Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Seoul Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Seoul
😐 Solo nomad: Busan is 0.5% more expensive than Seoul without rent, and 18% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Busan is 6.4% cheaper than Seoul without rent, and 27% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Busan
Seoul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.28 ₩9,881
$8.56 ₩11.6K
-14.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.97 ₩50.2K
$55.3 ₩75.1K
-33.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.08 ₩8,247
$6.5 ₩8,813
-6.46%
Cappuccino
$4.19 ₩5,689
$3.85 ₩5,220
8.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 ₩2,481
$1.72 ₩2,332
6.40%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 ₩1,873
$0.85 ₩1,147
62.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.77 ₩5,117
$3.77 ₩5,120
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.77 ₩7,831
$5.94 ₩8,061
-2.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Busan
Seoul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.23 ₩3,027
$2.17 ₩2,942
2.76%
White Bread (500g)
$3.5 ₩4,753
$3.45 ₩4,680
1.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.96 ₩4,015
$3.21 ₩4,358
-7.79%
Eggs
$2.86 ₩3,880
$3.21 ₩4,357
-10.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.53 ₩14.3K
$14.53 ₩19.7K
-27.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.15 ₩11.1K
$10.93 ₩14.8K
-25.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$27.89 ₩37.8K
$33.61 ₩45.6K
-17.02%
Apples (1kg)
$8.24 ₩11.2K
$8.01 ₩10.9K
2.87%
Banana (1kg)
$3.21 ₩4,360
$3.52 ₩4,775
-8.81%
Oranges (1kg)
$7.52 ₩10.2K
$5.45 ₩7,393
37.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.37 ₩7,281
$6.42 ₩8,710
-16.36%
Potato (1kg)
$4.99 ₩6,775
$3.95 ₩5,357
26.33%
Onion (1kg)
$3.02 ₩4,103
$2.83 ₩3,844
6.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.11 ₩2,868
$2.52 ₩3,414
-16.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 ₩1,553
$1.34 ₩1,812
-14.93%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.32 ₩4,510
$3.34 ₩4,527
-0.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.48 ₩19.6K
$21.07 ₩28.6K
-31.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 ₩2,316
$2.36 ₩3,203
-27.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 ₩4,487
$3.36 ₩4,562
-1.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Busan
Seoul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 ₩1,593
$1.08 ₩1,469
8.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.94 ₩59.6K
$46.76 ₩63.4K
-6.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.61 ₩4,902
$3.45 ₩4,678
4.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.86 ₩1,165
$0.57 ₩772
50.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.68 ₩22.6K
$8.73 ₩11.8K
91.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.22 ₩1,658
$1.2 ₩1,631
1.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.8K ₩37.8M
$27.3K ₩37.1M
1.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.1K ₩34M
$24.8K ₩33.7M
0.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Busan
Seoul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$188 ₩255.4K
$162 ₩220K
16.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$49.47 ₩67.1K
$34.82 ₩47.2K
42.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.46 ₩37.3K
$21.8 ₩29.6K
25.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Busan
Seoul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.4 ₩72.5K
$57.9 ₩78.6K
-7.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.07 ₩17.7K
$23.12 ₩31.4K
-43.47%
Cinema Ticket
$11.4 ₩15.5K
$10.81 ₩14.7K
5.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Busan
Seoul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$499 ₩677.6K
$414 ₩562K
20.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.3K ₩19.5M
$23.7K ₩32.1M
-39.46%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Busan
Seoul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$105 ₩142.3K
$58.7 ₩79.7K
78.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66 ₩89.6K
$46.97 ₩63.7K
40.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.6 ₩117.4K
$80.1 ₩108.7K
8.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 ₩161.3K
$118 ₩159.5K
1.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Busan
Seoul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$514 ₩697K
$954 ₩1.3M
-46.18%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$318 ₩431.2K
$582 ₩789.9K
-45.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,011 ₩1.4M
$2,591 ₩3.5M
-60.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$663 ₩900.2K
$1,328 ₩1.8M
-50.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,986 ₩12.2M
$22.8K ₩30.9M
-60.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,040 ₩9.6M
$12.4K ₩16.8M
-43.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Busan
Seoul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,350 ₩3.2M
$3,227 ₩4.4M
-27.16%
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.
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