Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Yaren

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaren: $531 a month against $1,627 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Busan
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Busan Living Index
135

Cost of Living Index in Yaren
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Yaren Living Index

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Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,627

/mo nomad

Yaren

🇳🇷 Nauru

$531

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busan and in Yaren

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,627 in Busan versus $531 in Yaren.

Busan $1,627
Yaren $531

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,557 in Busan versus $2,918 in Yaren.

Busan $2,557
Yaren $2,918

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,486 in Busan versus $5,305 in Yaren.

Busan $3,486
Yaren $5,305

Living in Busan is roughly 207% more expensive than in Yaren, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Busan is 21% above, Yaren is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.25 ₩9,741

$10.72 A$15.40

-32.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.28 ₩64.8K

$24.65 A$35.41

95.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.47 ₩8,684

Cappuccino

$3.65 ₩4,899

$3.52 A$5.06

3.69%

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

$1.77 ₩2,378

$1.03 A$1.48

71.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 ₩1,870

$1.07 A$1.54

29.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 ₩5,149

$7.08 A$10.17

-45.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 ₩5,870

$5.00 A$7.18

-12.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 ₩3,114

$3.10 A$4.46

-25.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 ₩4,383

$1.74 A$2.50

87.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.11 ₩4,177

Eggs

$2.62 ₩3,514

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.18 ₩15.0K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 ₩13.9K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.03 ₩33.6K

Apples (1kg)

$11.02 ₩14.8K

Banana (1kg)

$3.54 ₩4,749

Oranges (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.6K

Tomato (1kg)

$5.85 ₩7,863

Potato (1kg)

$5.88 ₩7,901

$3.41 A$4.89

72.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 ₩4,556

$3.45 A$4.95

-1.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 ₩3,665

$3.52 A$5.06

-22.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 ₩1,775

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 ₩4,469

Wine (Bottle)

$18.44 ₩24.8K

$17.72 A$25.46

4.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₩3,191

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₩4,668

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,592

$1.43 A$2.05

-16.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.1 ₩79.4K

$87.2 A$125

-32.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ₩4,839

$7.01 A$10.07

-48.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 ₩964

$3.55 A$5.10

-79.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.66 ₩22.4K

$42.35 A$60.8

-60.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,830

$1.70 A$2.44

-20.00%

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

$29.8K ₩40.1M

$34.8K A$49.9K

-14.15%

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

$33.8K ₩45.4M

$10.4K A$15.0K

224.20%

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

$196 ₩263.8K

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

$36.52 ₩49.1K

$7.00 A$10.05

421.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.50 ₩36.9K

$27.63 A$39.69

-0.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.5 ₩83.9K

$0.01 A$0.02

624400.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.62 ₩12.9K

$13.90 A$19.97

-30.79%

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 ₩16.2K

$7.17 A$10.29

67.92%

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

$637 ₩855.9K

$347 A$499

83.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K ₩29.0M

$10.6K A$15.2K

103.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 ₩142.6K

$14.17 A$20.36

649.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.6 ₩88.0K

$10.66 A$15.31

514.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.5 ₩126.9K

$34.98 A$50.2

170.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 ₩172.1K

$69.6 A$100.0

84.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 ₩985.6K

$2,828 A$4,062

-74.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 ₩489.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 ₩1.8M

$5,101 A$7,327

-73.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$701 ₩941.6K

$4,267 A$6,129

-83.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.0K ₩13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,421 ₩8.6M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,841 ₩3.8M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

5.50%

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

Last update for Busan: October 4, 2026

Last update for Yaren: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Busan

$483 30.1%

Yaren

$115 * 22.1% 76.2% $368

Accommodation & Living

Busan

$365 22.7%

Yaren

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busan

$260 16.2%

Yaren

$35 * 6.6% 86.7% $226

Clothing & Footwear

Busan

$177 11.1%

Yaren

$58 11.2% 67.2% $119

Eating Out

Busan

$162 10.1%

Yaren

$182 * 34.8% 12.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Busan

$87 5.4%

Yaren

$14 2.8% 83.4% $72

Getting Around

Busan

$71 4.4%

Yaren

$118 22.6% 65.6% $47

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 $734 in Busan and $2,828 in Yaren. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48.00 in Busan vs $25.00 in Yaren for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $483 vs $115 per month, with Yaren cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Busan

🇳🇷 Yaren

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

18:30 6:30 PM

3 h ahead of Busan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

1,100 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, 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).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Busan Yaren 5,580 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Busan
Yaren

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 Yaren: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yaren wins on cost – living expenses run 207% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Yaren the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,441 in Busan and $796 in Yaren to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $734 in Busan versus $2,828 in Yaren. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Yaren runs roughly 48% 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 $347 in Yaren. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $531 in Yaren versus $1,627 in Busan, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yaren but tight or insufficient in Busan. The gap between the two cities makes Yaren 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 Yaren 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 Yaren gentler on the wallet – expenses run 207% less than in Busan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.