Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,369 a month against $1,798 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index

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Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,798

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,369

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan and in Ubud, Bali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,798 in Busan versus $1,369 in Ubud, Bali.

Busan $1,798
Ubud, Bali $1,369

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,951 in Busan versus $2,302 in Ubud, Bali.

Busan $2,951
Ubud, Bali $2,302

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,104 in Busan versus $3,236 in Ubud, Bali.

Busan $4,104
Ubud, Bali $3,236

Living in Busan is roughly 31% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Busan 34% above, Ubud, Bali 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.67 ₩10.2K

$3.37 Rp 61.4K

127.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.50 ₩66.0K

$34.50 Rp 628.7K

43.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.60 ₩8,809

$5.69 Rp 103.7K

15.99%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ₩4,982

$2.72 Rp 49.6K

37.13%

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

$1.77 ₩2,365

$1.56 Rp 28.4K

13.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 ₩1,875

$0.63 Rp 11.5K

122.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 ₩5,066

$2.71 Rp 49.5K

40.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 ₩5,832

$4.33 Rp 78.9K

0.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 ₩3,056

$1.48 Rp 27.0K

54.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 ₩4,192

$2.29 Rp 41.7K

37.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 ₩4,159

$1.09 Rp 19.9K

186.24%

Eggs

$2.62 ₩3,492

$2.07 Rp 37.8K

26.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 ₩14.7K

$15.73 Rp 286.7K

-30.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.40 ₩13.9K

$4.04 Rp 73.7K

157.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.69 ₩32.9K

$11.21 Rp 204.3K

120.25%

Apples (1kg)

$11.01 ₩14.7K

$3.67 Rp 66.8K

200.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.69 ₩4,929

$1.58 Rp 28.8K

133.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.33 ₩11.1K

$2.35 Rp 42.8K

254.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.01 ₩8,019

$1.98 Rp 36.1K

203.54%

Potato (1kg)

$6.12 ₩8,171

$1.87 Rp 34.2K

227.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 ₩4,461

$2.38 Rp 43.4K

40.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.76 ₩3,681

$1.02 Rp 18.7K

170.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₩1,791

$0.53 Rp 9,679

152.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.32 ₩4,433

$2.21 Rp 40.2K

50.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.81 ₩25.1K

$21.60 Rp 393.7K

-12.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₩3,173

$2.38 Rp 43.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ₩4,899

$2.89 Rp 52.7K

26.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₩1,534

$0.23 Rp 4,171

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.6 ₩91.5K

$9.73 Rp 177.4K

604.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 ₩4,816

$0.44 Rp 8,029

720.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩844

$0.47 Rp 8,499

34.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.96 ₩20.0K

$5.61 Rp 102.2K

166.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₩1,906

$0.89 Rp 16.3K

60.67%

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

$39.8K ₩53.1M

$24.5K Rp 445.9M

62.74%

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

$33.1K ₩44.1M

$32.3K Rp 588.0M

2.45%

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

$197 ₩262.5K

$77.1 Rp 1.4M

155.29%

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

$36.58 ₩48.8K

$6.43 Rp 117.2K

468.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.77 ₩35.7K

$19.33 Rp 352.3K

38.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.05 ₩56.1K

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-46.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.18 ₩13.6K

$18.70 Rp 340.7K

-45.56%

Cinema Ticket

$11.89 ₩15.9K

$4.28 Rp 78.1K

177.80%

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

$639 ₩852.1K

$488 Rp 8.9M

30.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K ₩29.4M

$12.4K Rp 225.9M

78.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 ₩140.9K

$45.14 Rp 822.6K

133.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.1 ₩88.1K

$35.54 Rp 647.7K

85.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 ₩124.9K

$78.8 Rp 1.4M

18.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 ₩168.7K

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

62.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 ₩990.7K

$1,093 Rp 19.9M

-32.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 ₩751.8K

$670 Rp 12.2M

-15.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,181 ₩2.9M

$3,476 Rp 63.4M

-37.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 ₩1.9M

$1,661 Rp 30.3M

-15.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,334 ₩7.1M

$2,381 Rp 43.4M

124.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,295 ₩4.4M

$2,186 Rp 39.8M

50.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,595 ₩3.5M

$165 Rp 3.0M

1468.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

13.78

-69.38%

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

Last update for Busan: November 9, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Busan

$563 31.3%

Ubud, Bali

$670 49% 19% $107

Groceries & Markets

Busan

$486 27%

Ubud, Bali

$280 20.5% 42.3% $206

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busan

$260 14.5%

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.5% 60.5% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Busan

$176 9.8%

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.8% 39.4% $70

Eating Out

Busan

$166 9.3%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 35.3% $59

Getting Around

Busan

$80 4.5%

Ubud, Bali

$13 1% 83.2% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Busan

$66 3.7%

Ubud, Bali

$88 6.4% 33.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Busan and $1,093 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays about 16 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $49 in Busan vs $34 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $486 vs $280 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Busan

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

11:33 11:33 AM

10:33 10:33 AM

1 h behind Busan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

74,800

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.75 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.49 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,481 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.75 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 13, 2026: 1 USD = 18,225 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.49 USD). 1 EUR = 20,223 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Busan Ubud, Bali 5,070 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Busan
Ubud, Bali

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 Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Busan is about 16 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 $1,093 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 86% less than in Busan. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $639 in Busan versus $488 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

It comes down to priorities – Ubud, Bali wins on affordability, Busan on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.