Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Jinju

For one person, living is cheaper in Jinju: $1,454 a month against $1,812 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Busan
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Busan Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Jinju
Learn more

Jinju Living Index

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Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,812

/mo nomad

Jinju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,454

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan and in Jinju

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,812 in Busan versus $1,454 in Jinju.

Busan $1,812
Jinju $1,454

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,952 in Busan versus $2,506 in Jinju.

Busan $2,952
Jinju $2,506

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,091 in Busan versus $3,557 in Jinju.

Busan $4,091
Jinju $3,557

Living in Busan is roughly 25% more expensive than in Jinju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Busan 34% above, Jinju 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.34 ₩9,859

$9.03 ₩12.1K

-18.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.83 ₩65.6K

$69.3 ₩93.1K

-29.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.59 ₩8,851

$7.54 ₩10.1K

-12.60%

Cappuccino

$3.75 ₩5,042

$4.03 ₩5,412

-6.95%

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

$1.78 ₩2,386

$1.63 ₩2,186

9.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ₩1,942

$0.73 ₩987

98.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.67 ₩4,933

$3.62 ₩4,864

1.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 ₩5,824

$5.84 ₩7,847

-25.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 ₩3,116

$2.11 ₩2,830

9.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 ₩4,351

$3.00 ₩4,029

8.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 ₩4,124

$4.26 ₩5,720

-27.93%

Eggs

$2.71 ₩3,636

$3.54 ₩4,762

-23.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 ₩14.8K

$18.09 ₩24.3K

-39.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₩14.1K

$10.47 ₩14.1K

0.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.00 ₩33.6K

$26.27 ₩35.3K

-4.83%

Apples (1kg)

$11.04 ₩14.8K

$7.68 ₩10.3K

43.75%

Banana (1kg)

$3.65 ₩4,900

$3.43 ₩4,608

6.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.6K

$5.78 ₩7,770

36.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.78 ₩7,773

$6.20 ₩8,327

-6.77%

Potato (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,888

$3.54 ₩4,756

65.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 ₩4,372

$2.59 ₩3,484

25.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.72 ₩3,652

$2.81 ₩3,779

-3.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₩1,698

$1.10 ₩1,476

14.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ₩4,447

$3.41 ₩4,576

-2.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.92 ₩25.4K

$18.47 ₩24.8K

2.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,253

$2.38 ₩3,204

1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ₩4,889

$3.29 ₩4,419

10.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 ₩1,583

$1.13 ₩1,514

4.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.1 ₩91.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ₩4,843

$3.50 ₩4,706

2.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₩893

$0.57 ₩768

15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.88 ₩20.0K

$8.89 ₩11.9K

67.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,831

$1.50 ₩2,016

-9.33%

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

$40.0K ₩53.7M

$29.6K ₩39.7M

35.29%

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

$33.0K ₩44.3M

$27.7K ₩37.3M

18.91%

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

$197 ₩264.6K

$211 ₩282.9K

-6.48%

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

$35.89 ₩48.2K

$34.77 ₩46.7K

3.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.71 ₩35.9K

$21.12 ₩28.4K

26.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ₩68.4K

$55.4 ₩74.4K

-8.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.86 ₩13.3K

$15.76 ₩21.2K

-37.44%

Cinema Ticket

$11.71 ₩15.7K

$11.17 ₩15.0K

4.83%

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

$624 ₩838.2K

$451 ₩606.6K

38.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K ₩29.6M

$26.1K ₩35.0M

-15.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₩140.1K

$61.8 ₩83.1K

68.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.9 ₩88.6K

$33.27 ₩44.7K

98.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 ₩123.9K

$69.5 ₩93.4K

32.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 ₩172.7K

$80.1 ₩107.6K

60.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ₩1.0M

$536 ₩720.5K

40.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 ₩773.0K

$330 ₩443.4K

74.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,202 ₩3.0M

$1,226 ₩1.6M

79.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 ₩1.9M

$996 ₩1.3M

39.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,126 ₩6.9M

$6,214 ₩8.3M

-17.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,249 ₩4.4M

$4,832 ₩6.5M

-32.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,658 ₩3.6M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

4.08

3.43%

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

Last update for Busan: November 2, 2026

Last update for Jinju: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Busan

$575 31.7%

Jinju

$330 22.7% 42.6% $245

Groceries & Markets

Busan

$484 26.7%

Jinju

$476 32.8% 1.6% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busan

$259 14.3%

Jinju

$266 18.3% 2.7% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Busan

$176 9.7%

Jinju

$110 7.6% 37.4% $66

Eating Out

Busan

$163 9%

Jinju

$182 12.6% 11.7% $19

Getting Around

Busan

$80 4.4%

Jinju

$11 * 0.8% 86.4% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Busan

$74 4.1%

Jinju

$78 5.4% 4.6% $3.4

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 $536 in Jinju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49 in Busan vs $69 in Jinju. Groceries flip the comparison at $484 vs $476, with Jinju cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Busan

🇰🇷 Jinju

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

Same time as Busan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

340,548

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Busan Jinju 88 km

From you

Busan
Jinju

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 Jinju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jinju wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Jinju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,718 in Busan and $2,181 in Jinju to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $753 in Busan versus $536 in Jinju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,812 per month in Busan versus $1,454 in Jinju – Jinju is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Busan – a meal for two runs $49 versus $69 in Jinju. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

For families, Jinju is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Busan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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