Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Icheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Icheon: $1,599 a month against $1,842 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Busan
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Busan Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Icheon
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Icheon Living Index

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Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,842

/mo nomad

Icheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan and in Icheon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,842 in Busan versus $1,599 in Icheon.

Busan $1,842
Icheon $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,019 in Busan versus $2,052 in Icheon.

Busan $3,019
Icheon $2,052

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,196 in Busan versus $2,506 in Icheon.

Busan $4,196
Icheon $2,506

Living in Busan is roughly 15% more expensive than in Icheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Busan 35% above, Icheon 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.69 ₩10.3K

$6.24 ₩8,328

23.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.41 ₩65.9K

$49.61 ₩66.2K

-0.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 ₩8,846

$6.65 ₩8,863

-0.30%

Cappuccino

$3.68 ₩4,906

$3.67 ₩4,888

0.27%

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

$1.86 ₩2,476

$1.33 ₩1,776

39.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 ₩1,859

$1.18 ₩1,569

17.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.73 ₩4,980

$3.86 ₩5,145

-3.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₩5,879

$4.24 ₩5,648

4.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ₩3,012

$2.29 ₩3,059

-1.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,335

$3.19 ₩4,254

1.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.11 ₩4,144

$3.12 ₩4,157

-0.32%

Eggs

$2.67 ₩3,558

$2.65 ₩3,539

0.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ₩14.9K

$11.29 ₩15.1K

-1.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.70 ₩14.3K

$10.73 ₩14.3K

-0.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.98 ₩33.3K

$25.00 ₩33.3K

-0.08%

Apples (1kg)

$11.16 ₩14.9K

$11.46 ₩15.3K

-2.62%

Banana (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,789

$3.59 ₩4,794

Oranges (1kg)

$8.17 ₩10.9K

$7.97 ₩10.6K

2.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.11 ₩8,143

$6.08 ₩8,111

0.49%

Potato (1kg)

$6.20 ₩8,267

$5.89 ₩7,855

5.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 ₩4,435

$3.31 ₩4,408

0.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 ₩3,844

$2.84 ₩3,789

1.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₩1,720

$1.34 ₩1,792

-3.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.46 ₩4,611

$3.42 ₩4,563

1.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.56 ₩24.7K

$18.77 ₩25.0K

-1.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,226

$2.43 ₩3,239

-0.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₩4,793

$3.45 ₩4,599

4.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₩1,527

$1.10 ₩1,472

4.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 ₩94.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,736

$3.52 ₩4,693

0.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 ₩980

$0.74 ₩983

-1.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.97 ₩22.6K

$17.15 ₩22.9K

-1.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₩1,890

$1.42 ₩1,895

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

$39.9K ₩53.3M

$40.4K ₩53.8M

-1.08%

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

$33.9K ₩45.2M

$33.6K ₩44.8M

0.93%

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

$206 ₩274.3K

$205 ₩274.0K

0.12%

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

$36.67 ₩48.9K

$36.50 ₩48.7K

0.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.39 ₩36.5K

$27.50 ₩36.7K

-0.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ₩68.8K

$22.67 ₩30.2K

127.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.15 ₩13.5K

Cinema Ticket

$11.88 ₩15.8K

$11.46 ₩15.3K

3.66%

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

$638 ₩851.1K

$631 ₩841.0K

1.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K ₩29.7M

$22.3K ₩29.8M

-0.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₩139.2K

$107 ₩142.1K

-2.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 ₩86.8K

$64.9 ₩86.5K

0.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 ₩123.7K

$94.2 ₩125.6K

-1.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₩173.4K

$127 ₩169.1K

2.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 ₩994.5K

$763 ₩1.0M

-2.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 ₩777.1K

$454 ₩605.3K

28.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 ₩2.9M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,450 ₩1.9M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,485 ₩11.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,272 ₩4.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,826 ₩3.8M

$2,314 ₩3.1M

22.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

3.9

8.21%

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

Last update for Busan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Icheon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Busan

$583 31.6%

Icheon

$454 28.4% 22.1% $129

Groceries & Markets

Busan

$489 26.6%

Icheon

$490 30.6% 0.1% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busan

$270 14.7%

Icheon

$269 16.9% 0.1% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Busan

$177 9.6%

Icheon

$177 11% 0% $0.1

Eating Out

Busan

$166 9%

Icheon

$152 9.5% 8.7% $14

Getting Around

Busan

$82 4.5%

Icheon

$12 * 0.7% 85.9% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Busan

$75 4.1%

Icheon

$46 2.9% 39.5% $30

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 $746 in Busan and $763 in Icheon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 22% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $49 in Busan vs $50 in Icheon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $489 vs $490 per month, with Busan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Busan

🇰🇷 Icheon

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

Same time as Busan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

213,059

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Busan Icheon 280 km

From you

Busan
Icheon

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 Icheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Icheon wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Icheon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 22% 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: $746 in Busan versus $763 in Icheon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $638 in Busan versus $631 in Icheon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,842 per month in Busan versus $1,599 in Icheon – Icheon is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Icheon is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

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