Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Seoul Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Seoul

🙂 Solo nomad: Busan is 2.9% cheaper than Seoul without rent, and 16.9% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Busan is 7.4% cheaper than Seoul without rent, and 22.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.15 ₩10.5K

$9 ₩13.2K

-20.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.1 ₩53.1K

$54.4 ₩80.1K

-33.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.1 ₩8,979

$6.18 ₩9,088

-1.29%

Cappuccino

$4.15 ₩6,108

$3.95 ₩5,812

5.06%

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

$1.8 ₩2,645

$1.67 ₩2,462

7.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 ₩2,025

$0.81 ₩1,188

70.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 ₩5,238

$3.63 ₩5,337

-1.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 ₩8,819

$6.04 ₩8,881

-0.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 ₩3,428

$2.26 ₩3,321

3.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.63 ₩5,345

$3.44 ₩5,059

5.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3 ₩4,412

$3.13 ₩4,608

-4.15%

Eggs

$2.95 ₩4,341

$3.21 ₩4,718

-8.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₩15.4K

$14.12 ₩20.8K

-25.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.42 ₩12.4K

$10.92 ₩16.1K

-22.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.91 ₩41.1K

$34.36 ₩50.6K

-18.77%

Apples (1kg)

$8.2 ₩12.1K

$7.92 ₩11.7K

3.54%

Banana (1kg)

$3.2 ₩4,711

$3.59 ₩5,279

-10.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.32 ₩10.8K

$5.51 ₩8,101

32.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 ₩7,552

$6.69 ₩9,847

-23.32%

Potato (1kg)

$5.16 ₩7,597

$4 ₩5,880

29.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 ₩4,489

$2.97 ₩4,367

2.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 ₩2,971

$2.59 ₩3,807

-22.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.2 ₩1,761

$1.31 ₩1,929

-8.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.34 ₩4,915

$3.26 ₩4,791

2.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.1 ₩25.2K

$19.99 ₩29.4K

-14.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ₩2,594

$2.47 ₩3,632

-28.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.3 ₩4,852

$3.22 ₩4,738

2.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 ₩1,635

$1.12 ₩1,646

-0.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.24 ₩65.1K

$46.65 ₩68.6K

-5.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 ₩5,266

$3.49 ₩5,137

2.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₩1,253

$0.57 ₩844

49.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.84 ₩24.8K

$8.84 ₩13K

90.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ₩1,732

$1.23 ₩1,815

-4.07%

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

$27.6K ₩40.6M

$27.3K ₩40.1M

1.15%

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

$24.9K ₩36.7M

$25.1K ₩37M

-0.89%

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

$192 ₩281.8K

$163 ₩239.3K

17.76%

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

$50.4 ₩74.1K

$35.23 ₩51.8K

42.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.21 ₩40K

$22.59 ₩33.2K

20.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 ₩77.9K

$57.7 ₩84.9K

-8.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.02 ₩19.2K

$23.49 ₩34.6K

-44.57%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩16.8K

$10.92 ₩16.1K

4.58%

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

$485 ₩713.6K

$407 ₩598.8K

19.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14K ₩20.6M

$23.5K ₩34.5M

-40.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₩150.5K

$58.8 ₩86.5K

74.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.4 ₩97.8K

$47.15 ₩69.4K

40.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.3 ₩128.4K

$79.5 ₩116.9K

9.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 ₩171.1K

$118 ₩172.9K

-1.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$516 ₩759.2K

$941 ₩1.4M

-45.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 ₩467.2K

$597 ₩877.9K

-46.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₩1.5M

$2,598 ₩3.8M

-60.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$657 ₩966.8K

$1,338 ₩2M

-50.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,704 ₩12.8M

$21.9K ₩32.3M

-60.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,101 ₩10.4M

$11.7K ₩17.2M

-39.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,436 ₩3.6M

$3,211 ₩4.7M

-24.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

4.14

1.93%

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

Last update for Busan: November 30, 2025

Last update for Seoul: November 29, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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