Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Seongnam

For one person, living is cheaper in Seongnam: $1,418 a month against $1,842 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Busan
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Busan Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Seongnam
Learn more

Seongnam Living Index

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Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,842

/mo nomad

Seongnam

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,418

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan and in Seongnam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,842 in Busan versus $1,418 in Seongnam.

Busan $1,842
Seongnam $1,418

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,019 in Busan versus $2,361 in Seongnam.

Busan $3,019
Seongnam $2,361

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,196 in Busan versus $3,305 in Seongnam.

Busan $4,196
Seongnam $3,305

Living in Busan is roughly 30% more expensive than in Seongnam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Busan 35% above, Seongnam 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.69 ₩10.3K

$6.95 ₩9,271

10.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.41 ₩65.9K

$41.62 ₩55.5K

18.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 ₩8,846

$6.83 ₩9,112

-2.93%

Cappuccino

$3.68 ₩4,906

$4.03 ₩5,372

-8.68%

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

$1.86 ₩2,476

$1.56 ₩2,077

19.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 ₩1,859

$0.76 ₩1,008

82.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.73 ₩4,980

$3.53 ₩4,709

5.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₩5,879

$3.81 ₩5,079

15.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ₩3,012

$2.31 ₩3,081

-2.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,335

$3.18 ₩4,244

2.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.11 ₩4,144

$3.71 ₩4,945

-16.17%

Eggs

$2.67 ₩3,558

$3.67 ₩4,890

-27.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ₩14.9K

$9.13 ₩12.2K

22.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.70 ₩14.3K

$8.04 ₩10.7K

33.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.98 ₩33.3K

$20.41 ₩27.2K

22.39%

Apples (1kg)

$11.16 ₩14.9K

$7.56 ₩10.1K

47.62%

Banana (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,789

$3.56 ₩4,747

0.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.17 ₩10.9K

$5.65 ₩7,532

44.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.11 ₩8,143

$6.81 ₩9,088

-10.28%

Potato (1kg)

$6.20 ₩8,267

$3.76 ₩5,008

64.89%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 ₩4,435

$2.62 ₩3,498

27.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 ₩3,844

$2.93 ₩3,911

-1.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₩1,720

$1.35 ₩1,795

-4.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.46 ₩4,611

$3.48 ₩4,638

-0.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.56 ₩24.7K

$18.94 ₩25.3K

-2.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,226

$2.10 ₩2,798

15.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₩4,793

$1.93 ₩2,571

86.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₩1,527

$1.09 ₩1,452

5.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 ₩94.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,736

$3.65 ₩4,864

-2.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 ₩980

$0.67 ₩892

8.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.97 ₩22.6K

$8.76 ₩11.7K

93.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₩1,890

$1.39 ₩1,855

2.16%

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

$39.9K ₩53.3M

$30.0K ₩40.0M

33.23%

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

$33.9K ₩45.2M

$28.1K ₩37.4M

20.90%

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

$206 ₩274.3K

$215 ₩286.6K

-4.28%

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

$36.67 ₩48.9K

$36.76 ₩49.0K

-0.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.39 ₩36.5K

$21.23 ₩28.3K

29.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ₩68.8K

$55.1 ₩73.4K

-6.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.15 ₩13.5K

$14.12 ₩18.8K

-28.12%

Cinema Ticket

$11.88 ₩15.8K

$11.38 ₩15.2K

4.39%

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

$638 ₩851.1K

$379 ₩505.6K

68.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K ₩29.7M

$18.1K ₩24.1M

23.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₩139.2K

$57.7 ₩76.9K

80.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 ₩86.8K

$32.54 ₩43.4K

100.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 ₩123.7K

$71.4 ₩95.2K

29.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₩173.4K

$84.4 ₩112.6K

54.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 ₩994.5K

$488 ₩650.4K

52.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 ₩777.1K

$360 ₩480.4K

61.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 ₩2.9M

$1,158 ₩1.5M

85.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,450 ₩1.9M

$1,046 ₩1.4M

38.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,485 ₩11.3M

$7,247 ₩9.7M

17.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,272 ₩4.4M

$5,589 ₩7.5M

-41.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,826 ₩3.8M

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: October 27, 2026

Last update for Seongnam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Busan

$583 31.6%

Seongnam

$360 25.4% 38.2% $223

Groceries & Markets

Busan

$489 26.6%

Seongnam

$426 30% 13% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busan

$270 14.7%

Seongnam

$273 19.3% 1.2% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Busan

$177 9.6%

Seongnam

$111 7.8% 37.3% $66

Eating Out

Busan

$166 9%

Seongnam

$159 11.2% 4.3% $7.1

Getting Around

Busan

$82 4.5%

Seongnam

$11 * 0.8% 86.2% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Busan

$75 4.1%

Seongnam

$78 5.5% 3.3% $2.5

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 $488 in Seongnam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49 in Busan vs $42 in Seongnam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $489 vs $426 per month, with Seongnam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Busan

🇰🇷 Seongnam

🕒 Local time

16:02 4:02 PM

Same time as Busan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

967,510

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Busan Seongnam 300 km

From you

Busan
Seongnam

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 Seongnam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $2,763 in Busan and $2,127 in Seongnam 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: $746 in Busan versus $488 in Seongnam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% 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 $1,418 in Seongnam – Seongnam is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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