Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sacheon and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Sacheon: $1,433 a month against $1,842 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Sacheon
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Sacheon Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Busan
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Busan Living Index

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Sacheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,433

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,433 in Sacheon versus $1,842 in Busan.

Sacheon $1,433
Busan $1,842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,223 in Sacheon versus $3,019 in Busan.

Sacheon $2,223
Busan $3,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,013 in Sacheon versus $4,196 in Busan.

Sacheon $3,013
Busan $4,196

Living in Sacheon costs roughly 22% less than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.70 ₩10.3K

$7.69 ₩10.3K

0.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.45 ₩47.6K

$49.41 ₩66.3K

-28.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 ₩8,751

$6.63 ₩8,907

-1.66%

Cappuccino

$3.77 ₩5,057

$3.68 ₩4,941

2.45%

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

$1.54 ₩2,062

$1.86 ₩2,494

-17.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₩934

$1.39 ₩1,872

-49.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.51 ₩4,719

$3.73 ₩5,014

-5.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 ₩5,900

$4.41 ₩5,920

-0.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 ₩2,979

$2.26 ₩3,033

-1.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 ₩4,322

$3.25 ₩4,365

-0.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 ₩3,765

$3.11 ₩4,173

-9.97%

Eggs

$2.82 ₩3,791

$2.67 ₩3,583

5.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.03 ₩14.8K

$11.14 ₩15.0K

-0.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.98 ₩10.7K

$10.70 ₩14.4K

-25.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.97 ₩28.2K

$24.98 ₩33.5K

-16.05%

Apples (1kg)

$7.52 ₩10.1K

$11.16 ₩15.0K

-32.62%

Banana (1kg)

$3.42 ₩4,595

$3.59 ₩4,822

-4.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.61 ₩8,874

$8.17 ₩11.0K

-19.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.02 ₩8,088

$6.11 ₩8,199

-1.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 ₩4,945

$6.20 ₩8,324

-40.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 ₩3,454

$3.33 ₩4,466

-22.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 ₩3,736

$2.88 ₩3,870

-3.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₩1,798

$1.29 ₩1,732

3.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.47 ₩4,662

$3.46 ₩4,643

0.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.05 ₩25.6K

$18.56 ₩24.9K

2.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 ₩3,080

$2.42 ₩3,248

-5.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₩4,734

$3.59 ₩4,826

-1.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,472

$1.15 ₩1,538

-4.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 ₩94.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 ₩4,482

$3.55 ₩4,769

-5.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 ₩818

$0.73 ₩986

-16.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.83 ₩11.9K

$16.97 ₩22.8K

-47.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ₩1,802

$1.42 ₩1,903

-5.63%

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

$29.3K ₩39.3M

$39.9K ₩53.6M

-26.76%

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

$33.9K ₩45.5M

$33.9K ₩45.6M

-0.20%

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

$209 ₩280.5K

$206 ₩276.2K

1.56%

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

$36.36 ₩48.8K

$36.67 ₩49.2K

-0.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$27.39 ₩36.8K

-22.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 ₩72.1K

$51.6 ₩69.3K

4.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.37 ₩19.3K

$10.15 ₩13.6K

41.58%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 ₩15.3K

$11.88 ₩15.9K

-4.21%

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

$381 ₩511.8K

$638 ₩857.0K

-40.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K ₩29.3M

$22.3K ₩29.9M

-2.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 ₩84.8K

$104 ₩140.1K

-39.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.6 ₩82.7K

$65.1 ₩87.4K

-5.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 ₩98.9K

$92.8 ₩124.6K

-20.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.2 ₩131.9K

$130 ₩174.6K

-24.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$490 ₩658.1K

$746 ₩1.0M

-34.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 ₩478.5K

$583 ₩782.5K

-38.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 ₩1.6M

$2,151 ₩2.9M

-45.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 ₩987.9K

$1,450 ₩1.9M

-49.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,276 ₩9.8M

$8,485 ₩11.4M

-14.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,566 ₩7.5M

$3,272 ₩4.4M

70.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,512 ₩2.0M

$2,826 ₩3.8M

-46.49%

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 Sacheon: 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

Sacheon

$427 29.8%

Busan

$489 26.6% 14.5% $62

Accommodation & Living

Sacheon

$356 24.9%

Busan

$583 31.6% 63.6% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sacheon

$266 18.6%

Busan

$270 14.7% 1.2% $3.3

Eating Out

Sacheon

$162 11.3%

Busan

$166 9% 2.8% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Sacheon

$133 9.3%

Busan

$177 9.6% 32.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Sacheon

$76 5.3%

Busan

$75 4.1% 1.5% $1.1

Getting Around

Sacheon

$11 * 0.8%

Busan

$82 4.5% 665% $72

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 $490 in Sacheon and $746 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 87% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35 in Sacheon vs $49 in Busan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $427 vs $489 per month, with Sacheon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Sacheon

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

06:00 6:00 AM

Same time as Sacheon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,500

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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sacheon Busan 94 km

From you

Sacheon
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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

Sacheon vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sacheon wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sacheon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 46% lower in Sacheon. 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: $490 in Sacheon versus $746 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Busan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,433 per month in Sacheon versus $1,842 in Busan – Sacheon is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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