Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Ulsan

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulsan: $1,339 a month against $1,628 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Busan
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Busan Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Ulsan
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Ulsan Living Index

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Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,628

/mo nomad

Ulsan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,339

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan and in Ulsan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,628 in Busan versus $1,339 in Ulsan.

Busan $1,628
Ulsan $1,339

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,543 in Busan versus $2,185 in Ulsan.

Busan $2,543
Ulsan $2,185

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,457 in Busan versus $3,030 in Ulsan.

Busan $3,457
Ulsan $3,030

Living in Busan is roughly 22% more expensive than in Ulsan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Busan is 21% above, Ulsan is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.58 ₩10.1K

$7.62 ₩10.1K

-0.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.48 ₩65.8K

$44.63 ₩59.3K

10.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.56 ₩8,717

$5.93 ₩7,882

10.62%

Cappuccino

$3.67 ₩4,882

$3.32 ₩4,410

10.54%

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

$1.85 ₩2,459

$0.88 ₩1,175

110.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 ₩1,911

$0.47 ₩619

206.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 ₩5,008

$3.01 ₩4,006

25.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 ₩5,696

$4.38 ₩5,826

-2.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₩3,137

$2.36 ₩3,139

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 ₩4,340

$3.25 ₩4,315

0.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 ₩4,193

$3.16 ₩4,207

-0.32%

Eggs

$2.64 ₩3,509

$2.73 ₩3,634

-3.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.84 ₩14.4K

$10.88 ₩14.5K

-0.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₩14.1K

$10.63 ₩14.1K

-0.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.32 ₩33.7K

$24.54 ₩32.6K

3.18%

Apples (1kg)

$11.22 ₩14.9K

$11.39 ₩15.1K

-1.49%

Banana (1kg)

$3.64 ₩4,837

$3.74 ₩4,975

-2.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.21 ₩10.9K

$8.09 ₩10.8K

1.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.84 ₩7,763

$6.05 ₩8,048

-3.47%

Potato (1kg)

$5.89 ₩7,831

$6.01 ₩7,992

-2.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 ₩4,357

$3.26 ₩4,328

0.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 ₩3,696

$2.89 ₩3,844

-3.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₩1,707

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,458

$3.12 ₩4,154

7.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.91 ₩25.1K

$18.52 ₩24.6K

2.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 ₩3,181

$2.45 ₩3,264

-2.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₩4,679

$3.44 ₩4,577

2.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,515

$1.14 ₩1,511

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 ₩80.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 ₩4,759

$2.89 ₩3,849

23.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₩984

$0.78 ₩1,040

-5.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.18 ₩22.8K

$16.96 ₩22.6K

1.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ₩1,793

$1.43 ₩1,899

-5.59%

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

$29.1K ₩38.7M

$30.0K ₩39.9M

-3.07%

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

$33.1K ₩44.0M

$34.1K ₩45.4M

-3.05%

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

$202 ₩268.2K

$197 ₩261.8K

2.46%

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

$37.03 ₩49.2K

$37.06 ₩49.3K

-0.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.43 ₩36.5K

$27.21 ₩36.2K

0.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.2 ₩84.0K

$60.4 ₩80.3K

4.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.04 ₩13.4K

Cinema Ticket

$11.93 ₩15.9K

$10.30 ₩13.7K

15.83%

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

$639 ₩850.3K

$263 ₩349.3K

143.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K ₩29.2M

$22.0K ₩29.3M

-0.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₩136.9K

$51.5 ₩68.5K

99.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.7 ₩86.1K

$45.56 ₩60.6K

42.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 ₩123.4K

$61.0 ₩81.2K

52.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 ₩171.4K

$75.0 ₩99.7K

71.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 ₩946.6K

$373 ₩495.3K

91.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 ₩497.5K

$244 ₩324.7K

53.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 ₩1.7M

$761 ₩1.0M

71.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 ₩955.1K

$648 ₩861.8K

10.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,884 ₩13.1M

$4,483 ₩6.0M

120.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,279 ₩8.3M

$2,479 ₩3.3M

153.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,790 ₩3.7M

$2,331 ₩3.1M

19.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

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

Last update for Busan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ulsan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Busan

$488 30%

Ulsan

$489 36.5% 0.1% $0.5

Accommodation & Living

Busan

$374 23%

Ulsan

$244 18.2% 34.7% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busan

$266 16.4%

Ulsan

$261 19.5% 1.9% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Busan

$175 10.8%

Ulsan

$105 7.8% 40.1% $70

Eating Out

Busan

$165 10.1%

Ulsan

$148 11% 10.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Busan

$87 5.3%

Ulsan

$81 6.1% 6.9% $6

Getting Around

Busan

$73 4.5%

Ulsan

$11 * 0.9% 84.4% $61

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 $712 in Busan and $373 in Ulsan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 20% 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: $49.00 in Busan vs $45.00 in Ulsan. Groceries flip the comparison at $488 vs $489, with Busan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Busan

🇰🇷 Ulsan

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

Same time as Busan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

1,129,827

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Busan Ulsan 45 km

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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 Ulsan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulsan wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ulsan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 20% 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: $712 in Busan versus $373 in Ulsan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Busan pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,628 per month in Busan versus $1,339 in Ulsan – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,339 in Ulsan versus $1,628 in Busan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ulsan but tight or insufficient in Busan. The gap between the two cities makes Ulsan 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 Ulsan 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 Ulsan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Busan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.