Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gwangju and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Gwangju: $1,338 a month against $1,622 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. The total is higher in Busan despite lower rent and utilities.

64

Cost of Living Index in Gwangju
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Gwangju Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Busan
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Busan Living Index

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Gwangju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,338

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,622

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,338 in Gwangju versus $1,622 in Busan.

Gwangju $1,338
Busan $1,622

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,063 in Gwangju versus $2,548 in Busan.

Gwangju $2,063
Busan $2,548

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,788 in Gwangju versus $3,474 in Busan.

Gwangju $2,788
Busan $3,474

Living in Gwangju costs roughly 18% less than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gwangju is 1% below, Busan is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.87 ₩7,806

$7.44 ₩9,898

-21.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.42 ₩47.1K

$48.80 ₩64.9K

-27.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.11 ₩8,129

$6.87 ₩9,131

-11.06%

Cappuccino

$3.12 ₩4,152

$3.79 ₩5,037

-17.68%

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

$1.59 ₩2,118

$1.86 ₩2,469

-14.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₩842

$1.45 ₩1,925

-56.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ₩3,217

$3.68 ₩4,898

-34.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ₩6,126

$4.21 ₩5,598

9.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 ₩2,387

$2.26 ₩3,000

-20.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 ₩3,200

$3.21 ₩4,263

-24.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 ₩3,093

$3.20 ₩4,252

-27.19%

Eggs

$2.74 ₩3,642

$2.64 ₩3,513

3.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.99 ₩12.0K

$11.17 ₩14.8K

-19.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 ₩10.3K

$10.71 ₩14.2K

-27.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ₩14.8K

$25.44 ₩33.8K

-56.13%

Apples (1kg)

$5.14 ₩6,832

$11.43 ₩15.2K

-55.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.98 ₩3,964

$3.62 ₩4,818

-17.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 ₩5,018

$8.34 ₩11.1K

-54.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.93 ₩3,900

$6.05 ₩8,046

-51.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.55 ₩4,718

$5.98 ₩7,952

-40.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 ₩2,468

$3.28 ₩4,365

-43.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 ₩2,767

$2.73 ₩3,636

-23.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 ₩1,759

$1.28 ₩1,705

3.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 ₩4,538

$3.39 ₩4,514

0.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 ₩14.9K

$18.52 ₩24.6K

-39.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 ₩2,021

$2.45 ₩3,256

-37.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₩3,069

$3.45 ₩4,592

-33.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 ₩1,389

$1.19 ₩1,581

-12.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.1 ₩90.6K

$60.1 ₩79.9K

13.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ₩4,157

$3.65 ₩4,848

-14.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.69 ₩918

$0.77 ₩1,027

-10.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.81 ₩10.4K

$16.81 ₩22.4K

-53.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ₩1,690

$1.42 ₩1,892

-10.56%

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

$28.7K ₩38.2M

$39.1K ₩52.0M

-26.51%

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

$36.2K ₩48.1M

$34.1K ₩45.3M

6.18%

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

$213 ₩283.8K

$204 ₩270.8K

4.77%

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

$43.90 ₩58.4K

$36.88 ₩49.0K

19.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.85 ₩27.7K

$27.19 ₩36.2K

-23.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 ₩81.4K

$62.2 ₩82.6K

-1.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.61 ₩18.1K

$9.75 ₩13.0K

39.59%

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 ₩14.8K

$11.95 ₩15.9K

-6.95%

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

$298 ₩396.0K

$631 ₩839.0K

-52.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K ₩23.9M

$22.3K ₩29.6M

-19.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.51 ₩43.2K

$107 ₩141.8K

-69.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.77 ₩34.3K

$66.7 ₩88.6K

-61.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.0 ₩85.1K

$94.1 ₩125.1K

-31.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 ₩120.9K

$126 ₩167.8K

-27.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₩672.8K

$728 ₩967.7K

-30.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 ₩479.2K

$362 ₩481.7K

-0.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 ₩1.5M

$1,355 ₩1.8M

-14.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₩1.0M

$727 ₩966.2K

4.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,138 ₩10.8M

$10.2K ₩13.5M

-20.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,394 ₩8.5M

$6,237 ₩8.3M

2.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,829 ₩3.8M

$2,815 ₩3.7M

0.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.6

4.22

-14.69%

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

Last update for Gwangju: October 19, 2026

Last update for Busan: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gwangju

$360 26.9%

Busan

$362 22.3% 0.5% $1.8

Groceries & Markets

Gwangju

$308 23%

Busan

$491 30.3% 59.4% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gwangju

$278 20.8%

Busan

$268 16.5% 3.7% $10

Eating Out

Gwangju

$133 9.9%

Busan

$166 10.2% 24.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Gwangju

$96 7.2%

Busan

$177 10.9% 84.6% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Gwangju

$83 6.2%

Busan

$86 5.3% 3.1% $2.6

Getting Around

Gwangju

$79 5.9%

Busan

$72 4.5% 8.2% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Gwangju and $728 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gwangju pays 0% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Gwangju vs $49.00 in Busan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $308 vs $491 per month, with Gwangju cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gwangju

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

20:37 8:37 PM

Same time as Gwangju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,467,996

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

Gwangju vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gwangju wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gwangju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 0% higher in Gwangju, 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: $506 in Gwangju versus $728 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Gwangju runs roughly 13% less than in Busan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $298 in Gwangju versus $631 in Busan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,338 in Gwangju versus $1,622 in Busan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gwangju but tight or insufficient in Busan. The gap between the two cities makes Gwangju 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, Gwangju 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 Gwangju gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Busan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.