Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cincinnati, OH and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Busan: $1,628 a month against $2,323 in Cincinnati, OH, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Cincinnati, OH
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Cincinnati, OH Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Cincinnati, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,323

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cincinnati, OH 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 Cincinnati, OH and in Busan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,323 in Cincinnati, OH versus $1,628 in Busan.

Cincinnati, OH $2,323
Busan $1,628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,448 in Cincinnati, OH versus $2,543 in Busan.

Cincinnati, OH $3,448
Busan $2,543

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,573 in Cincinnati, OH versus $3,457 in Busan.

Cincinnati, OH $4,573
Busan $3,457

Living in Cincinnati, OH is roughly 43% more expensive than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cincinnati, OH 72% above, Busan 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.17 $15.17

$7.58 ₩10.1K

100.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.0 $51.0

$49.48 ₩65.8K

3.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 $9.90

$6.56 ₩8,717

50.91%

Cappuccino

$5.00 $5.00

$3.67 ₩4,882

36.24%

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

$2.30 $2.30

$1.85 ₩2,459

24.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.44 ₩1,911

14.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.39 $5.39

$3.77 ₩5,008

42.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.52 $7.52

$4.28 ₩5,696

75.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$2.36 ₩3,137

-60.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.35 $3.35

$3.26 ₩4,340

2.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$3.15 ₩4,193

26.35%

Eggs

$4.22 $4.22

$2.64 ₩3,509

59.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.72 $12.72

$10.84 ₩14.4K

17.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 $11.24

$10.57 ₩14.1K

6.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.99 $15.99

$25.32 ₩33.7K

-36.85%

Apples (1kg)

$5.82 $5.82

$11.22 ₩14.9K

-48.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$3.64 ₩4,837

-56.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$8.21 ₩10.9K

-48.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$5.84 ₩7,763

-19.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$5.89 ₩7,831

-56.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.28 ₩4,357

-0.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.78 ₩3,696

-27.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.28 ₩1,707

49.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.55 $10.55

$3.35 ₩4,458

214.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.26 $15.26

$18.91 ₩25.1K

-19.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$2.39 ₩3,181

-11.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.52 ₩4,679

-16.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.14 ₩1,515

137.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 $104

$60.7 ₩80.8K

71.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 $3.70

$3.58 ₩4,759

3.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.74 ₩984

64.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.26 $25.26

$17.18 ₩22.8K

47.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.35 ₩1,793

-18.52%

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

$35.6K $35.6K

$29.1K ₩38.7M

22.38%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$33.1K ₩44.0M

-24.15%

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

$151 $151

$202 ₩268.2K

-25.06%

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

$76.1 $76.1

$37.03 ₩49.2K

105.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.6 $72.6

$27.43 ₩36.5K

164.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.88 $35.88

$63.2 ₩84.0K

-43.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.95 $13.95

$10.04 ₩13.4K

38.94%

Cinema Ticket

$15.10 $15.10

$11.93 ₩15.9K

26.57%

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

$1,465 $1,465

$639 ₩850.3K

129.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K $19.4K

$22.0K ₩29.2M

-11.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.76 $45.76

$103 ₩136.9K

-55.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.95 $44.95

$64.7 ₩86.1K

-30.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 $86.0

$92.8 ₩123.4K

-7.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$129 ₩171.4K

-14.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 $1,521

$712 ₩946.6K

113.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,045 $1,045

$374 ₩497.5K

179.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,272 $3,272

$1,304 ₩1.7M

150.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 $1,821

$718 ₩955.1K

153.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,403 $3,403

$9,884 ₩13.1M

-65.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,074 $2,074

$6,279 ₩8.3M

-66.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,137 $4,137

$2,790 ₩3.7M

48.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

4.22

56.16%

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

Last update for Cincinnati, OH: October 11, 2026

Last update for Busan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cincinnati, OH

$1K 45%

Busan

$374 23% 64.2% $671

Groceries & Markets

Cincinnati, OH

$389 16.8%

Busan

$488 30% 25.5% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cincinnati, OH

$300 12.9%

Busan

$266 16.4% 11.2% $34

Eating Out

Cincinnati, OH

$269 11.6%

Busan

$165 10.1% 38.7% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Cincinnati, OH

$129 5.6%

Busan

$175 10.8% 36% $46

Getting Around

Cincinnati, OH

$125 5.4%

Busan

$73 4.5% 41.9% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Cincinnati, OH

$66 2.8%

Busan

$87 5.3% 31.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,521 in Cincinnati, OH and $712 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cincinnati, OH pays 48% 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: $51.0 in Cincinnati, OH vs $49.00 in Busan. Groceries flip the comparison at $389 vs $488, with Cincinnati, OH cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cincinnati, OH

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

12:40 12:40 PM

01:40 1:40 AM

13 h ahead of Cincinnati, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

298,800

3,586,079

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

KRW to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Cincinnati, OH Busan 11,060 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cincinnati, OH
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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

Cincinnati, OH vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Busan wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Cincinnati, OH. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Busan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 48% higher in Cincinnati, OH, 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: $1,521 in Cincinnati, OH versus $712 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Busan runs roughly 72% less than in Cincinnati, OH. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,465 in Cincinnati, OH versus $639 in Busan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,628 in Busan versus $2,323 in Cincinnati, OH, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Busan but tight or insufficient in Cincinnati, OH. The gap between the two cities makes Busan 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, Cincinnati, OH and Busan 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 Busan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Cincinnati, OH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.