Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jinju and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Jinju: $1,493 a month against $1,842 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Jinju
Learn more

Jinju Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Jinju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,493

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,493 in Jinju versus $1,842 in Busan.

Jinju $1,493
Busan $1,842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,403 in Jinju versus $3,019 in Busan.

Jinju $2,403
Busan $3,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,312 in Jinju versus $4,196 in Busan.

Jinju $3,312
Busan $4,196

Living in Jinju costs roughly 19% less than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jinju 10% above, Busan 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.12 ₩12.1K

$7.69 ₩10.2K

18.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.8 ₩88.6K

$49.41 ₩65.6K

35.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.73 ₩10.3K

$6.63 ₩8,806

16.59%

Cappuccino

$4.22 ₩5,604

$3.68 ₩4,884

14.67%

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

$1.61 ₩2,131

$1.86 ₩2,465

-13.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩980

$1.39 ₩1,851

-46.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 ₩4,913

$3.73 ₩4,957

-0.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₩7,846

$4.41 ₩5,852

34.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,718

$2.26 ₩2,999

-9.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 ₩4,019

$3.25 ₩4,315

-6.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,593

$3.11 ₩4,125

35.37%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,770

$2.67 ₩3,542

34.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.74 ₩23.5K

$11.14 ₩14.8K

59.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.58 ₩14.0K

$10.70 ₩14.2K

-1.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.61 ₩35.3K

$24.98 ₩33.2K

6.53%

Apples (1kg)

$7.75 ₩10.3K

$11.16 ₩14.8K

-30.56%

Banana (1kg)

$3.43 ₩4,547

$3.59 ₩4,767

-4.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.92 ₩7,855

$8.17 ₩10.8K

-27.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.17 ₩8,197

$6.11 ₩8,106

0.98%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,919

$6.20 ₩8,229

-40.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,305

$3.33 ₩4,415

-25.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 ₩3,862

$2.88 ₩3,826

1.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,541

$1.29 ₩1,712

-10.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 ₩4,533

$3.46 ₩4,590

-1.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.94 ₩25.1K

$18.56 ₩24.6K

2.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 ₩3,020

$2.42 ₩3,211

-6.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 ₩4,491

$3.59 ₩4,771

-5.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.16 ₩1,539

$1.15 ₩1,520

0.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 ₩93.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 ₩4,657

$3.55 ₩4,715

-1.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩844

$0.73 ₩975

-12.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.04 ₩12.0K

$16.97 ₩22.5K

-46.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,920

$1.42 ₩1,881

2.11%

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

$29.1K ₩38.6M

$39.9K ₩53.0M

-27.25%

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

$28.9K ₩38.4M

$33.9K ₩45.0M

-14.70%

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

$215 ₩285.1K

$206 ₩273.1K

4.41%

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

$35.87 ₩47.6K

$36.67 ₩48.7K

-2.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.65 ₩27.4K

$27.39 ₩36.4K

-24.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 ₩71.9K

$51.6 ₩68.5K

4.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.29 ₩19.0K

$10.15 ₩13.5K

40.79%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.2K

$11.88 ₩15.8K

-3.87%

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

$378 ₩501.5K

$638 ₩847.2K

-40.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K ₩30.6M

$22.3K ₩29.6M

3.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 ₩77.1K

$104 ₩138.5K

-44.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.35 ₩42.9K

$65.1 ₩86.4K

-50.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.1 ₩91.7K

$92.8 ₩123.1K

-25.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.3 ₩108.0K

$130 ₩172.6K

-37.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$487 ₩646.4K

$746 ₩989.9K

-34.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 ₩477.1K

$583 ₩773.6K

-38.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ₩1.6M

$2,151 ₩2.9M

-44.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 ₩994.5K

$1,450 ₩1.9M

-48.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,004 ₩9.3M

$8,485 ₩11.3M

-17.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,592 ₩7.4M

$3,272 ₩4.3M

70.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,826 ₩3.8M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

4.22

-3.32%

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

Last update for Jinju: October 24, 2026

Last update for Busan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jinju

$479 32.1%

Busan

$489 26.6% 2% $9.8

Accommodation & Living

Jinju

$359 24.1%

Busan

$583 31.6% 62.2% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jinju

$271 18.2%

Busan

$270 14.7% 0.6% $1.5

Eating Out

Jinju

$187 12.5%

Busan

$166 9% 10.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Jinju

$108 7.3%

Busan

$177 9.6% 62.8% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Jinju

$77 5.2%

Busan

$75 4.1% 2.2% $1.7

Getting Around

Jinju

$11 * 0.8%

Busan

$82 4.5% 628% $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 $487 in Jinju and $746 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Jinju vs $49 in Busan. Groceries flip the comparison at $479 vs $489, with Jinju cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Jinju

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

Same time as Jinju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,548

3,586,079

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.53 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.53 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Jinju Busan 88 km

From you

Jinju
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

Jinju vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jinju wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Jinju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,240 in Jinju and $2,763 in Busan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $487 in Jinju versus $746 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,493 per month in Jinju versus $1,842 in Busan – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Dining out is cheaper in Busan – a meal for two runs $49 versus $67 in Jinju. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

For families, Jinju 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, Jinju 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.