Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gimcheon and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Gimcheon: $1,412 a month against $1,812 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Gimcheon
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Gimcheon Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Gimcheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,412

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,812

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,412 in Gimcheon versus $1,812 in Busan.

Gimcheon $1,412
Busan $1,812

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Gimcheon versus $2,952 in Busan.

Gimcheon $2,305
Busan $2,952

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,198 in Gimcheon versus $4,091 in Busan.

Gimcheon $3,198
Busan $4,091

Living in Gimcheon costs roughly 22% less than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gimcheon 4% above, Busan 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.83 ₩7,839

$7.34 ₩9,859

-20.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.57 ₩46.5K

$48.83 ₩65.6K

-29.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 ₩9,225

$6.59 ₩8,851

4.25%

Cappuccino

$3.61 ₩4,855

$3.75 ₩5,042

-3.73%

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

$1.60 ₩2,148

$1.78 ₩2,386

-10.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₩830

$1.45 ₩1,942

-57.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 ₩4,589

$3.67 ₩4,933

-6.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 ₩6,050

$4.33 ₩5,824

3.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ₩2,934

$2.32 ₩3,116

-6.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 ₩4,277

$3.24 ₩4,351

-1.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 ₩3,584

$3.07 ₩4,124

-13.03%

Eggs

$3.18 ₩4,277

$2.71 ₩3,636

17.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.50 ₩20.8K

$11.00 ₩14.8K

40.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₩14.0K

$10.52 ₩14.1K

-0.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ₩15.3K

$25.00 ₩33.6K

-54.52%

Apples (1kg)

$6.92 ₩9,294

$11.04 ₩14.8K

-37.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 ₩3,359

$3.65 ₩4,900

-31.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 ₩6,096

$7.91 ₩10.6K

-42.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.76 ₩9,085

$5.78 ₩7,773

16.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 ₩4,551

$5.87 ₩7,888

-42.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ₩3,473

$3.25 ₩4,372

-20.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 ₩2,808

$2.72 ₩3,652

-23.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₩1,711

$1.26 ₩1,698

0.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ₩4,620

$3.31 ₩4,447

3.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 ₩18.1K

$18.92 ₩25.4K

-28.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 ₩3,002

$2.42 ₩3,253

-7.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 ₩5,417

$3.64 ₩4,889

10.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₩1,508

$1.18 ₩1,583

-5.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.1 ₩91.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 ₩3,884

$3.60 ₩4,843

-19.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 ₩821

$0.66 ₩893

-7.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.22 ₩11.0K

$14.88 ₩20.0K

-44.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ₩1,452

$1.36 ₩1,831

-20.59%

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

$29.8K ₩40.1M

$40.0K ₩53.7M

-25.43%

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

$36.0K ₩48.4M

$33.0K ₩44.3M

9.08%

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

$212 ₩285.4K

$197 ₩264.6K

7.87%

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

$42.61 ₩57.3K

$35.89 ₩48.2K

18.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.97 ₩28.2K

$26.71 ₩35.9K

-21.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.1 ₩68.6K

$50.9 ₩68.4K

0.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.58 ₩20.9K

$9.86 ₩13.3K

58.01%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 ₩14.8K

$11.71 ₩15.7K

-6.15%

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

$305 ₩409.9K

$624 ₩838.2K

-51.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ₩23.6M

$22.0K ₩29.6M

-20.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 ₩89.1K

$104 ₩140.1K

-36.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.1 ₩84.8K

$65.9 ₩88.6K

-4.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 ₩98.8K

$92.2 ₩123.9K

-20.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.5 ₩133.6K

$129 ₩172.7K

-22.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 ₩660.4K

$753 ₩1.0M

-34.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 ₩503.3K

$575 ₩773.0K

-34.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,323 ₩1.8M

$2,202 ₩3.0M

-39.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 ₩1.4M

$1,386 ₩1.9M

-26.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 ₩9.7M

$5,126 ₩6.9M

40.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,886 ₩6.6M

$3,249 ₩4.4M

50.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,875 ₩2.5M

$2,658 ₩3.6M

-29.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.1

4.22

-2.84%

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

Last update for Gimcheon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Busan: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gimcheon

$396 28.1%

Busan

$484 26.7% 22.1% $88

Accommodation & Living

Gimcheon

$375 26.5%

Busan

$575 31.7% 53.6% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gimcheon

$276 19.5%

Busan

$259 14.3% 6% $16

Eating Out

Gimcheon

$146 10.3%

Busan

$163 9% 12.2% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Gimcheon

$136 9.6%

Busan

$176 9.7% 29.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Gimcheon

$73 5.2%

Busan

$74 4.1% 1.7% $1.3

Getting Around

Gimcheon

$10 * 0.7%

Busan

$80 4.4% 664% $69

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 $491 in Gimcheon and $753 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 42% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35 in Gimcheon vs $49 in Busan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $396 vs $484 per month, with Gimcheon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gimcheon

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

11:05 11:05 AM

Same time as Gimcheon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

143,056

3,586,079

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Gimcheon Busan 140 km

From you

Gimcheon
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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

Gimcheon vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gimcheon wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Gimcheon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Gimcheon. 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: $491 in Gimcheon versus $753 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Busan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,412 per month in Gimcheon versus $1,812 in Busan – Gimcheon is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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