Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Suva

For one person, living is cheaper in Suva: $927 a month against $1,627 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Busan
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Busan Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Suva
Learn more

Suva Living Index

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Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,627

/mo nomad

Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan and in Suva

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,627 in Busan versus $927 in Suva.

Busan $1,627
Suva $927

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,557 in Busan versus $1,681 in Suva.

Busan $2,557
Suva $1,681

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,486 in Busan versus $2,435 in Suva.

Busan $3,486
Suva $2,435

Living in Busan is roughly 76% more expensive than in Suva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Busan is 21% above, Suva is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.25 ₩9,741

$5.72 FJD 12.81

26.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.28 ₩64.8K

$44.13 FJD 98.8

9.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.47 ₩8,684

$7.76 FJD 17.37

-16.62%

Cappuccino

$3.65 ₩4,899

$2.91 FJD 6.52

25.43%

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

$1.77 ₩2,378

$1.50 FJD 3.36

18.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 ₩1,870

$0.73 FJD 1.64

90.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 ₩5,149

$3.67 FJD 8.21

4.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 ₩5,870

$4.33 FJD 9.70

0.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 ₩3,114

$1.28 FJD 2.86

81.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 ₩4,383

$0.56 FJD 1.26

482.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.11 ₩4,177

$1.13 FJD 2.52

175.22%

Eggs

$2.62 ₩3,514

$3.39 FJD 7.60

-22.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.18 ₩15.0K

$10.04 FJD 22.48

11.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 ₩13.9K

$6.06 FJD 13.57

71.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.03 ₩33.6K

$7.82 FJD 17.50

220.08%

Apples (1kg)

$11.02 ₩14.8K

$2.47 FJD 5.54

346.15%

Banana (1kg)

$3.54 ₩4,749

$2.42 FJD 5.43

46.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.6K

$3.48 FJD 7.79

125.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.85 ₩7,863

$3.12 FJD 6.99

87.50%

Potato (1kg)

$5.88 ₩7,901

$1.22 FJD 2.72

381.97%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 ₩4,556

$1.07 FJD 2.39

216.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 ₩3,665

$1.22 FJD 2.73

123.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 ₩1,775

$0.73 FJD 1.64

80.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 ₩4,469

$9.66 FJD 21.62

-65.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.44 ₩24.8K

$7.33 FJD 16.41

151.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₩3,191

$2.07 FJD 4.64

14.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₩4,668

$3.43 FJD 7.69

1.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,592

$0.94 FJD 2.11

26.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.1 ₩79.4K

$22.37 FJD 50.1

164.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ₩4,839

$0.87 FJD 1.94

313.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 ₩964

$0.42 FJD 0.94

71.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.66 ₩22.4K

$8.95 FJD 20.04

86.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,830

$1.46 FJD 3.26

-6.85%

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

$29.8K ₩40.1M

$24.4K FJD 54.6K

22.26%

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

$33.8K ₩45.4M

$25.6K FJD 57.4K

31.84%

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

$196 ₩263.8K

$46.38 FJD 104

323.50%

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

$36.52 ₩49.1K

$12.79 FJD 28.65

185.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.50 ₩36.9K

$23.98 FJD 53.7

14.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.5 ₩83.9K

$36.85 FJD 82.5

69.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.62 ₩12.9K

$11.30 FJD 25.29

-14.87%

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 ₩16.2K

$3.43 FJD 7.68

251.02%

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

$637 ₩855.9K

$228 FJD 509

180.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K ₩29.0M

$13.4K FJD 30.0K

61.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 ₩142.6K

$33.19 FJD 74.3

219.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.6 ₩88.0K

$40.53 FJD 90.8

61.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.5 ₩126.9K

$68.9 FJD 154

37.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 ₩172.1K

$61.4 FJD 138

108.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 ₩985.6K

$891 FJD 1,995

-17.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 ₩489.9K

$330 FJD 740

10.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 ₩1.8M

$2,641 FJD 5,913

-49.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$701 ₩941.6K

$1,001 FJD 2,241

-29.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.0K ₩13.4M

$1,320 FJD 2,956

657.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,421 ₩8.6M

$818 FJD 1,832

684.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,841 ₩3.8M

$961 FJD 2,151

195.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

7.7

-45.19%

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

Last update for Busan: October 4, 2026

Last update for Suva: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Busan

$483 30.1%

Suva

$228 24.1% 52.8% $255

Accommodation & Living

Busan

$365 22.7%

Suva

$330 34.9% 9.4% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busan

$260 16.2%

Suva

$83 8.8% 68.1% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Busan

$177 11.1%

Suva

$92 9.7% 48.3% $86

Eating Out

Busan

$162 10.1%

Suva

$140 14.8% 13.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Busan

$87 5.4%

Suva

$44 4.6% 49.5% $43

Getting Around

Busan

$71 4.4%

Suva

$29 3.1% 59% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $734 in Busan and $891 in Suva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 196% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $48.00 in Busan vs $44.00 in Suva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $483 vs $228 per month, with Suva cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Busan

🇫🇯 Suva

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

18:00 6:00 PM

3 h ahead of Busan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

100,000 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Fijian Dollar FJD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.398 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

FJD, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.447 USD). 1 EUR = 2.51 FJD (1 FJD = 0.398 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Busan Suva 7,890 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Busan
Suva

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 Suva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suva wins on cost – living expenses run 76% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Suva the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 196% 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: $734 in Busan versus $891 in Suva. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Suva runs roughly 164% less than in Busan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $637 in Busan versus $228 in Suva. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $927 in Suva versus $1,627 in Busan, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Suva but tight or insufficient in Busan. The gap between the two cities makes Suva the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Busan and Suva are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Suva gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Busan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.