Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pangyo and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Pangyo: $1,468 a month against $1,628 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Pangyo
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Pangyo Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Pangyo

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,468

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,468 in Pangyo versus $1,628 in Busan.

Pangyo $1,468
Busan $1,628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,279 in Pangyo versus $2,543 in Busan.

Pangyo $2,279
Busan $2,543

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,091 in Pangyo versus $3,457 in Busan.

Pangyo $3,091
Busan $3,457

Living in Pangyo costs roughly 10% less than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Pangyo 9% above, Busan 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.24 ₩9,624

$7.58 ₩10.1K

-4.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.02 ₩46.6K

$49.48 ₩65.8K

-29.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.73 ₩8,950

$6.56 ₩8,717

2.59%

Cappuccino

$3.78 ₩5,025

$3.67 ₩4,882

3.00%

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

$1.59 ₩2,118

$1.85 ₩2,459

-14.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₩940

$1.44 ₩1,911

-50.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 ₩4,547

$3.77 ₩5,008

-9.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 ₩5,685

$4.28 ₩5,696

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₩2,998

$2.36 ₩3,137

-4.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₩4,015

$3.26 ₩4,340

-7.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 ₩3,555

$3.15 ₩4,193

-15.24%

Eggs

$2.59 ₩3,450

$2.64 ₩3,509

-1.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 ₩14.7K

$10.84 ₩14.4K

2.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.98 ₩10.6K

$10.57 ₩14.1K

-24.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.67 ₩27.5K

$25.32 ₩33.7K

-18.36%

Apples (1kg)

$7.73 ₩10.3K

$11.22 ₩14.9K

-31.11%

Banana (1kg)

$3.45 ₩4,583

$3.64 ₩4,837

-5.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 ₩9,642

$8.21 ₩10.9K

-11.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.78 ₩7,685

$5.84 ₩7,763

-1.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 ₩4,784

$5.89 ₩7,831

-38.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ₩3,431

$3.28 ₩4,357

-21.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 ₩3,691

$2.78 ₩3,696

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₩1,700

$1.28 ₩1,707

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,385

$3.35 ₩4,458

-1.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.39 ₩24.4K

$18.91 ₩25.1K

-2.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 ₩3,047

$2.39 ₩3,181

-4.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₩4,627

$3.52 ₩4,679

-1.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₩1,527

$1.14 ₩1,515

0.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.37 ₩64.3K

$60.7 ₩80.8K

-20.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 ₩4,412

$3.58 ₩4,759

-7.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₩884

$0.74 ₩984

-10.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.83 ₩17.1K

$17.18 ₩22.8K

-25.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ₩1,797

$1.35 ₩1,793

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

$29.8K ₩39.6M

$29.1K ₩38.7M

2.41%

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

$34.2K ₩45.5M

$33.1K ₩44.0M

3.33%

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

$201 ₩267.4K

$202 ₩268.2K

-0.31%

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

$36.58 ₩48.6K

$37.03 ₩49.2K

-1.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.78 ₩29.0K

$27.43 ₩36.5K

-20.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 ₩69.0K

$63.2 ₩84.0K

-17.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 ₩16.0K

$10.04 ₩13.4K

20.22%

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 ₩15.1K

$11.93 ₩15.9K

-4.53%

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

$520 ₩691.0K

$639 ₩850.3K

-18.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K ₩29.1M

$22.0K ₩29.2M

-0.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.9 ₩87.6K

$103 ₩136.9K

-35.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.8 ₩83.5K

$64.7 ₩86.1K

-2.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 ₩99.4K

$92.8 ₩123.4K

-19.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.3 ₩130.7K

$129 ₩171.4K

-23.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ₩636.2K

$712 ₩946.6K

-32.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 ₩473.1K

$374 ₩497.5K

-4.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 ₩1.6M

$1,304 ₩1.7M

-10.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 ₩983.0K

$718 ₩955.1K

2.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,085 ₩9.4M

$9,884 ₩13.1M

-28.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,485 ₩7.3M

$6,279 ₩8.3M

-12.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,307 ₩7.1M

$2,790 ₩3.7M

90.21%

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 Pangyo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Busan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pangyo

$424 28.9%

Busan

$488 30% 15.2% $65

Accommodation & Living

Pangyo

$356 24.3%

Busan

$374 23% 5.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pangyo

$259 17.7%

Busan

$266 16.4% 2.6% $6.7

Eating Out

Pangyo

$158 10.8%

Busan

$165 10.1% 4.2% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Pangyo

$136 9.3%

Busan

$175 10.8% 29% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Pangyo

$75 5.1%

Busan

$87 5.3% 16.5% $12

Getting Around

Pangyo

$60 4.1%

Busan

$73 4.5% 21.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $478 in Pangyo and $712 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pangyo pays 90% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Pangyo vs $49.00 in Busan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $424 vs $488 per month, with Pangyo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Pangyo

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

13:15 1:15 PM

Same time as Pangyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,586,079

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 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

Pangyo vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pangyo wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pangyo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 90% higher in Pangyo, 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: $478 in Pangyo versus $712 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Pangyo runs roughly 26% less than in Busan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $520 in Pangyo versus $639 in Busan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,468 in Pangyo versus $1,628 in Busan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Pangyo but tight or insufficient in Busan. The gap between the two cities makes Pangyo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Pangyo 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 Pangyo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Busan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.