Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Lautoka

For one person, living is cheaper in Lautoka: $333 a month against $1,628 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Lautoka
Learn more

Lautoka Living Index

Jump to prices

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,628

/mo nomad

Lautoka

🇫🇯 Fiji

$333

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan and in Lautoka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,628 in Busan versus $333 in Lautoka.

Busan $1,628
Lautoka $333

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,543 in Busan versus $722 in Lautoka.

Busan $2,543
Lautoka $722

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,457 in Busan versus $1,112 in Lautoka.

Busan $3,457
Lautoka $1,112

Living in Busan is roughly 390% more expensive than in Lautoka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Busan is 21% above, Lautoka is 75% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.58 ₩10.2K

$5.19 FJD 11.61

46.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.48 ₩66.5K

$79.2 FJD 177

-37.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.56 ₩8,816

$7.80 FJD 17.47

-15.90%

Cappuccino

$3.67 ₩4,938

$2.56 FJD 5.72

43.36%

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

$1.85 ₩2,487

$2.12 FJD 4.74

-12.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 ₩1,933

$1.51 FJD 3.38

-4.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 ₩5,065

$2.43 FJD 5.44

55.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 ₩5,761

$3.05 FJD 6.84

40.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₩3,173

$1.66 FJD 3.72

42.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 ₩4,390

$0.73 FJD 1.64

346.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 ₩4,240

$0.87 FJD 1.95

262.07%

Eggs

$2.64 ₩3,549

$3.44 FJD 7.70

-23.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.84 ₩14.6K

$5.80 FJD 12.98

86.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₩14.2K

$7.62 FJD 17.06

38.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.32 ₩34.1K

$7.58 FJD 16.98

234.04%

Apples (1kg)

$11.22 ₩15.1K

$4.42 FJD 9.90

153.85%

Banana (1kg)

$3.64 ₩4,892

Oranges (1kg)

$8.21 ₩11.0K

$1.30 FJD 2.91

531.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.84 ₩7,851

Potato (1kg)

$5.89 ₩7,919

$0.93 FJD 2.09

533.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 ₩4,407

$0.86 FJD 1.93

281.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 ₩3,738

$0.87 FJD 1.96

219.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₩1,726

$0.46 FJD 1.03

178.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,508

$10.93 FJD 24.46

-69.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.91 ₩25.4K

$5.46 FJD 12.22

246.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 ₩3,217

$2.57 FJD 5.74

-7.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₩4,732

$3.49 FJD 7.82

0.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,532

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 ₩81.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 ₩4,813

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₩995

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.18 ₩23.1K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ₩1,813

$1.33 FJD 2.99

1.50%

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

$29.1K ₩39.1M

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

$33.1K ₩44.5M

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

$202 ₩271.3K

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

$37.03 ₩49.8K

$13.14 FJD 29.43

181.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.43 ₩36.9K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.2 ₩84.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.04 ₩13.5K

Cinema Ticket

$11.93 ₩16.0K

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

$639 ₩859.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K ₩29.5M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₩138.4K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.7 ₩87.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 ₩124.8K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 ₩173.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 ₩957.3K

$450 FJD 1,007

58.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 ₩503.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 ₩1.8M

$872 FJD 1,952

49.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 ₩965.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,884 ₩13.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,279 ₩8.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,790 ₩3.8M

$688 FJD 1,541

305.31%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Lautoka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Busan

$488 30%

Lautoka

$191 * 57.5% 60.9% $297

Accommodation & Living

Busan

$374 23%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busan

$266 16.4%

Lautoka

$13 * 4% 95.1% $253

Clothing & Footwear

Busan

$175 10.8%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Busan

$165 10.1%

Lautoka

$128 38.6% 22.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Busan

$87 5.3%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Busan

$73 4.5%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

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 $712 in Busan and $450 in Lautoka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 305% 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: $49.00 in Busan vs $79.0 in Lautoka. Groceries flip the comparison at $488 vs $191, with Lautoka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Busan

🇫🇯 Lautoka

🕒 Local time

07:47 7:47 AM

10:47 10:47 AM

3 h ahead of Busan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

50,000

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Fijian Dollar FJD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.398 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1,345 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD). 1 EUR = 1,507 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR).

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.447 USD). 1 EUR = 2.51 FJD (1 FJD = 0.398 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Busan Lautoka 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Busan
Lautoka

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 Lautoka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lautoka wins on cost – living expenses run 390% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lautoka the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 305% 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: $712 in Busan versus $450 in Lautoka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,628 per month in Busan versus $333 in Lautoka – a 390% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 156% higher in Busan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $333 in Lautoka versus $1,628 in Busan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lautoka but tight or insufficient in Busan. The gap between the two cities makes Lautoka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Lautoka are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lautoka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 390% less than in Busan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.