Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Sacheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Sacheon: $1,433 a month against $1,842 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Sacheon
Learn more

Sacheon Living Index

Jump to prices

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,842

/mo nomad

Sacheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,433

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan and in Sacheon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,842 in Busan versus $1,433 in Sacheon.

Busan $1,842
Sacheon $1,433

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,019 in Busan versus $2,223 in Sacheon.

Busan $3,019
Sacheon $2,223

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,196 in Busan versus $3,013 in Sacheon.

Busan $4,196
Sacheon $3,013

Living in Busan is roughly 29% more expensive than in Sacheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Busan 35% above, Sacheon 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.69 ₩10.3K

$7.70 ₩10.3K

-0.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.41 ₩66.3K

$35.45 ₩47.6K

39.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 ₩8,907

$6.52 ₩8,751

1.69%

Cappuccino

$3.68 ₩4,941

$3.77 ₩5,057

-2.39%

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

$1.86 ₩2,494

$1.54 ₩2,062

20.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 ₩1,872

$0.70 ₩934

98.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.73 ₩5,014

$3.51 ₩4,719

6.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₩5,920

$4.39 ₩5,900

0.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ₩3,033

$2.22 ₩2,979

1.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,365

$3.22 ₩4,322

0.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.11 ₩4,173

$2.80 ₩3,765

11.07%

Eggs

$2.67 ₩3,583

$2.82 ₩3,791

-5.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ₩15.0K

$11.03 ₩14.8K

1.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.70 ₩14.4K

$7.98 ₩10.7K

34.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.98 ₩33.5K

$20.97 ₩28.2K

19.12%

Apples (1kg)

$11.16 ₩15.0K

$7.52 ₩10.1K

48.40%

Banana (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,822

$3.42 ₩4,595

4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.17 ₩11.0K

$6.61 ₩8,874

23.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.11 ₩8,199

$6.02 ₩8,088

1.50%

Potato (1kg)

$6.20 ₩8,324

$3.68 ₩4,945

68.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 ₩4,466

$2.57 ₩3,454

29.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 ₩3,870

$2.78 ₩3,736

3.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₩1,732

$1.34 ₩1,798

-3.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.46 ₩4,643

$3.47 ₩4,662

-0.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.56 ₩24.9K

$19.05 ₩25.6K

-2.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$2.29 ₩3,080

5.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₩4,826

$3.53 ₩4,734

1.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₩1,538

$1.10 ₩1,472

4.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 ₩94.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,769

$3.34 ₩4,482

6.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 ₩986

$0.61 ₩818

19.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.97 ₩22.8K

$8.83 ₩11.9K

92.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₩1,903

$1.34 ₩1,802

5.97%

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

$39.9K ₩53.6M

$29.3K ₩39.3M

36.54%

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

$33.9K ₩45.6M

$33.9K ₩45.5M

0.20%

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

$206 ₩276.2K

$209 ₩280.5K

-1.53%

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

$36.67 ₩49.2K

$36.36 ₩48.8K

0.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.39 ₩36.8K

$21.18 ₩28.4K

29.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ₩69.3K

$53.7 ₩72.1K

-3.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.15 ₩13.6K

$14.37 ₩19.3K

-29.37%

Cinema Ticket

$11.88 ₩15.9K

$11.38 ₩15.3K

4.39%

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

$638 ₩857.0K

$381 ₩511.8K

67.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K ₩29.9M

$21.8K ₩29.3M

2.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₩140.1K

$63.2 ₩84.8K

65.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 ₩87.4K

$61.6 ₩82.7K

5.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 ₩124.6K

$73.6 ₩98.9K

25.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₩174.6K

$98.2 ₩131.9K

32.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 ₩1.0M

$490 ₩658.1K

52.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 ₩782.5K

$356 ₩478.5K

63.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 ₩2.9M

$1,164 ₩1.6M

84.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,450 ₩1.9M

$736 ₩987.9K

97.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,485 ₩11.4M

$7,276 ₩9.8M

16.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,272 ₩4.4M

$5,566 ₩7.5M

-41.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,826 ₩3.8M

$1,512 ₩2.0M

86.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

4.1

2.93%

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

Last update for Busan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sacheon: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Busan

$583 31.6%

Sacheon

$356 24.9% 38.9% $226

Groceries & Markets

Busan

$489 26.6%

Sacheon

$427 29.8% 12.6% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busan

$270 14.7%

Sacheon

$266 18.6% 1.2% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Busan

$177 9.6%

Sacheon

$133 9.3% 24.4% $43

Eating Out

Busan

$166 9%

Sacheon

$162 11.3% 2.7% $4.5

Getting Around

Busan

$82 4.5%

Sacheon

$11 * 0.8% 86.9% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Busan

$75 4.1%

Sacheon

$76 5.3% 1.5% $1.1

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 $490 in Sacheon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 87% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $49 in Busan vs $35 in Sacheon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $489 vs $427 per month, with Sacheon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Busan

🇰🇷 Sacheon

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

Same time as Busan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

117,500

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Busan Sacheon 94 km

From you

Busan
Sacheon

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 Sacheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sacheon wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sacheon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 87% 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 $490 in Sacheon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% 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 $1,433 in Sacheon – Sacheon is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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