Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Jeonju

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeonju: $1,149 a month against $1,842 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Busan
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Busan Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Jeonju
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Jeonju Living Index

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Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,842

/mo nomad

Jeonju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,149

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan and in Jeonju

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,842 in Busan versus $1,149 in Jeonju.

Busan $1,842
Jeonju $1,149

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,019 in Busan versus $1,796 in Jeonju.

Busan $3,019
Jeonju $1,796

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,196 in Busan versus $2,443 in Jeonju.

Busan $4,196
Jeonju $2,443

Living in Busan is roughly 60% more expensive than in Jeonju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Busan is 35% above, Jeonju is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.69 ₩10.3K

$7.48 ₩10.0K

2.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.41 ₩66.3K

$22.90 ₩30.8K

115.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 ₩8,907

$5.43 ₩7,287

22.10%

Cappuccino

$3.68 ₩4,941

$3.81 ₩5,112

-3.41%

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

$1.86 ₩2,494

$1.12 ₩1,503

66.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 ₩1,872

$0.61 ₩824

127.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.73 ₩5,014

$2.85 ₩3,827

30.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₩5,920

$4.16 ₩5,591

6.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ₩3,033

$2.15 ₩2,885

5.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,365

$2.30 ₩3,095

41.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.11 ₩4,173

$3.12 ₩4,186

-0.32%

Eggs

$2.67 ₩3,583

$2.30 ₩3,090

16.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ₩15.0K

$10.99 ₩14.8K

1.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.70 ₩14.4K

$10.53 ₩14.1K

1.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.98 ₩33.5K

$25.57 ₩34.3K

-2.31%

Apples (1kg)

$11.16 ₩15.0K

$11.45 ₩15.4K

-2.53%

Banana (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,822

$3.33 ₩4,472

7.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.17 ₩11.0K

$8.37 ₩11.2K

-2.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.11 ₩8,199

$4.61 ₩6,197

32.54%

Potato (1kg)

$6.20 ₩8,324

$6.20 ₩8,319

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 ₩4,466

$2.29 ₩3,075

45.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 ₩3,870

$2.91 ₩3,907

-1.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₩1,732

$0.77 ₩1,031

67.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.46 ₩4,643

$3.47 ₩4,662

-0.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.56 ₩24.9K

$18.83 ₩25.3K

-1.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$1.49 ₩1,998

62.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₩4,826

$3.51 ₩4,710

2.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₩1,538

$1.22 ₩1,634

-5.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 ₩94.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,769

$3.32 ₩4,460

6.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 ₩986

$0.76 ₩1,022

-3.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.97 ₩22.8K

$16.74 ₩22.5K

1.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₩1,903

$1.21 ₩1,631

17.36%

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

$39.9K ₩53.6M

$39.1K ₩52.5M

2.17%

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

$33.9K ₩45.6M

$34.6K ₩46.5M

-2.04%

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

$206 ₩276.2K

$72.0 ₩96.7K

185.72%

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

$36.67 ₩49.2K

$30.65 ₩41.2K

19.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.39 ₩36.8K

$27.49 ₩36.9K

-0.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ₩69.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.15 ₩13.6K

Cinema Ticket

$11.88 ₩15.9K

$11.98 ₩16.1K

-0.83%

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

$638 ₩857.0K

$638 ₩856.7K

0.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K ₩29.9M

$22.0K ₩29.5M

1.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₩140.1K

$105 ₩140.4K

-0.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 ₩87.4K

$64.9 ₩87.2K

0.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 ₩124.6K

$44.53 ₩59.8K

108.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₩174.6K

$37.95 ₩51.0K

242.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 ₩1.0M

$266 ₩356.5K

180.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 ₩782.5K

$259 ₩348.4K

124.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 ₩2.9M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,450 ₩1.9M

$460 ₩617.1K

215.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,485 ₩11.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,272 ₩4.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,826 ₩3.8M

$2,295 ₩3.1M

23.12%

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: October 27, 2026

Last update for Jeonju: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Busan

$583 31.6%

Jeonju

$259 22.6% 55.5% $323

Groceries & Markets

Busan

$489 26.6%

Jeonju

$458 39.9% 6.3% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busan

$270 14.7%

Jeonju

$130 11.3% 51.8% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Busan

$177 9.6%

Jeonju

$113 9.9% 35.8% $63

Eating Out

Busan

$166 9%

Jeonju

$151 13.2% 8.9% $15

Getting Around

Busan

$82 4.5%

Jeonju

$12 * 1% 85.4% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Busan

$75 4.1%

Jeonju

$24 * 2.1% 68.2% $51

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 $266 in Jeonju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 23% 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: $49 in Busan vs $23 in Jeonju for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $489 vs $458 per month, with Jeonju cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Busan

🇰🇷 Jeonju

🕒 Local time

04:58 4:58 AM

Same time as Busan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

653,387

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Busan Jeonju 190 km

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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 Jeonju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jeonju wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Jeonju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 23% 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 $266 in Jeonju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Busan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,842 per month in Busan versus $1,149 in Jeonju – Jeonju is about 38% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,149 in Jeonju versus $1,842 in Busan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jeonju but tight or insufficient in Busan. The gap between the two cities makes Jeonju the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

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