Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sangju and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Sangju: $1,425 a month against $1,842 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Sangju
Learn more

Sangju Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

Jump to prices

Sangju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,425

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,425 in Sangju versus $1,842 in Busan.

Sangju $1,425
Busan $1,842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,201 in Sangju versus $3,019 in Busan.

Sangju $2,201
Busan $3,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,978 in Sangju versus $4,196 in Busan.

Sangju $2,978
Busan $4,196

Living in Sangju costs roughly 23% less than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.06 ₩8,131

$7.69 ₩10.3K

-21.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.86 ₩46.8K

$49.41 ₩66.3K

-29.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 ₩9,186

$6.63 ₩8,907

3.17%

Cappuccino

$3.65 ₩4,907

$3.68 ₩4,941

-0.82%

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

$1.59 ₩2,140

$1.86 ₩2,494

-14.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₩841

$1.39 ₩1,872

-54.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 ₩4,588

$3.73 ₩5,014

-8.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 ₩5,893

$4.41 ₩5,920

-0.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ₩2,992

$2.26 ₩3,033

-1.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,310

$3.25 ₩4,365

-1.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 ₩3,170

$3.11 ₩4,173

-24.12%

Eggs

$3.26 ₩4,380

$2.67 ₩3,583

22.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.90 ₩21.3K

$11.14 ₩15.0K

42.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 ₩10.7K

$10.70 ₩14.4K

-25.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ₩15.0K

$24.98 ₩33.5K

-55.32%

Apples (1kg)

$7.78 ₩10.4K

$11.16 ₩15.0K

-30.29%

Banana (1kg)

$3.27 ₩4,396

$3.59 ₩4,822

-8.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.55 ₩10.1K

$8.17 ₩11.0K

-7.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.20 ₩9,669

$6.11 ₩8,199

17.84%

Potato (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,744

$6.20 ₩8,324

-43.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.45 ₩3,296

$3.33 ₩4,466

-26.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 ₩2,782

$2.88 ₩3,870

-28.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₩1,726

$1.29 ₩1,732

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ₩4,618

$3.46 ₩4,643

-0.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.78 ₩25.2K

$18.56 ₩24.9K

1.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 ₩3,075

$2.42 ₩3,248

-5.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ₩4,635

$3.59 ₩4,826

-3.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 ₩1,491

$1.15 ₩1,538

-3.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 ₩94.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ₩4,984

$3.55 ₩4,769

4.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₩891

$0.73 ₩986

-9.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.11 ₩12.2K

$16.97 ₩22.8K

-46.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ₩1,814

$1.42 ₩1,903

-4.93%

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

$30.0K ₩40.3M

$39.9K ₩53.6M

-24.92%

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

$35.2K ₩47.3M

$33.9K ₩45.6M

3.79%

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

$210 ₩281.4K

$206 ₩276.2K

1.86%

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

$43.44 ₩58.3K

$36.67 ₩49.2K

18.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.80 ₩27.9K

$27.39 ₩36.8K

-24.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.6 ₩72.0K

$51.6 ₩69.3K

3.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.02 ₩18.8K

$10.15 ₩13.6K

38.13%

Cinema Ticket

$11.28 ₩15.1K

$11.88 ₩15.9K

-5.05%

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

$300 ₩403.0K

$638 ₩857.0K

-52.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K ₩23.9M

$22.3K ₩29.9M

-19.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 ₩89.0K

$104 ₩140.1K

-36.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.5 ₩86.6K

$65.1 ₩87.4K

-0.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.8 ₩99.2K

$92.8 ₩124.6K

-20.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 ₩134.4K

$130 ₩174.6K

-23.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$483 ₩648.8K

$746 ₩1.0M

-35.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 ₩484.7K

$583 ₩782.5K

-38.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 ₩1.6M

$2,151 ₩2.9M

-46.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 ₩991.7K

$1,450 ₩1.9M

-49.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,248 ₩9.7M

$8,485 ₩11.4M

-14.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,516 ₩7.4M

$3,272 ₩4.4M

68.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,492 ₩2.0M

$2,826 ₩3.8M

-47.20%

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 Sangju: October 26, 2026

Last update for Busan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sangju

$418 29.3%

Busan

$489 26.6% 17.1% $71

Accommodation & Living

Sangju

$361 25.3%

Busan

$583 31.6% 61.5% $222

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sangju

$274 19.2%

Busan

$270 14.7% 1.5% $4

Eating Out

Sangju

$148 10.4%

Busan

$166 9% 12.6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Sangju

$137 9.6%

Busan

$177 9.6% 28.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Sangju

$76 5.4%

Busan

$75 4.1% 1.1% $0.8

Getting Around

Sangju

$11 * 0.8%

Busan

$82 4.5% 618% $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 $483 in Sangju and $746 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 89% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35 in Sangju vs $49 in Busan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $418 vs $489 per month, with Sangju cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Sangju

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

03:41 3:41 AM

Same time as Sangju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,947

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sangju Busan 160 km

From you

Sangju
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

Sangju vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sangju wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sangju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 47% lower in Sangju. 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: $483 in Sangju versus $746 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Busan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,425 per month in Sangju versus $1,842 in Busan – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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, Sangju 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.

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