Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Seogwipo

For one person, living is cheaper in Seogwipo: $1,423 a month against $1,842 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Seogwipo
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Seogwipo Living Index

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Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,842

/mo nomad

Seogwipo

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan and in Seogwipo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,842 in Busan versus $1,423 in Seogwipo.

Busan $1,842
Seogwipo $1,423

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,019 in Busan versus $2,229 in Seogwipo.

Busan $3,019
Seogwipo $2,229

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,196 in Busan versus $3,034 in Seogwipo.

Busan $4,196
Seogwipo $3,034

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.69 ₩10.3K

$7.30 ₩9,796

5.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.41 ₩66.3K

$35.92 ₩48.2K

37.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 ₩8,907

$6.61 ₩8,874

0.30%

Cappuccino

$3.68 ₩4,941

$3.78 ₩5,069

-2.65%

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

$1.86 ₩2,494

$1.56 ₩2,089

19.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 ₩1,872

$0.70 ₩935

98.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.73 ₩5,014

$3.53 ₩4,740

5.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₩5,920

$4.58 ₩6,151

-3.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ₩3,033

$2.31 ₩3,097

-2.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,365

$3.14 ₩4,222

3.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.11 ₩4,173

$2.74 ₩3,686

13.50%

Eggs

$2.67 ₩3,583

$2.81 ₩3,767

-4.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ₩15.0K

$11.30 ₩15.2K

-1.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.70 ₩14.4K

$7.93 ₩10.6K

34.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.98 ₩33.5K

$21.16 ₩28.4K

18.05%

Apples (1kg)

$11.16 ₩15.0K

$7.63 ₩10.3K

46.26%

Banana (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,822

$3.30 ₩4,426

8.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.17 ₩11.0K

$6.86 ₩9,216

19.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.11 ₩8,199

$5.98 ₩8,030

2.17%

Potato (1kg)

$6.20 ₩8,324

$3.71 ₩4,976

67.12%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 ₩4,466

$2.52 ₩3,384

32.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 ₩3,870

$2.77 ₩3,716

3.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₩1,732

$1.30 ₩1,745

-0.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.46 ₩4,643

$3.47 ₩4,654

-0.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.56 ₩24.9K

$18.81 ₩25.3K

-1.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$2.27 ₩3,048

6.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₩4,826

$3.38 ₩4,542

6.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₩1,538

$1.11 ₩1,488

3.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 ₩94.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,769

$3.48 ₩4,670

2.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 ₩986

$0.65 ₩873

12.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.97 ₩22.8K

$8.87 ₩11.9K

91.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₩1,903

$1.41 ₩1,895

0.71%

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

$39.9K ₩53.6M

$29.0K ₩39.0M

37.64%

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

$33.9K ₩45.6M

$33.3K ₩44.7M

1.84%

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

$206 ₩276.2K

$206 ₩276.3K

-0.04%

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

$36.67 ₩49.2K

$37.19 ₩49.9K

-1.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.39 ₩36.8K

$21.02 ₩28.2K

30.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ₩69.3K

$54.9 ₩73.7K

-6.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.15 ₩13.6K

$14.14 ₩19.0K

-28.22%

Cinema Ticket

$11.88 ₩15.9K

$11.14 ₩15.0K

6.64%

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

$638 ₩857.0K

$379 ₩508.8K

68.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K ₩29.9M

$22.2K ₩29.9M

0.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₩140.1K

$62.3 ₩83.7K

67.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 ₩87.4K

$61.0 ₩81.8K

6.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 ₩124.6K

$74.3 ₩99.8K

24.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₩174.6K

$100 ₩134.6K

29.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 ₩1.0M

$491 ₩659.2K

51.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 ₩782.5K

$350 ₩470.2K

66.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 ₩2.9M

$1,174 ₩1.6M

83.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,450 ₩1.9M

$757 ₩1.0M

91.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,485 ₩11.4M

$7,171 ₩9.6M

18.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,272 ₩4.4M

$5,431 ₩7.3M

-39.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,826 ₩3.8M

$1,146 ₩1.5M

146.70%

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 Seogwipo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Busan

$583 31.6%

Seogwipo

$350 24.6% 39.9% $233

Groceries & Markets

Busan

$489 26.6%

Seogwipo

$428 30% 12.6% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busan

$270 14.7%

Seogwipo

$264 18.6% 2.1% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Busan

$177 9.6%

Seogwipo

$134 9.4% 24.1% $42

Eating Out

Busan

$166 9%

Seogwipo

$159 11.2% 4.1% $6.8

Getting Around

Busan

$82 4.5%

Seogwipo

$11 * 0.8% 86.4% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Busan

$75 4.1%

Seogwipo

$77 5.4% 2.5% $1.9

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 $491 in Seogwipo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $49 in Busan vs $36 in Seogwipo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $489 vs $428 per month, with Seogwipo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Busan

🇰🇷 Seogwipo

🕒 Local time

07:12 7:12 AM

Same time as Busan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

155,641

💱 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 Seogwipo 320 km

From you

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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 Seogwipo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seogwipo wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Seogwipo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Busan is about 2.5 times higher, 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 $491 in Seogwipo. 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 $1,423 in Seogwipo – Seogwipo is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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