Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Icheon and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Icheon: $1,599 a month against $1,842 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Icheon
Learn more

Icheon Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

Jump to prices

Icheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,599

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Icheon versus $1,842 in Busan.

Icheon $1,599
Busan $1,842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,052 in Icheon versus $3,019 in Busan.

Icheon $2,052
Busan $3,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,506 in Icheon versus $4,196 in Busan.

Icheon $2,506
Busan $4,196

Living in Icheon costs roughly 13% less than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Icheon 17% above, Busan 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.24 ₩8,328

$7.69 ₩10.3K

-18.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.61 ₩66.2K

$49.41 ₩65.9K

0.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.65 ₩8,863

$6.63 ₩8,846

0.30%

Cappuccino

$3.67 ₩4,888

$3.68 ₩4,906

-0.27%

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

$1.33 ₩1,776

$1.86 ₩2,476

-28.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 ₩1,569

$1.39 ₩1,859

-15.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.86 ₩5,145

$3.73 ₩4,980

3.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 ₩5,648

$4.41 ₩5,879

-3.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 ₩3,059

$2.26 ₩3,012

1.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 ₩4,254

$3.25 ₩4,335

-1.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 ₩4,157

$3.11 ₩4,144

0.32%

Eggs

$2.65 ₩3,539

$2.67 ₩3,558

-0.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 ₩15.1K

$11.14 ₩14.9K

1.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.73 ₩14.3K

$10.70 ₩14.3K

0.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.00 ₩33.3K

$24.98 ₩33.3K

0.08%

Apples (1kg)

$11.46 ₩15.3K

$11.16 ₩14.9K

2.69%

Banana (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,794

$3.59 ₩4,789

Oranges (1kg)

$7.97 ₩10.6K

$8.17 ₩10.9K

-2.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.08 ₩8,111

$6.11 ₩8,143

-0.49%

Potato (1kg)

$5.89 ₩7,855

$6.20 ₩8,267

-5.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 ₩4,408

$3.33 ₩4,435

-0.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,789

$2.88 ₩3,844

-1.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₩1,792

$1.29 ₩1,720

3.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 ₩4,563

$3.46 ₩4,611

-1.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ₩25.0K

$18.56 ₩24.7K

1.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 ₩3,239

$2.42 ₩3,226

0.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ₩4,599

$3.59 ₩4,793

-3.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,472

$1.15 ₩1,527

-4.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 ₩94.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,693

$3.55 ₩4,736

-0.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₩983

$0.73 ₩980

1.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 ₩22.9K

$16.97 ₩22.6K

1.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₩1,895

$1.42 ₩1,890

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

$40.4K ₩53.8M

$39.9K ₩53.3M

1.09%

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

$33.6K ₩44.8M

$33.9K ₩45.2M

-0.92%

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

$205 ₩274.0K

$206 ₩274.3K

-0.12%

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

$36.50 ₩48.7K

$36.67 ₩48.9K

-0.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.50 ₩36.7K

$27.39 ₩36.5K

0.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.67 ₩30.2K

$51.6 ₩68.8K

-56.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.15 ₩13.5K

Cinema Ticket

$11.46 ₩15.3K

$11.88 ₩15.8K

-3.54%

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

$631 ₩841.0K

$638 ₩851.1K

-1.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K ₩29.8M

$22.3K ₩29.7M

0.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 ₩142.1K

$104 ₩139.2K

2.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ₩86.5K

$65.1 ₩86.8K

-0.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 ₩125.6K

$92.8 ₩123.7K

1.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ₩169.1K

$130 ₩173.4K

-2.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ₩1.0M

$746 ₩994.5K

2.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₩605.3K

$583 ₩777.1K

-22.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 ₩2.9M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,450 ₩1.9M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,485 ₩11.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,272 ₩4.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,314 ₩3.1M

$2,826 ₩3.8M

-18.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

4.22

-7.58%

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

Last update for Icheon: October 25, 2026

Last update for Busan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Icheon

$490 30.6%

Busan

$489 26.6% 0.1% $0.7

Accommodation & Living

Icheon

$454 28.4%

Busan

$583 31.6% 28.4% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Icheon

$269 16.9%

Busan

$270 14.7% 0.1% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Icheon

$177 11%

Busan

$177 9.6% 0% $0.1

Eating Out

Icheon

$152 9.5%

Busan

$166 9% 9.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Icheon

$46 2.9%

Busan

$75 4.1% 65.2% $30

Getting Around

Icheon

$12 * 0.7%

Busan

$82 4.5% 609% $71

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 $763 in Icheon and $746 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 22% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50 in Icheon vs $49 in Busan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $490 vs $489 per month, with Busan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Icheon

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

10:45 10:45 AM

Same time as Icheon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

213,059

3,586,079

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Icheon Busan 280 km

From you

Icheon
Busan

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

Icheon vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Icheon wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Icheon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Icheon. 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: $763 in Icheon versus $746 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $631 in Icheon versus $638 in Busan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,599 per month in Icheon versus $1,842 in Busan – Icheon is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Icheon is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

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