Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iksan and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Iksan: $1,425 a month against $1,842 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Iksan
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Iksan Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Busan
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Busan Living Index

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Iksan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,425

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,425 in Iksan versus $1,842 in Busan.

Iksan $1,425
Busan $1,842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,209 in Iksan versus $3,019 in Busan.

Iksan $2,209
Busan $3,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,994 in Iksan versus $4,196 in Busan.

Iksan $2,994
Busan $4,196

Living in Iksan costs roughly 23% less than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Iksan 5% above, Busan 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.97 ₩8,018

$7.69 ₩10.3K

-22.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.23 ₩46.0K

$49.41 ₩66.3K

-30.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.81 ₩9,143

$6.63 ₩8,907

2.71%

Cappuccino

$3.66 ₩4,908

$3.68 ₩4,941

-0.54%

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

$1.62 ₩2,173

$1.86 ₩2,494

-12.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₩845

$1.39 ₩1,872

-54.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.50 ₩4,700

$3.73 ₩5,014

-6.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 ₩5,870

$4.41 ₩5,920

-0.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.27 ₩3,050

$2.26 ₩3,033

0.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 ₩4,267

$3.25 ₩4,365

-2.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 ₩3,153

$3.11 ₩4,173

-24.44%

Eggs

$3.26 ₩4,383

$2.67 ₩3,583

22.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.98 ₩21.5K

$11.14 ₩15.0K

43.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.09 ₩10.9K

$10.70 ₩14.4K

-24.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.41 ₩15.3K

$24.98 ₩33.5K

-54.32%

Apples (1kg)

$7.69 ₩10.3K

$11.16 ₩15.0K

-31.09%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 ₩4,326

$3.59 ₩4,822

-10.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.48 ₩10.0K

$8.17 ₩11.0K

-8.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.83 ₩9,168

$6.11 ₩8,199

11.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 ₩4,831

$6.20 ₩8,324

-41.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 ₩3,252

$3.33 ₩4,466

-27.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 ₩2,737

$2.88 ₩3,870

-29.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₩1,807

$1.29 ₩1,732

4.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ₩4,621

$3.46 ₩4,643

-0.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.82 ₩25.3K

$18.56 ₩24.9K

1.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 ₩3,008

$2.42 ₩3,248

-7.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,525

$3.59 ₩4,826

-6.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 ₩1,486

$1.15 ₩1,538

-3.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 ₩94.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 ₩4,845

$3.55 ₩4,769

1.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₩890

$0.73 ₩986

-9.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.02 ₩12.1K

$16.97 ₩22.8K

-46.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ₩1,800

$1.42 ₩1,903

-5.63%

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

$29.0K ₩39.0M

$39.9K ₩53.6M

-27.28%

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

$36.3K ₩48.7M

$33.9K ₩45.6M

6.93%

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

$211 ₩283.4K

$206 ₩276.2K

2.60%

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

$43.19 ₩58.0K

$36.67 ₩49.2K

17.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.62 ₩27.7K

$27.39 ₩36.8K

-24.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.5 ₩71.8K

$51.6 ₩69.3K

3.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.03 ₩18.8K

$10.15 ₩13.6K

38.23%

Cinema Ticket

$11.41 ₩15.3K

$11.88 ₩15.9K

-3.96%

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

$298 ₩400.5K

$638 ₩857.0K

-53.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ₩23.8M

$22.3K ₩29.9M

-20.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 ₩87.7K

$104 ₩140.1K

-37.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.5 ₩85.3K

$65.1 ₩87.4K

-2.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₩101.1K

$92.8 ₩124.6K

-18.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.0 ₩132.9K

$130 ₩174.6K

-23.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$496 ₩666.6K

$746 ₩1.0M

-33.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 ₩485.6K

$583 ₩782.5K

-37.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 ₩1.5M

$2,151 ₩2.9M

-46.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$762 ₩1.0M

$1,450 ₩1.9M

-47.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,047 ₩9.5M

$8,485 ₩11.4M

-16.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,569 ₩7.5M

$3,272 ₩4.4M

70.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,734 ₩2.3M

$2,826 ₩3.8M

-38.63%

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 Iksan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Busan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Iksan

$417 29.3%

Busan

$489 26.6% 17.4% $72

Accommodation & Living

Iksan

$362 25.4%

Busan

$583 31.6% 61.2% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iksan

$275 19.3%

Busan

$270 14.7% 1.9% $5.1

Eating Out

Iksan

$147 10.3%

Busan

$166 9% 12.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Iksan

$136 9.6%

Busan

$177 9.6% 29.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Iksan

$76 5.4%

Busan

$75 4.1% 1.3% $1

Getting Around

Iksan

$11 * 0.8%

Busan

$82 4.5% 626% $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 $496 in Iksan and $746 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 63% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $34 in Iksan vs $49 in Busan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $489 per month, with Iksan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Iksan

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

Same time as Iksan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

307,000

3,586,079

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Iksan Busan 210 km

From you

Iksan
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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

Iksan vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iksan wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Iksan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Iksan. 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: $496 in Iksan versus $746 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Busan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,425 per month in Iksan versus $1,842 in Busan – Iksan is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Iksan is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Iksan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Busan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

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