Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seongnam and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Seongnam: $1,418 a month against $1,842 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Seongnam
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Seongnam Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Seongnam

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,418

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,418 in Seongnam versus $1,842 in Busan.

Seongnam $1,418
Busan $1,842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,361 in Seongnam versus $3,019 in Busan.

Seongnam $2,361
Busan $3,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,305 in Seongnam versus $4,196 in Busan.

Seongnam $3,305
Busan $4,196

Living in Seongnam 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: Seongnam 4% above, Busan 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.95 ₩9,271

$7.69 ₩10.3K

-9.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.62 ₩55.5K

$49.41 ₩65.9K

-15.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 ₩9,112

$6.63 ₩8,846

3.02%

Cappuccino

$4.03 ₩5,372

$3.68 ₩4,906

9.51%

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

$1.56 ₩2,077

$1.86 ₩2,476

-16.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₩1,008

$1.39 ₩1,859

-45.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.53 ₩4,709

$3.73 ₩4,980

-5.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 ₩5,079

$4.41 ₩5,879

-13.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 ₩3,081

$2.26 ₩3,012

2.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 ₩4,244

$3.25 ₩4,335

-2.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,945

$3.11 ₩4,144

19.29%

Eggs

$3.67 ₩4,890

$2.67 ₩3,558

37.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 ₩12.2K

$11.14 ₩14.9K

-18.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 ₩10.7K

$10.70 ₩14.3K

-24.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.41 ₩27.2K

$24.98 ₩33.3K

-18.29%

Apples (1kg)

$7.56 ₩10.1K

$11.16 ₩14.9K

-32.26%

Banana (1kg)

$3.56 ₩4,747

$3.59 ₩4,789

-0.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.65 ₩7,532

$8.17 ₩10.9K

-30.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.81 ₩9,088

$6.11 ₩8,143

11.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,008

$6.20 ₩8,267

-39.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 ₩3,498

$3.33 ₩4,435

-21.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.93 ₩3,911

$2.88 ₩3,844

1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₩1,795

$1.29 ₩1,720

4.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.48 ₩4,638

$3.46 ₩4,611

0.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.94 ₩25.3K

$18.56 ₩24.7K

2.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 ₩2,798

$2.42 ₩3,226

-13.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₩2,571

$3.59 ₩4,793

-46.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 ₩1,452

$1.15 ₩1,527

-5.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 ₩94.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 ₩4,864

$3.55 ₩4,736

2.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₩892

$0.73 ₩980

-8.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$16.97 ₩22.6K

-48.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₩1,855

$1.42 ₩1,890

-2.11%

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

$30.0K ₩40.0M

$39.9K ₩53.3M

-24.94%

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

$28.1K ₩37.4M

$33.9K ₩45.2M

-17.29%

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

$215 ₩286.6K

$206 ₩274.3K

4.47%

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

$36.76 ₩49.0K

$36.67 ₩48.9K

0.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.23 ₩28.3K

$27.39 ₩36.5K

-22.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 ₩73.4K

$51.6 ₩68.8K

6.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.12 ₩18.8K

$10.15 ₩13.5K

39.11%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 ₩15.2K

$11.88 ₩15.8K

-4.21%

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

$379 ₩505.6K

$638 ₩851.1K

-40.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K ₩24.1M

$22.3K ₩29.7M

-18.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 ₩76.9K

$104 ₩139.2K

-44.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.54 ₩43.4K

$65.1 ₩86.8K

-50.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.4 ₩95.2K

$92.8 ₩123.7K

-23.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.4 ₩112.6K

$130 ₩173.4K

-35.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$488 ₩650.4K

$746 ₩994.5K

-34.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 ₩480.4K

$583 ₩777.1K

-38.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 ₩1.5M

$2,151 ₩2.9M

-46.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,046 ₩1.4M

$1,450 ₩1.9M

-27.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,247 ₩9.7M

$8,485 ₩11.3M

-14.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,589 ₩7.5M

$3,272 ₩4.4M

70.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,826 ₩3.8M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

4.22

-3.32%

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

Last update for Seongnam: 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

Seongnam

$426 30%

Busan

$489 26.6% 14.9% $64

Accommodation & Living

Seongnam

$360 25.4%

Busan

$583 31.6% 61.8% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seongnam

$273 19.3%

Busan

$270 14.7% 1.1% $3.1

Eating Out

Seongnam

$159 11.2%

Busan

$166 9% 4.5% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Seongnam

$111 7.8%

Busan

$177 9.6% 59.4% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Seongnam

$78 5.5%

Busan

$75 4.1% 3.2% $2.5

Getting Around

Seongnam

$11 * 0.8%

Busan

$82 4.5% 626% $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 $488 in Seongnam and $746 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42 in Seongnam vs $49 in Busan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $426 vs $489 per month, with Seongnam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seongnam

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

14:34 2:34 PM

Same time as Seongnam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

967,510

3,586,079

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Seongnam Busan 300 km

From you

Seongnam
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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

Seongnam vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $2,127 in Seongnam and $2,763 in Busan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $488 in Seongnam versus $746 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Busan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,418 per month in Seongnam versus $1,842 in Busan – Seongnam is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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