Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gongju and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Gongju: $1,522 a month against $1,812 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Gongju
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Gongju Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Gongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,522

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,812

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,522 in Gongju versus $1,812 in Busan.

Gongju $1,522
Busan $1,812

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,522 in Gongju versus $2,952 in Busan.

Gongju $2,522
Busan $2,952

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,522 in Gongju versus $4,091 in Busan.

Gongju $3,522
Busan $4,091

Living in Gongju costs roughly 16% less than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gongju 13% above, Busan 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.24 ₩9,696

$7.34 ₩9,823

-1.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.72 ₩63.9K

$48.83 ₩65.4K

-2.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.68 ₩8,945

$6.59 ₩8,820

1.37%

Cappuccino

$3.70 ₩4,956

$3.75 ₩5,024

-1.33%

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

$1.80 ₩2,414

$1.78 ₩2,378

1.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 ₩1,848

$1.45 ₩1,935

-4.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,892

$3.67 ₩4,916

-0.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 ₩5,600

$4.33 ₩5,803

-3.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 ₩3,128

$2.32 ₩3,105

0.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 ₩4,315

$3.24 ₩4,335

-0.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 ₩4,056

$3.07 ₩4,109

-1.30%

Eggs

$2.68 ₩3,585

$2.71 ₩3,623

-1.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.83 ₩14.5K

$11.00 ₩14.7K

-1.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩14.0K

$10.52 ₩14.1K

-0.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.97 ₩33.4K

$25.00 ₩33.5K

-0.12%

Apples (1kg)

$11.02 ₩14.8K

$11.04 ₩14.8K

-0.18%

Banana (1kg)

$3.65 ₩4,889

$3.65 ₩4,883

Oranges (1kg)

$8.16 ₩10.9K

$7.91 ₩10.6K

3.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.03 ₩8,072

$5.78 ₩7,745

4.33%

Potato (1kg)

$5.80 ₩7,764

$5.87 ₩7,860

-1.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 ₩4,345

$3.25 ₩4,357

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.86 ₩3,824

$2.72 ₩3,639

5.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₩1,703

$1.26 ₩1,691

0.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 ₩4,569

$3.31 ₩4,431

3.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.26 ₩24.5K

$18.92 ₩25.3K

-3.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₩3,181

$2.42 ₩3,241

-1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ₩4,821

$3.64 ₩4,871

-1.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.20 ₩1,604

$1.18 ₩1,578

1.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.1 ₩91.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 ₩4,870

$3.60 ₩4,826

1.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₩894

$0.66 ₩890

1.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.65 ₩19.6K

$14.88 ₩19.9K

-1.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₩1,866

$1.36 ₩1,825

2.21%

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

$39.8K ₩53.2M

$40.0K ₩53.6M

-0.62%

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

$33.7K ₩45.1M

$33.0K ₩44.2M

1.98%

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

$200 ₩268.2K

$197 ₩263.6K

1.76%

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

$36.89 ₩49.4K

$35.89 ₩48.1K

2.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.87 ₩36.0K

$26.71 ₩35.8K

0.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.3 ₩78.0K

$50.9 ₩68.1K

14.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.41 ₩20.6K

$9.86 ₩13.2K

56.29%

Cinema Ticket

$11.77 ₩15.8K

$11.71 ₩15.7K

0.51%

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

$636 ₩852.1K

$624 ₩835.2K

2.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K ₩28.9M

$22.0K ₩29.5M

-2.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 ₩140.7K

$104 ₩139.6K

0.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.5 ₩86.3K

$65.9 ₩88.3K

-2.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 ₩123.8K

$92.2 ₩123.5K

0.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 ₩171.4K

$129 ₩172.1K

-0.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 ₩567.2K

$753 ₩1.0M

-43.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₩458.9K

$575 ₩770.3K

-40.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 ₩1.9M

$2,202 ₩2.9M

-36.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$936 ₩1.3M

$1,386 ₩1.9M

-32.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,877 ₩9.2M

$5,126 ₩6.9M

34.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,486 ₩7.3M

$3,249 ₩4.3M

68.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,309 ₩1.8M

$2,658 ₩3.6M

-50.78%

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 Gongju: November 2, 2026

Last update for Busan: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gongju

$484 31.8%

Busan

$484 26.7% 0% $0.2

Accommodation & Living

Gongju

$343 22.5%

Busan

$575 31.7% 67.8% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gongju

$264 17.4%

Busan

$259 14.3% 1.8% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Gongju

$175 11.5%

Busan

$176 9.7% 0.3% $0.4

Eating Out

Gongju

$162 10.6%

Busan

$163 9% 1% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Gongju

$82 5.4%

Busan

$74 4.1% 9.2% $7.5

Getting Around

Gongju

$12 * 0.8%

Busan

$80 4.4% 578% $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 $424 in Gongju and $753 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Gongju vs $49 in Busan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $484 vs $484 per month, with Gongju cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gongju

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

14:53 2:53 PM

Same time as Gongju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,428

3,586,079

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Gongju Busan 230 km

From you

Gongju
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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

Gongju vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gongju wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Gongju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Gongju. 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: $424 in Gongju versus $753 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $636 in Gongju versus $624 in Busan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,522 per month in Gongju versus $1,812 in Busan – Gongju is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Gongju gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

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