Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Daegu and Busan

For one person, living costs are similar in Daegu and in Busan: $1,569 and $1,628 a month, rent and utilities included.

76

Cost of Living Index in Daegu
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Daegu Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Daegu

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,569

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,569 in Daegu versus $1,628 in Busan.

Daegu $1,569
Busan $1,628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Daegu versus $2,543 in Busan.

Daegu $2,402
Busan $2,543

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,235 in Daegu versus $3,457 in Busan.

Daegu $3,235
Busan $3,457

Living in Daegu costs roughly 4% less than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Daegu 16% above, Busan 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.29 ₩12.3K

$7.58 ₩10.1K

22.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.12 ₩49.4K

$49.48 ₩65.8K

-24.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.67 ₩7,536

$6.56 ₩8,717

-13.57%

Cappuccino

$3.97 ₩5,284

$3.67 ₩4,882

8.17%

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

$1.56 ₩2,075

$1.85 ₩2,459

-15.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₩1,202

$1.44 ₩1,911

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.82 ₩5,082

$3.77 ₩5,008

1.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 ₩7,204

$4.28 ₩5,696

26.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₩3,161

$2.36 ₩3,137

0.85%

White Bread (500g)

$4.49 ₩5,976

$3.26 ₩4,340

37.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 ₩3,541

$3.15 ₩4,193

-15.56%

Eggs

$2.72 ₩3,619

$2.64 ₩3,509

3.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ₩13.7K

$10.84 ₩14.4K

-4.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.44 ₩9,888

$10.57 ₩14.1K

-29.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.76 ₩27.6K

$25.32 ₩33.7K

-18.01%

Apples (1kg)

$6.59 ₩8,762

$11.22 ₩14.9K

-41.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 ₩3,577

$3.64 ₩4,837

-26.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.72 ₩7,599

$8.21 ₩10.9K

-30.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.96 ₩7,921

$5.84 ₩7,763

2.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 ₩3,518

$5.89 ₩7,831

-55.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 ₩2,735

$3.28 ₩4,357

-37.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.35 ₩5,789

$2.78 ₩3,696

56.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₩1,825

$1.28 ₩1,707

7.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.88 ₩3,832

$3.35 ₩4,458

-14.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.91 ₩19.8K

$18.91 ₩25.1K

-21.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 ₩2,848

$2.39 ₩3,181

-10.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 ₩3,317

$3.52 ₩4,679

-29.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 ₩1,473

$1.14 ₩1,515

-2.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.4 ₩101.5K

$60.7 ₩80.8K

25.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 ₩4,172

$3.58 ₩4,759

-12.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 ₩811

$0.74 ₩984

-17.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.02 ₩10.7K

$17.18 ₩22.8K

-53.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₩1,775

$1.35 ₩1,793

-1.48%

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

$28.5K ₩37.9M

$29.1K ₩38.7M

-2.02%

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

$41.5K ₩55.1M

$33.1K ₩44.0M

25.26%

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

$280 ₩371.6K

$202 ₩268.2K

38.55%

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

$50.5 ₩67.1K

$37.03 ₩49.2K

36.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.09 ₩62.6K

$27.43 ₩36.5K

71.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 ₩67.8K

$63.2 ₩84.0K

-19.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.89 ₩15.8K

$10.04 ₩13.4K

18.43%

Cinema Ticket

$11.26 ₩15.0K

$11.93 ₩15.9K

-5.62%

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

$531 ₩706.4K

$639 ₩850.3K

-16.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ₩37.1M

$22.0K ₩29.2M

26.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 ₩74.8K

$103 ₩136.9K

-45.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 ₩66.9K

$64.7 ₩86.1K

-22.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ₩127.7K

$92.8 ₩123.4K

3.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 ₩218.5K

$129 ₩171.4K

27.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 ₩542.1K

$712 ₩946.6K

-42.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 ₩363.6K

$374 ₩497.5K

-26.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 ₩1.4M

$1,304 ₩1.7M

-19.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 ₩806.7K

$718 ₩955.1K

-15.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,125 ₩9.5M

$9,884 ₩13.1M

-27.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,559 ₩7.4M

$6,279 ₩8.3M

-11.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,478 ₩3.3M

$2,790 ₩3.7M

-11.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.07

4.22

20.14%

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

Last update for Daegu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Busan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Daegu

$414 26.4%

Busan

$488 30% 18% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Daegu

$377 24%

Busan

$266 16.4% 29.4% $111

Accommodation & Living

Daegu

$273 17.4%

Busan

$374 23% 36.8% $101

Eating Out

Daegu

$179 11.4%

Busan

$165 10.1% 7.8% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Daegu

$165 10.5%

Busan

$175 10.8% 6.1% $10

Getting Around

Daegu

$87 5.5%

Busan

$73 4.5% 16.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Daegu

$73 4.7%

Busan

$87 5.3% 18.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $408 in Daegu and $712 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 13% 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: $37.00 in Daegu vs $49.00 in Busan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $414 vs $488 per month, with Daegu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Daegu

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

15:49 3:49 PM

Same time as Daegu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,528,933

3,586,079

💱 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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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

Daegu vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Daegu wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Daegu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Busan. 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: $408 in Daegu versus $712 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Daegu runs roughly 26% less than in Busan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $531 in Daegu versus $639 in Busan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,569 in Daegu versus $1,628 in Busan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Daegu but tight or insufficient in Busan. The gap between the two cities makes Daegu 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, Daegu 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 Daegu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Busan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.