Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Busan: $1,842 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Busan
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Busan Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,842

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,842 in Busan versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Busan $1,842
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,019 in Busan versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Busan $3,019
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,196 in Busan versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Busan $4,196
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Busan costs roughly 17% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Busan 35% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.69 ₩10.3K

$16.65 €14.95

-53.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.41 ₩66.3K

$61.7 €55.5

-19.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 ₩8,907

$11.36 €10.20

-41.64%

Cappuccino

$3.68 ₩4,941

$2.97 €2.67

23.91%

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

$1.86 ₩2,494

$2.29 €2.06

-18.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 ₩1,872

$1.74 €1.56

-20.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.73 ₩5,014

$3.40 €3.06

9.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₩5,920

$3.31 €2.97

33.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ₩3,033

$1.16 €1.04

94.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,365

$1.91 €1.72

70.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.11 ₩4,173

$1.51 €1.36

105.96%

Eggs

$2.67 ₩3,583

$4.02 €3.61

-33.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ₩15.0K

$12.94 €11.62

-13.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.70 ₩14.4K

$7.77 €6.98

37.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.98 ₩33.5K

$17.76 €15.95

40.65%

Apples (1kg)

$11.16 ₩15.0K

$2.30 €2.07

385.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,822

$1.73 €1.56

107.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.17 ₩11.0K

$1.86 €1.67

339.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.11 ₩8,199

$2.59 €2.33

135.91%

Potato (1kg)

$6.20 ₩8,324

$1.82 €1.64

240.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 ₩4,466

$1.97 €1.77

69.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 ₩3,870

$1.47 €1.32

95.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₩1,732

$0.72 €0.65

79.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.46 ₩4,643

$6.58 €5.91

-47.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.56 ₩24.9K

$5.61 €5.04

230.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$1.36 €1.22

77.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₩4,826

$2.14 €1.92

67.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₩1,538

$2.33 €2.10

-50.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 ₩94.7K

$44.68 €40.14

57.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,769

$3.85 €3.46

-7.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 ₩986

$1.07 €0.96

-31.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.97 ₩22.8K

$16.46 €14.79

3.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₩1,903

$2.20 €1.98

-35.45%

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

$39.9K ₩53.6M

$34.2K €30.7K

16.81%

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

$33.9K ₩45.6M

$38.7K €34.8K

-12.39%

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

$206 ₩276.2K

$161 €145

27.60%

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

$36.67 ₩49.2K

$18.41 €16.54

99.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.39 ₩36.8K

$32.74 €29.41

-16.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ₩69.3K

$44.55 €40.02

15.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.15 ₩13.6K

$19.10 €17.16

-46.86%

Cinema Ticket

$11.88 ₩15.9K

$9.60 €8.62

23.75%

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

$638 ₩857.0K

$668 €600

-4.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K ₩29.9M

$17.6K €15.8K

26.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₩140.1K

$102 €91.6

2.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 ₩87.4K

$44.46 €39.94

46.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 ₩124.6K

$98.5 €88.5

-5.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₩174.6K

$124 €111

5.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 ₩1.0M

$1,608 €1,445

-53.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 ₩782.5K

$1,190 €1,069

-51.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 ₩2.9M

$2,812 €2,526

-23.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,450 ₩1.9M

$2,013 €1,808

-27.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,485 ₩11.4M

$7,839 €7,042

8.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,272 ₩4.4M

$4,576 €4,110

-28.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,826 ₩3.8M

$1,575 €1,415

79.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

3.85

9.61%

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

Last update for Busan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Busan

$583 31.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 104% $607

Groceries & Markets

Busan

$489 26.6%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 44.3% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busan

$270 14.7%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 21.3% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Busan

$177 9.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 6% $11

Eating Out

Busan

$166 9%

Lisbon

$243 11% 46.1% $77

Getting Around

Busan

$82 4.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 23.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Busan

$75 4.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 15.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $746 in Busan and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 79% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49 in Busan vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $489 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Busan

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

20:47 8:47 PM

9 h behind Busan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Busan Lisbon 10,740 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Busan
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Busan wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Busan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 79% 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 $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 37% less than in Busan. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $638 in Busan versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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