Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seogwipo and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Seogwipo: $1,423 a month against $1,842 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Seogwipo
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Seogwipo Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Seogwipo

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,423

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,423 in Seogwipo versus $1,842 in Busan.

Seogwipo $1,423
Busan $1,842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,229 in Seogwipo versus $3,019 in Busan.

Seogwipo $2,229
Busan $3,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,034 in Seogwipo versus $4,196 in Busan.

Seogwipo $3,034
Busan $4,196

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.30 ₩9,796

$7.69 ₩10.3K

-5.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.92 ₩48.2K

$49.41 ₩66.3K

-27.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.61 ₩8,874

$6.63 ₩8,907

-0.30%

Cappuccino

$3.78 ₩5,069

$3.68 ₩4,941

2.72%

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

$1.56 ₩2,089

$1.86 ₩2,494

-16.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₩935

$1.39 ₩1,872

-49.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.53 ₩4,740

$3.73 ₩5,014

-5.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 ₩6,151

$4.41 ₩5,920

3.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 ₩3,097

$2.26 ₩3,033

2.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 ₩4,222

$3.25 ₩4,365

-3.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 ₩3,686

$3.11 ₩4,173

-11.90%

Eggs

$2.81 ₩3,767

$2.67 ₩3,583

5.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.30 ₩15.2K

$11.14 ₩15.0K

1.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 ₩10.6K

$10.70 ₩14.4K

-25.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.16 ₩28.4K

$24.98 ₩33.5K

-15.29%

Apples (1kg)

$7.63 ₩10.3K

$11.16 ₩15.0K

-31.63%

Banana (1kg)

$3.30 ₩4,426

$3.59 ₩4,822

-8.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.86 ₩9,216

$8.17 ₩11.0K

-16.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.98 ₩8,030

$6.11 ₩8,199

-2.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,976

$6.20 ₩8,324

-40.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,384

$3.33 ₩4,466

-24.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 ₩3,716

$2.88 ₩3,870

-3.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₩1,745

$1.29 ₩1,732

0.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.47 ₩4,654

$3.46 ₩4,643

0.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.81 ₩25.3K

$18.56 ₩24.9K

1.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 ₩3,048

$2.42 ₩3,248

-6.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 ₩4,542

$3.59 ₩4,826

-5.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 ₩1,488

$1.15 ₩1,538

-3.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 ₩94.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,670

$3.55 ₩4,769

-1.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 ₩873

$0.73 ₩986

-10.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.87 ₩11.9K

$16.97 ₩22.8K

-47.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₩1,895

$1.42 ₩1,903

-0.70%

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

$29.0K ₩39.0M

$39.9K ₩53.6M

-27.35%

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

$33.3K ₩44.7M

$33.9K ₩45.6M

-1.80%

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

$206 ₩276.3K

$206 ₩276.2K

0.04%

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

$37.19 ₩49.9K

$36.67 ₩49.2K

1.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.02 ₩28.2K

$27.39 ₩36.8K

-23.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.9 ₩73.7K

$51.6 ₩69.3K

6.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.14 ₩19.0K

$10.15 ₩13.6K

39.31%

Cinema Ticket

$11.14 ₩15.0K

$11.88 ₩15.9K

-6.23%

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

$379 ₩508.8K

$638 ₩857.0K

-40.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K ₩29.9M

$22.3K ₩29.9M

-0.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 ₩83.7K

$104 ₩140.1K

-40.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 ₩81.8K

$65.1 ₩87.4K

-6.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ₩99.8K

$92.8 ₩124.6K

-19.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 ₩134.6K

$130 ₩174.6K

-22.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 ₩659.2K

$746 ₩1.0M

-34.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 ₩470.2K

$583 ₩782.5K

-39.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,174 ₩1.6M

$2,151 ₩2.9M

-45.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$757 ₩1.0M

$1,450 ₩1.9M

-47.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,171 ₩9.6M

$8,485 ₩11.4M

-15.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,431 ₩7.3M

$3,272 ₩4.4M

66.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 ₩1.5M

$2,826 ₩3.8M

-59.46%

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 Seogwipo: 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

Seogwipo

$428 30%

Busan

$489 26.6% 14.4% $62

Accommodation & Living

Seogwipo

$350 24.6%

Busan

$583 31.6% 66.4% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seogwipo

$264 18.6%

Busan

$270 14.7% 2.2% $5.8

Eating Out

Seogwipo

$159 11.2%

Busan

$166 9% 4.3% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Seogwipo

$134 9.4%

Busan

$177 9.6% 31.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Seogwipo

$77 5.4%

Busan

$75 4.1% 2.4% $1.9

Getting Around

Seogwipo

$11 * 0.8%

Busan

$82 4.5% 638% $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 $491 in Seogwipo and $746 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Seogwipo vs $49 in Busan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $428 vs $489 per month, with Seogwipo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seogwipo

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

Same time as Seogwipo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

155,641

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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Between locations

Seogwipo Busan 320 km

From you

Seogwipo
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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

Seogwipo vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Seogwipo. 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: $491 in Seogwipo 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 $1,423 per month in Seogwipo versus $1,842 in Busan – Seogwipo is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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