Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Gimcheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Gimcheon: $1,412 a month against $1,812 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Busan
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Busan Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Gimcheon
Learn more

Gimcheon Living Index

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Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,812

/mo nomad

Gimcheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,412

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan and in Gimcheon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,812 in Busan versus $1,412 in Gimcheon.

Busan $1,812
Gimcheon $1,412

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,952 in Busan versus $2,305 in Gimcheon.

Busan $2,952
Gimcheon $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,091 in Busan versus $3,198 in Gimcheon.

Busan $4,091
Gimcheon $3,198

Living in Busan is roughly 28% more expensive than in Gimcheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Busan 34% above, Gimcheon 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.34 ₩9,956

$5.83 ₩7,916

25.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.83 ₩66.3K

$34.57 ₩46.9K

41.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.59 ₩8,938

$6.87 ₩9,316

-4.08%

Cappuccino

$3.75 ₩5,092

$3.61 ₩4,903

3.88%

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

$1.78 ₩2,410

$1.60 ₩2,169

11.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ₩1,961

$0.62 ₩838

133.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.67 ₩4,982

$3.42 ₩4,634

7.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 ₩5,881

$4.50 ₩6,109

-3.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 ₩3,147

$2.18 ₩2,963

6.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 ₩4,393

$3.18 ₩4,319

1.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 ₩4,164

$2.67 ₩3,619

14.98%

Eggs

$2.71 ₩3,672

$3.18 ₩4,319

-14.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 ₩14.9K

$15.50 ₩21.0K

-29.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₩14.3K

$10.43 ₩14.2K

0.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.00 ₩33.9K

$11.37 ₩15.4K

119.88%

Apples (1kg)

$11.04 ₩15.0K

$6.92 ₩9,385

59.54%

Banana (1kg)

$3.65 ₩4,949

$2.50 ₩3,392

46.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.7K

$4.54 ₩6,156

74.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.78 ₩7,849

$6.76 ₩9,175

-14.50%

Potato (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,966

$3.39 ₩4,596

73.16%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 ₩4,415

$2.58 ₩3,507

25.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.72 ₩3,688

$2.09 ₩2,835

30.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₩1,714

$1.27 ₩1,728

-0.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ₩4,490

$3.44 ₩4,665

-3.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.92 ₩25.7K

$13.44 ₩18.2K

40.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,285

$2.23 ₩3,031

8.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ₩4,937

$4.03 ₩5,470

-9.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 ₩1,599

$1.12 ₩1,523

5.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.1 ₩92.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ₩4,891

$2.89 ₩3,923

24.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₩902

$0.61 ₩829

8.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.88 ₩20.2K

$8.22 ₩11.2K

81.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,849

$1.08 ₩1,466

25.93%

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

$40.0K ₩54.3M

$29.8K ₩40.5M

34.11%

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

$33.0K ₩44.8M

$36.0K ₩48.8M

-8.33%

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

$197 ₩267.2K

$212 ₩288.2K

-7.29%

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

$35.89 ₩48.7K

$42.61 ₩57.8K

-15.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.71 ₩36.2K

$20.97 ₩28.5K

27.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ₩69.1K

$51.1 ₩69.3K

-0.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.86 ₩13.4K

$15.58 ₩21.1K

-36.71%

Cinema Ticket

$11.71 ₩15.9K

$10.99 ₩14.9K

6.55%

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

$624 ₩846.5K

$305 ₩413.9K

104.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K ₩29.9M

$17.6K ₩23.8M

25.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₩141.5K

$66.3 ₩89.9K

57.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.9 ₩89.4K

$63.1 ₩85.6K

4.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 ₩125.1K

$73.5 ₩99.8K

25.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 ₩174.4K

$99.5 ₩134.9K

29.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ₩1.0M

$491 ₩666.9K

53.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 ₩780.6K

$375 ₩508.3K

53.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,202 ₩3.0M

$1,323 ₩1.8M

66.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 ₩1.9M

$1,018 ₩1.4M

36.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,126 ₩7.0M

$7,220 ₩9.8M

-28.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,249 ₩4.4M

$4,886 ₩6.6M

-33.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,658 ₩3.6M

$1,875 ₩2.5M

41.78%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Gimcheon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Busan

$575 31.7%

Gimcheon

$375 26.5% 34.9% $201

Groceries & Markets

Busan

$484 26.7%

Gimcheon

$396 28.1% 18.1% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busan

$259 14.3%

Gimcheon

$276 19.5% 6.4% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Busan

$176 9.7%

Gimcheon

$136 9.6% 22.6% $40

Eating Out

Busan

$163 9%

Gimcheon

$146 10.3% 10.9% $18

Getting Around

Busan

$80 4.4%

Gimcheon

$10 * 0.7% 86.9% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Busan

$74 4.1%

Gimcheon

$73 5.2% 1.7% $1.3

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 $753 in Busan and $491 in Gimcheon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 42% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $49 in Busan vs $35 in Gimcheon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $484 vs $396 per month, with Gimcheon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Busan

🇰🇷 Gimcheon

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

Same time as Busan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

143,056

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.37 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.56 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.37 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Busan Gimcheon 140 km

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Busan
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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 Gimcheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gimcheon wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Gimcheon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 42% 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 $491 in Gimcheon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Busan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,812 per month in Busan versus $1,412 in Gimcheon – Gimcheon is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Gimcheon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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