Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chungju and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Chungju: $1,472 a month against $1,812 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Chungju
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Chungju Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Chungju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,472

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,812

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chungju and in Busan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chungju and in Busan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,472 in Chungju versus $1,812 in Busan.

Chungju $1,472
Busan $1,812

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,441 in Chungju versus $2,952 in Busan.

Chungju $2,441
Busan $2,952

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,411 in Chungju versus $4,091 in Busan.

Chungju $3,411
Busan $4,091

Living in Chungju costs roughly 19% less than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chungju 9% above, Busan 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.65 ₩10.3K

$7.34 ₩9,835

4.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.57 ₩65.1K

$48.83 ₩65.5K

-0.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.49 ₩8,706

$6.59 ₩8,830

-1.52%

Cappuccino

$3.71 ₩4,977

$3.75 ₩5,030

-1.07%

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

$1.84 ₩2,470

$1.78 ₩2,381

3.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 ₩1,849

$1.45 ₩1,937

-4.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.74 ₩5,014

$3.67 ₩4,921

1.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 ₩5,582

$4.33 ₩5,810

-3.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 ₩3,056

$2.32 ₩3,109

-1.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 ₩3,948

$3.24 ₩4,340

-9.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 ₩4,186

$3.07 ₩4,114

1.63%

Eggs

$2.70 ₩3,623

$2.71 ₩3,627

-0.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 ₩14.8K

$11.00 ₩14.7K

0.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.22 ₩9,680

$10.52 ₩14.1K

-31.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.09 ₩33.6K

$25.00 ₩33.5K

0.36%

Apples (1kg)

$9.09 ₩12.2K

$11.04 ₩14.8K

-17.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.64 ₩4,877

$3.65 ₩4,888

-0.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.21 ₩11.0K

$7.91 ₩10.6K

3.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.04 ₩8,095

$5.78 ₩7,754

4.50%

Potato (1kg)

$6.06 ₩8,120

$5.87 ₩7,869

3.24%

Onion (1kg)

$3.21 ₩4,308

$3.25 ₩4,362

-1.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 ₩3,824

$2.72 ₩3,643

4.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 ₩1,769

$1.26 ₩1,693

4.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.25 ₩4,356

$3.31 ₩4,436

-1.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.65 ₩25.0K

$18.92 ₩25.4K

-1.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,251

$2.42 ₩3,245

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₩3,903

$3.64 ₩4,877

-20.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,509

$1.18 ₩1,580

-4.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.1 ₩91.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 ₩4,729

$3.60 ₩4,832

-1.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 ₩909

$0.66 ₩891

3.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.61 ₩19.6K

$14.88 ₩20.0K

-1.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₩1,870

$1.36 ₩1,827

2.21%

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

$39.8K ₩53.4M

$40.0K ₩53.6M

-0.44%

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

$33.2K ₩44.5M

$33.0K ₩44.2M

0.52%

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

$199 ₩267.3K

$197 ₩263.9K

1.30%

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

$26.32 ₩35.3K

$35.89 ₩48.1K

-26.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.05 ₩36.3K

$26.71 ₩35.8K

1.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 ₩72.2K

$50.9 ₩68.2K

5.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.85 ₩21.2K

$9.86 ₩13.2K

60.75%

Cinema Ticket

$11.77 ₩15.8K

$11.71 ₩15.7K

0.51%

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

$628 ₩841.7K

$624 ₩836.2K

0.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K ₩28.8M

$22.0K ₩29.5M

-2.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.9 ₩97.6K

$104 ₩139.7K

-30.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.90 ₩50.8K

$65.9 ₩88.4K

-42.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 ₩98.6K

$92.2 ₩123.6K

-20.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ₩151.9K

$129 ₩172.3K

-11.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$438 ₩587.0K

$753 ₩1.0M

-41.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 ₩501.0K

$575 ₩771.2K

-35.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,424 ₩1.9M

$2,202 ₩3.0M

-35.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 ₩1.3M

$1,386 ₩1.9M

-27.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,880 ₩9.2M

$5,126 ₩6.9M

34.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,119 ₩8.2M

$3,249 ₩4.4M

88.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,696 ₩2.3M

$2,658 ₩3.6M

-36.21%

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 Chungju: October 31, 2026

Last update for Busan: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chungju

$457 31.1%

Busan

$484 26.7% 5.9% $27

Accommodation & Living

Chungju

$374 25.4%

Busan

$575 31.7% 53.9% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chungju

$253 17.2%

Busan

$259 14.3% 2.6% $6.7

Eating Out

Chungju

$165 11.2%

Busan

$163 9% 1.1% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Chungju

$134 9.1%

Busan

$176 9.7% 31.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chungju

$77 5.3%

Busan

$74 4.1% 4% $3.1

Getting Around

Chungju

$11 * 0.8%

Busan

$80 4.4% 598% $68

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 $438 in Chungju and $753 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 57% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $49 in Chungju vs $49 in Busan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $457 vs $484 per month, with Chungju cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Chungju

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

15:06 3:06 PM

Same time as Chungju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

208,529

3,586,079

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Chungju Busan 230 km

From you

Chungju
Busan

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

Chungju vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chungju wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chungju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Chungju. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $438 in Chungju versus $753 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,472 per month in Chungju versus $1,812 in Busan – Chungju is about 19% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Busan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

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

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