Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Busan: $1,628 a month against $2,300 in London, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

112

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,300

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,300 in London versus $1,628 in Busan.

London $2,300
Busan $1,628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,321 in London versus $2,543 in Busan.

London $3,321
Busan $2,543

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in London versus $3,457 in Busan.

London $4,341
Busan $3,457

Living in London is roughly 41% more expensive than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 70% above, Busan 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.81 CA$29.42

$7.58 ₩10.1K

174.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 CA$87.7

$49.48 ₩65.8K

25.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 CA$17.47

$6.56 ₩8,717

88.26%

Cappuccino

$3.82 CA$5.41

$3.67 ₩4,882

4.09%

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

$2.10 CA$2.98

$1.85 ₩2,459

13.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 CA$3.04

$1.44 ₩1,911

49.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.39 CA$9.03

$3.77 ₩5,008

69.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.21 CA$8.77

$4.28 ₩5,696

45.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 CA$2.63

$2.36 ₩3,137

-21.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 CA$3.64

$3.26 ₩4,340

-21.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$3.15 ₩4,193

26.98%

Eggs

$3.67 CA$5.19

$2.64 ₩3,509

39.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 CA$14.25

$10.84 ₩14.4K

-7.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.45 CA$16.19

$10.57 ₩14.1K

8.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.74 CA$20.84

$25.32 ₩33.7K

-41.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 CA$6.09

$11.22 ₩14.9K

-61.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 CA$1.66

$3.64 ₩4,837

-67.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.33

$8.21 ₩10.9K

-54.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.74

$5.84 ₩7,763

-30.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.16 CA$4.46

$5.89 ₩7,831

-46.35%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$3.28 ₩4,357

-6.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 CA$3.52

$2.78 ₩3,696

-10.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$1.28 ₩1,707

14.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.08 CA$17.08

$3.35 ₩4,458

260.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.41 CA$17.55

$18.91 ₩25.1K

-34.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$2.39 ₩3,181

2.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 CA$3.93

$3.52 ₩4,679

-21.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.34 CA$3.30

$1.14 ₩1,515

105.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.0 CA$112

$60.7 ₩80.8K

30.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 CA$3.42

$3.58 ₩4,759

-32.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 CA$2.36

$0.74 ₩984

125.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.36 CA$31.61

$17.18 ₩22.8K

30.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.35 ₩1,793

-11.85%

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

$27.4K CA$38.7K

$29.1K ₩38.7M

-5.82%

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

$22.9K CA$32.4K

$33.1K ₩44.0M

-30.69%

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

$138 CA$195

$202 ₩268.2K

-31.57%

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

$39.00 CA$55.1

$37.03 ₩49.2K

5.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 CA$78.8

$27.43 ₩36.5K

103.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.53 CA$53.1

$63.2 ₩84.0K

-40.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 CA$40.87

$10.04 ₩13.4K

187.95%

Cinema Ticket

$10.40 CA$14.70

$11.93 ₩15.9K

-12.82%

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

$410 CA$580

$639 ₩850.3K

-35.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K CA$28.8K

$22.0K ₩29.2M

-7.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 CA$74.6

$103 ₩136.9K

-48.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.41 CA$54.3

$64.7 ₩86.1K

-40.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 CA$116

$92.8 ₩123.4K

-11.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 CA$125

$129 ₩171.4K

-31.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 CA$1,754

$712 ₩946.6K

74.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 CA$1,590

$374 ₩497.5K

200.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,042 CA$2,887

$1,304 ₩1.7M

56.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 CA$2,404

$718 ₩955.1K

136.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,473 CA$4,910

$9,884 ₩13.1M

-64.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,551 CA$5,020

$6,279 ₩8.3M

-43.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,866 CA$4,051

$2,790 ₩3.7M

2.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

4.22

11.85%

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

Last update for London: October 12, 2026

Last update for Busan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$1.1K 48.9%

Busan

$374 23% 66.7% $751

Groceries & Markets

London

$357 15.5%

Busan

$488 30% 36.9% $132

Eating Out

London

$311 13.5%

Busan

$165 10.1% 46.9% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$233 10.1%

Busan

$266 16.4% 14.4% $33

Clothing & Footwear

London

$118 5.1%

Busan

$175 10.8% 48.6% $57

Getting Around

London

$99 4.3%

Busan

$73 4.5% 26.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

London

$58 2.5%

Busan

$87 5.3% 49.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,241 in London and $712 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 3% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in London vs $49.00 in Busan. Groceries flip the comparison at $357 vs $488, with London cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 London

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

02:35 2:35 AM

13 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

383,822

3,586,079

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Busan 10,800 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

London
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

London vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Busan wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Busan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 3% higher in London, 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: $1,241 in London versus $712 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Busan runs roughly 30% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $410 in London versus $639 in Busan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,628 in Busan versus $2,300 in London, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Busan but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Busan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Busan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,628 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Busan hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, London 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 Busan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.