Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilsan and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilsan: $1,451 a month against $1,842 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Ilsan
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Ilsan Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Busan
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Busan Living Index

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Ilsan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,451

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,451 in Ilsan versus $1,842 in Busan.

Ilsan $1,451
Busan $1,842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,327 in Ilsan versus $3,019 in Busan.

Ilsan $2,327
Busan $3,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,204 in Ilsan versus $4,196 in Busan.

Ilsan $3,204
Busan $4,196

Living in Ilsan costs roughly 21% less than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ilsan 7% above, Busan 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.71 ₩10.3K

$7.69 ₩10.3K

0.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 ₩89.9K

$49.41 ₩66.2K

35.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.66 ₩10.3K

$6.63 ₩8,891

15.54%

Cappuccino

$4.02 ₩5,386

$3.68 ₩4,932

9.24%

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

$1.63 ₩2,191

$1.86 ₩2,489

-12.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,054

$1.39 ₩1,869

-43.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.73 ₩5,005

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 ₩8,202

$4.41 ₩5,909

38.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ₩2,849

$2.26 ₩3,028

-5.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 ₩4,057

$3.25 ₩4,357

-6.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₩3,014

$3.11 ₩4,166

-27.65%

Eggs

$3.38 ₩4,535

$2.67 ₩3,576

26.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.05 ₩21.5K

$11.14 ₩14.9K

44.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.80 ₩10.5K

$10.70 ₩14.3K

-27.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ₩15.2K

$24.98 ₩33.5K

-54.48%

Apples (1kg)

$7.74 ₩10.4K

$11.16 ₩15.0K

-30.65%

Banana (1kg)

$3.31 ₩4,440

$3.59 ₩4,813

-7.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.66 ₩7,581

$8.17 ₩11.0K

-30.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.25 ₩8,382

$6.11 ₩8,185

2.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 ₩4,647

$6.20 ₩8,310

-44.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 ₩3,241

$3.33 ₩4,458

-27.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 ₩2,737

$2.88 ₩3,863

-29.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ₩1,471

$1.29 ₩1,729

-14.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 ₩4,465

$3.46 ₩4,635

-3.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.82 ₩25.2K

$18.56 ₩24.9K

1.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₩2,975

$2.42 ₩3,243

-8.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 ₩4,342

$3.59 ₩4,818

-9.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,476

$1.15 ₩1,535

-4.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.46 ₩66.3K

$70.6 ₩94.6K

-29.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 ₩4,848

$3.55 ₩4,761

1.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₩893

$0.73 ₩985

-8.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.11 ₩12.2K

$16.97 ₩22.7K

-46.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ₩1,806

$1.42 ₩1,899

-4.93%

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

$30.1K ₩40.3M

$39.9K ₩53.5M

-24.65%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$33.9K ₩45.5M

-16.84%

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

$213 ₩286.0K

$206 ₩275.7K

3.70%

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

$35.99 ₩48.2K

$36.67 ₩49.2K

-1.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.31 ₩28.6K

$27.39 ₩36.7K

-22.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 ₩73.8K

$51.6 ₩69.1K

6.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.03 ₩18.8K

$10.15 ₩13.6K

38.23%

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 ₩15.3K

$11.88 ₩15.9K

-4.12%

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

$380 ₩509.2K

$638 ₩855.5K

-40.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ₩23.8M

$22.3K ₩29.8M

-20.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 ₩79.4K

$104 ₩139.9K

-43.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.99 ₩44.2K

$65.1 ₩87.2K

-49.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.0 ₩95.1K

$92.8 ₩124.3K

-23.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.8 ₩112.3K

$130 ₩174.3K

-35.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$493 ₩660.5K

$746 ₩999.6K

-33.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 ₩479.1K

$583 ₩781.1K

-38.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 ₩1.6M

$2,151 ₩2.9M

-46.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 ₩1.0M

$1,450 ₩1.9M

-47.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,170 ₩9.6M

$8,485 ₩11.4M

-15.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,436 ₩7.3M

$3,272 ₩4.4M

66.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,539 ₩4.7M

$2,826 ₩3.8M

25.21%

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 Ilsan: 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

Ilsan

$400 27.5%

Busan

$489 26.6% 22.4% $90

Accommodation & Living

Ilsan

$357 24.6%

Busan

$583 31.6% 63% $225

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ilsan

$271 18.7%

Busan

$270 14.7% 0.3% $0.9

Eating Out

Ilsan

$173 12%

Busan

$166 9% 4.2% $7.4

Clothing & Footwear

Ilsan

$111 7.7%

Busan

$177 9.6% 58.8% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Ilsan

$78 5.4%

Busan

$75 4.1% 3.2% $2.5

Getting Around

Ilsan

$61 4.2%

Busan

$82 4.5% 35.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $493 in Ilsan and $746 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilsan pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Ilsan vs $49 in Busan. Groceries flip the comparison at $400 vs $489, with Ilsan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Ilsan

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

Same time as Ilsan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,061,752

3,586,079

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.7 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

Ilsan vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 25% higher in Ilsan, 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: $493 in Ilsan versus $746 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ilsan runs roughly 30% less than in Busan. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $380 in Ilsan versus $638 in Busan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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