Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,292 a month against $1,798 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Busan
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Busan Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,798

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,292

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan and in Tbilisi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,798 in Busan versus $1,292 in Tbilisi.

Busan $1,798
Tbilisi $1,292

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,951 in Busan versus $2,041 in Tbilisi.

Busan $2,951
Tbilisi $2,041

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,104 in Busan versus $2,789 in Tbilisi.

Busan $4,104
Tbilisi $2,789

Living in Busan is roughly 39% more expensive than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Busan is 34% above, Tbilisi is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.67 ₩10.2K

$11.61 ₾29.99

-33.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.50 ₩66.1K

$39.31 ₾102

25.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.60 ₩8,820

$9.66 ₾24.96

-31.68%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ₩4,989

$3.59 ₾9.28

3.90%

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

$1.77 ₩2,368

$1.08 ₾2.79

63.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 ₩1,877

$0.62 ₾1.61

125.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 ₩5,073

$2.84 ₾7.35

33.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 ₩5,839

$3.12 ₾8.06

40.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 ₩3,059

$2.21 ₾5.72

3.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 ₩4,198

$0.74 ₾1.91

324.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 ₩4,164

$1.82 ₾4.71

71.43%

Eggs

$2.62 ₩3,496

$2.69 ₾6.95

-2.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 ₩14.7K

$9.21 ₾23.79

19.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.40 ₩13.9K

$6.93 ₾17.92

50.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.69 ₩33.0K

$12.90 ₾33.33

91.40%

Apples (1kg)

$11.01 ₩14.7K

$1.64 ₾4.25

571.34%

Banana (1kg)

$3.69 ₩4,935

$1.85 ₾4.79

99.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.33 ₩11.1K

$1.88 ₾4.87

343.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.01 ₩8,029

$2.51 ₾6.49

139.44%

Potato (1kg)

$6.12 ₩8,181

$0.75 ₾1.93

716.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 ₩4,467

$0.74 ₾1.91

351.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.76 ₩3,685

$1.36 ₾3.51

102.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₩1,793

$0.78 ₾2.00

71.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.32 ₩4,438

$3.52 ₾9.10

-5.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.81 ₩25.1K

$7.76 ₾20.05

142.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₩3,177

$1.66 ₾4.28

43.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ₩4,905

$2.34 ₾6.04

56.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₩1,535

$0.38 ₾0.97

202.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.6 ₩91.6K

$15.65 ₾40.43

338.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 ₩4,822

$1.18 ₾3.05

205.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩845

$0.79 ₾2.04

-20.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.96 ₩20.0K

$11.84 ₾30.59

26.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₩1,908

$1.49 ₾3.85

-4.03%

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

$39.8K ₩53.2M

$24.6K ₾63.5K

61.98%

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

$33.1K ₩44.2M

$22.4K ₾57.9K

47.36%

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

$197 ₩262.8K

$87.8 ₾227

124.08%

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

$36.58 ₩48.9K

$13.07 ₾33.78

179.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.77 ₩35.8K

$19.13 ₾49.43

39.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.05 ₩56.2K

$72.8 ₾188

-42.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.18 ₩13.6K

$18.15 ₾46.89

-43.91%

Cinema Ticket

$11.89 ₩15.9K

$6.57 ₾16.98

80.97%

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

$639 ₩853.1K

$382 ₾986

67.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K ₩29.5M

$9,073 ₾23.4K

143.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 ₩141.1K

$103 ₾267

2.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.1 ₩88.2K

$40.24 ₾104

64.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 ₩125.0K

$116 ₾300

-19.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 ₩168.9K

$122 ₾316

3.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 ₩991.9K

$707 ₾1,827

4.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 ₩752.7K

$465 ₾1,202

21.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,181 ₩2.9M

$1,324 ₾3,421

64.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 ₩1.9M

$906 ₾2,340

54.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,334 ₩7.1M

$2,310 ₾5,967

130.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,295 ₩4.4M

$1,340 ₾3,463

145.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,595 ₩3.5M

$731 ₾1,888

255.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

12.53

-66.32%

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

Last update for Busan: November 9, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: November 8, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Busan

$563 31.3%

Tbilisi

$465 36% 17.4% $98

Groceries & Markets

Busan

$486 27%

Tbilisi

$235 18.2% 51.6% $251

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busan

$260 14.5%

Tbilisi

$120 9.3% 53.9% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Busan

$176 9.8%

Tbilisi

$172 13.3% 2.5% $4.3

Eating Out

Busan

$166 9.3%

Tbilisi

$192 14.9% 15.5% $26

Getting Around

Busan

$80 4.5%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 72.1% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Busan

$66 3.7%

Tbilisi

$86 6.7% 30.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Busan and $707 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $49 in Busan vs $39 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $486 vs $235 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Busan

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

11:57 11:57 AM

06:57 6:57 AM

5 h behind Busan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 12, 2026: 1 USD = 1,336 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,488 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 12, 2026: 1 USD = 2.58 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Busan Tbilisi 7,080 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Busan
Tbilisi

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 Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tbilisi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Busan is about 3.6 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: $742 in Busan versus $707 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 77% less than in Busan. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $639 in Busan versus $382 in Tbilisi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Tbilisi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Busan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.