Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Uijeongbu

For one person, living is cheaper in Uijeongbu: $1,239 a month against $1,842 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Busan
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Busan Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Uijeongbu
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Uijeongbu Living Index

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Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,842

/mo nomad

Uijeongbu

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,239

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan and in Uijeongbu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,842 in Busan versus $1,239 in Uijeongbu.

Busan $1,842
Uijeongbu $1,239

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,019 in Busan versus $1,889 in Uijeongbu.

Busan $3,019
Uijeongbu $1,889

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,196 in Busan versus $2,538 in Uijeongbu.

Busan $4,196
Uijeongbu $2,538

Living in Busan is roughly 49% more expensive than in Uijeongbu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Busan is 35% above, Uijeongbu is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.69 ₩10.3K

$6.64 ₩8,913

15.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.41 ₩66.3K

$34.36 ₩46.1K

43.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 ₩8,907

$6.66 ₩8,950

-0.45%

Cappuccino

$3.68 ₩4,941

$3.72 ₩5,000

-1.08%

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

$1.86 ₩2,494

$1.54 ₩2,075

20.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 ₩1,872

$0.75 ₩1,001

85.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.73 ₩5,014

$3.55 ₩4,761

5.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₩5,920

$4.45 ₩5,970

-0.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ₩3,033

$2.05 ₩2,747

10.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,365

$3.15 ₩4,228

3.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.11 ₩4,173

$2.25 ₩3,028

38.22%

Eggs

$2.67 ₩3,583

$3.32 ₩4,457

-19.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ₩15.0K

$15.46 ₩20.8K

-27.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.70 ₩14.4K

$7.91 ₩10.6K

35.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.98 ₩33.5K

$11.49 ₩15.4K

117.41%

Apples (1kg)

$11.16 ₩15.0K

$7.62 ₩10.2K

46.46%

Banana (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,822

$3.26 ₩4,378

10.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.17 ₩11.0K

$5.67 ₩7,610

44.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.11 ₩8,199

$6.17 ₩8,291

-0.97%

Potato (1kg)

$6.20 ₩8,324

$3.59 ₩4,823

72.70%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 ₩4,466

$2.37 ₩3,184

40.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 ₩3,870

$2.05 ₩2,752

40.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₩1,732

$1.16 ₩1,562

11.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.46 ₩4,643

$3.41 ₩4,576

1.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.56 ₩24.9K

$18.92 ₩25.4K

-1.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$2.27 ₩3,048

6.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₩4,826

$3.23 ₩4,335

11.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₩1,538

$1.14 ₩1,534

0.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 ₩94.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,769

$3.51 ₩4,712

1.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 ₩986

$0.59 ₩797

23.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.97 ₩22.8K

$9.13 ₩12.3K

85.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₩1,903

$1.40 ₩1,880

1.43%

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

$39.9K ₩53.6M

$29.5K ₩39.6M

35.47%

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

$33.9K ₩45.6M

$28.2K ₩37.9M

20.28%

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

$206 ₩276.2K

$210 ₩282.2K

-2.11%

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

$36.67 ₩49.2K

$34.87 ₩46.8K

5.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.39 ₩36.8K

$21.08 ₩28.3K

29.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ₩69.3K

$53.6 ₩71.9K

-3.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.15 ₩13.6K

$13.84 ₩18.6K

-26.66%

Cinema Ticket

$11.88 ₩15.9K

$11.16 ₩15.0K

6.45%

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

$638 ₩857.0K

$373 ₩501.0K

71.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K ₩29.9M

$18.1K ₩24.3M

23.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₩140.1K

$59.2 ₩79.5K

76.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 ₩87.4K

$32.30 ₩43.4K

101.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 ₩124.6K

$71.3 ₩95.8K

30.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₩174.6K

$81.3 ₩109.2K

59.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 ₩1.0M

$267 ₩358.4K

179.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 ₩782.5K

$224 ₩300.3K

160.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 ₩2.9M

$487 ₩653.8K

341.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,450 ₩1.9M

$411 ₩552.0K

252.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,485 ₩11.4M

$7,146 ₩9.6M

18.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,272 ₩4.4M

$5,504 ₩7.4M

-40.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,826 ₩3.8M

$2,265 ₩3.0M

24.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

4.08

3.43%

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

Last update for Busan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Uijeongbu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Busan

$583 31.6%

Uijeongbu

$224 18.1% 61.6% $359

Groceries & Markets

Busan

$489 26.6%

Uijeongbu

$399 32.2% 18.4% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busan

$270 14.7%

Uijeongbu

$266 21.5% 1.4% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Busan

$177 9.6%

Uijeongbu

$110 8.9% 37.8% $67

Eating Out

Busan

$166 9%

Uijeongbu

$154 12.4% 7.5% $13

Getting Around

Busan

$82 4.5%

Uijeongbu

$11 * 0.9% 86.6% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Busan

$75 4.1%

Uijeongbu

$76 6.1% 0.8% $0.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $746 in Busan and $267 in Uijeongbu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 25% 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: $49 in Busan vs $34 in Uijeongbu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $489 vs $399 per month, with Uijeongbu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Busan

🇰🇷 Uijeongbu

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

Same time as Busan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

463,077

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Busan Uijeongbu 340 km

From you

Busan
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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 Uijeongbu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Uijeongbu wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Uijeongbu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 25% 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: $746 in Busan versus $267 in Uijeongbu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Busan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,842 per month in Busan versus $1,239 in Uijeongbu – Uijeongbu is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

For families, Uijeongbu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Busan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Busan and Uijeongbu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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