomad
Fiji
🇫🇯 Fiji
$709
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan and in Fiji

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,627 in Busan versus $709 in Fiji.

  • Busan $1,627
  • Fiji $709

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,557 in Busan versus $1,144 in Fiji.

  • Busan $2,557
  • Fiji $1,144

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,486 in Busan versus $1,578 in Fiji.

  • Busan $3,486
  • Fiji $1,578

Living in Busan is roughly 129% more expensive than in Fiji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Busan is 21% above, Fiji is 47% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Busan
Fiji
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.25 ₩9,718
$4.32 FJD 9.68
67.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.28 ₩64.7K
$31.65 FJD 70.9
52.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.47 ₩8,664
$6.54 FJD 14.65
-1.07%
Cappuccino
$3.65 ₩4,888
$2.50 FJD 5.59
46.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 ₩2,373
$1.35 FJD 3.01
31.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.39 ₩1,866
$1.05 FJD 2.34
32.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.83 ₩5,137
$4.08 FJD 9.14
-6.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37 ₩5,857
$4.04 FJD 9.06
8.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Busan
Fiji
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.32 ₩3,107
$1.25 FJD 2.80
85.60%
White Bread (500g)
$3.26 ₩4,373
$0.26 FJD 0.59
1153.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.11 ₩4,167
$0.85 FJD 1.90
265.88%
Eggs
$2.62 ₩3,506
$3.08 FJD 6.91
-14.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.18 ₩15.0K
$10.64 FJD 23.83
5.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.38 ₩13.9K
$5.30 FJD 11.87
95.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$25.03 ₩33.5K
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$11.02 ₩14.8K
$1.30 FJD 2.92
747.69%
Banana (1kg)
$3.54 ₩4,738
$0.86 FJD 1.94
311.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$7.86 ₩10.5K
$1.83 FJD 4.10
329.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.85 ₩7,845
$1.31 FJD 2.93
346.56%
Potato (1kg)
$5.88 ₩7,883
$0.70 FJD 1.56
740.00%
Onion (1kg)
$3.39 ₩4,545
$0.74 FJD 1.65
358.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.73 ₩3,657
$0.88 FJD 1.96
210.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 ₩1,771
$0.52 FJD 1.16
153.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.33 ₩4,459
$10.95 FJD 24.52
-69.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.44 ₩24.7K
$6.19 FJD 13.87
197.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.38 ₩3,184
$3.97 FJD 8.90
-40.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 ₩4,657
$4.12 FJD 9.22
-15.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Busan
Fiji
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.19 ₩1,589
$0.93 FJD 2.08
27.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$59.1 ₩79.2K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.60 ₩4,828
$1.12 FJD 2.52
221.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.72 ₩962
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.66 ₩22.3K
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 ₩1,826
$1.25 FJD 2.81
8.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K ₩40.0M
$46.1K FJD 103.2K
-35.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.8K ₩45.3M
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Busan
Fiji
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$196 ₩263.2K
$53.5 FJD 120
267.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.52 ₩48.9K
$13.37 FJD 29.96
173.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.50 ₩36.9K
$17.80 FJD 39.88
54.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Busan
Fiji
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.5 ₩83.7K
$21.89 FJD 49.04
185.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.62 ₩12.9K
$4.42 FJD 9.89
117.65%
Cinema Ticket
$12.04 ₩16.1K
$4.10 FJD 9.18
193.66%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Busan
Fiji
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$637 ₩853.9K
$44.79 FJD 100
1322.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.6K ₩28.9M
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Busan
Fiji
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$106 ₩142.3K
$19.42 FJD 43.50
446.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$65.6 ₩87.8K
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.5 ₩126.6K
$30.25 FJD 67.8
212.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$128 ₩171.7K
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Busan
Fiji
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$734 ₩983.3K
$680 FJD 1,524
7.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$365 ₩488.8K
$270 FJD 605
35.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 ₩1.8M
$1,095 FJD 2,453
22.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$701 ₩939.4K
$610 FJD 1,367
14.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$10.0K ₩13.4M
$1,289 FJD 2,887
676.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,421 ₩8.6M
$1,293 FJD 2,897
396.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Busan
Fiji
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,841 ₩3.8M
$538 FJD 1,205
428.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.22
6
-29.67%

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

Last update for Busan: October 4, 2026

Last update for Fiji: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Busan
$483
Fiji
$169 * 65.1% $315
Accommodation & Living
Busan
$365
Fiji
$270 26% $95
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Busan
$260
Fiji
$85 67.5% $176
Clothing & Footwear
Busan
$177
Fiji
$22 * 87.4% $155
Eating Out
Busan
$162
Fiji
$122 24.4% $40
Sport & Entertainment
Busan
$87
Fiji
$30 65.2% $56
Getting Around
Busan
$71
Fiji
$4.8 * 93.2% $66

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 $734 in Busan and $680 in Fiji. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 428% 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 $32.00 in Fiji for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $483 vs $169 per month, with Fiji cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇰🇷 Busan
🇫🇯 Fiji
🕒 Local time
18:56 6:56 PM
21:56 9:56 PM
3 h ahead of Busan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,586,079
92,043
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.446 USD). 1 EUR = 2.51 FJD (1 FJD = 0.398 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Busan Fiji 7,890 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Busan
  • Fiji

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 Fiji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Busan or Fiji?
Fiji wins on cost – living expenses run 129% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fiji the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Busan or in Fiji?
Average pay runs 428% higher in Busan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Busan compared to Fiji?
Rent for a central apartment: $734 in Busan versus $680 in Fiji. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Busan or in Fiji?
Supermarket bills run roughly 187% higher in Busan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Busan compared to Fiji?
All in, you'll spend $1,627 per month in Busan versus $709 in Fiji – a 129% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Busan or in Fiji?
At $709 in Fiji versus $1,627 in Busan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Fiji but tight or insufficient in Busan. The gap between the two cities makes Fiji the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Busan or Fiji?
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.
How safe is Busan compared to Fiji?
Safety-wise, Busan and Fiji are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Fiji gentler on the wallet – expenses run 129% less than in Busan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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