Cost of Living Comparison Between Chungju and Busan Cost of Living Comparison Between Chungju and Busan

🙂 Solo nomad: Chungju is 20.1% cheaper than Busan without rent, and 1% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Chungju is 0.9% more expensive than Busan without rent, and 3.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chungju
Busan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.32 ₩9,929
$7.2 ₩9,768
1.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.27 ₩50.6K
$36.37 ₩49.3K
2.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.15 ₩8,344
$6.2 ₩8,418
-0.81%
Cappuccino
$4.2 ₩5,695
$4.16 ₩5,643
0.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.82 ₩2,468
$1.81 ₩2,461
0.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.33 ₩1,804
$1.39 ₩1,885
-4.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.61 ₩4,894
$3.6 ₩4,879
0.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 ₩7,795
$5.77 ₩7,828
-0.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chungju
Busan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.24 ₩3,040
$2.23 ₩3,027
0.45%
White Bread (500g)
$2.93 ₩3,970
$3.56 ₩4,830
-17.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.12 ₩4,233
$2.97 ₩4,027
5.05%
Eggs
$2.99 ₩4,060
$2.87 ₩3,898
4.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.55 ₩14.3K
$10.4 ₩14.1K
1.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.16 ₩9,711
$8.29 ₩11.2K
-13.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$27.71 ₩37.6K
$28.01 ₩38K
-1.07%
Apples (1kg)
$8.41 ₩11.4K
$8.24 ₩11.2K
2.06%
Banana (1kg)
$3.23 ₩4,382
$3.14 ₩4,267
2.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$7.47 ₩10.1K
$7.57 ₩10.3K
-1.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.13 ₩6,960
$5.31 ₩7,204
-3.39%
Potato (1kg)
$5.04 ₩6,844
$5 ₩6,786
0.80%
Onion (1kg)
$2.96 ₩4,015
$2.99 ₩4,061
-1.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.08 ₩2,821
$2.09 ₩2,837
-0.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 ₩1,558
$1.17 ₩1,584
-1.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.26 ₩4,419
$3.34 ₩4,535
-2.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.11 ₩19.2K
$13.92 ₩18.9K
1.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₩2,376
$1.75 ₩2,377
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 ₩3,879
$3.46 ₩4,695
-17.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Chungju
Busan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.07 ₩1,455
$1.12 ₩1,520
-4.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$43.34 ₩58.8K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.46 ₩4,698
$3.58 ₩4,854
-3.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.79 ₩1,072
$0.85 ₩1,160
-7.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.59 ₩22.5K
$16.71 ₩22.7K
-0.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.22 ₩1,657
$1.22 ₩1,658
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.5K ₩37.3M
$28.2K ₩38.3M
-2.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.6K ₩33.4M
$24.9K ₩33.7M
-0.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chungju
Busan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$186 ₩252.6K
$189 ₩256K
-1.31%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.48 ₩35.9K
$50.5 ₩68.5K
-47.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.03 ₩36.7K
$27.23 ₩36.9K
-0.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chungju
Busan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.46 ₩64.4K
$52.7 ₩71.4K
-9.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$13.41 ₩18.2K
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.35 ₩15.4K
$11.46 ₩15.6K
-0.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chungju
Busan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 ₩666.3K
$485 ₩658.4K
1.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.3K ₩19.3M
$14.3K ₩19.4M
-0.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chungju
Busan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$74 ₩100.3K
$104 ₩141K
-28.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.96 ₩50.1K
$65.1 ₩88.3K
-43.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.5 ₩101.1K
$88.6 ₩120.3K
-15.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 ₩146.7K
$119 ₩161.9K
-9.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chungju
Busan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$458 ₩621.6K
$500 ₩678.1K
-8.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$370 ₩502.4K
$319 ₩432.3K
16.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,082 ₩1.5M
$997 ₩1.4M
8.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$764 ₩1M
$665 ₩901.8K
14.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,188 ₩11.1M
$8,901 ₩12.1M
-8.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,562 ₩7.5M
$7,158 ₩9.7M
-22.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chungju
Busan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,549 ₩2.1M
$2,514 ₩3.4M
-38.38%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.22
4.22
-

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

Last update for Chungju: October 28, 2025

Last update for Busan: October 29, 2025

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.