Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Busan Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Busan

😐 Solo nomad: Seoul is 1% more expensive than Busan without rent, and 13.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Seoul is 5.8% more expensive than Busan without rent, and 25.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 ₩12.7K

$7.04 ₩10.4K

23.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₩80.8K

$36.06 ₩53K

52.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.53 ₩9,607

$6.01 ₩8,839

8.65%

Cappuccino

$3.92 ₩5,767

$4.2 ₩6,175

-6.67%

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

$1.65 ₩2,427

$1.82 ₩2,678

-9.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ₩1,258

$1.39 ₩2,048

-38.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.57 ₩5,257

$3.61 ₩5,315

-1.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 ₩8,576

$5.97 ₩8,782

-2.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₩3,170

$2.28 ₩3,361

-5.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.3 ₩4,851

$3.45 ₩5,073

-4.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 ₩4,791

$3.09 ₩4,551

5.50%

Eggs

$3.12 ₩4,587

$2.87 ₩4,223

8.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 ₩20.7K

$10.63 ₩15.6K

32.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.04 ₩16.2K

$8.3 ₩12.2K

33.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.08 ₩50.1K

$27.79 ₩40.9K

22.63%

Apples (1kg)

$7.89 ₩11.6K

$8.25 ₩12.1K

-4.36%

Banana (1kg)

$3.54 ₩5,208

$3.27 ₩4,804

8.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.4 ₩7,940

$7.46 ₩11K

-27.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.67 ₩9,815

$5.17 ₩7,604

29.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.82 ₩5,618

$5.01 ₩7,370

-23.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 ₩4,401

$3.04 ₩4,472

-1.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 ₩3,699

$2.08 ₩3,061

20.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₩1,881

$1.16 ₩1,704

10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 ₩4,802

$3.33 ₩4,903

-2.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.54 ₩28.7K

$13.44 ₩19.8K

45.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₩3,583

$1.73 ₩2,551

41.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 ₩4,924

$3.42 ₩5,030

-2.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 ₩1,633

$1.16 ₩1,705

-4.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.88 ₩69K

$44.03 ₩64.8K

6.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 ₩5,269

$3.56 ₩5,235

0.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ₩829

$0.85 ₩1,257

-34.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.03 ₩13.3K

$16.81 ₩24.7K

-46.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₩1,750

$1.16 ₩1,700

2.59%

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

$27.6K ₩40.7M

$27.4K ₩40.3M

0.97%

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

$25.4K ₩37.3M

$25.1K ₩36.9M

1.22%

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

$166 ₩244.1K

$190 ₩279.4K

-12.63%

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

$34.32 ₩50.5K

$50.7 ₩74.7K

-32.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.87 ₩32.2K

$27.33 ₩40.2K

-19.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.5 ₩84.6K

$53.7 ₩79K

7.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.57 ₩34.7K

$13.37 ₩19.7K

76.29%

Cinema Ticket

$10.94 ₩16.1K

$11.28 ₩16.6K

-3.01%

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

$417 ₩614.2K

$487 ₩716K

-14.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K ₩35.2M

$14.3K ₩21.1M

67.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 ₩85.8K

$101 ₩148.4K

-42.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.11 ₩69.3K

$65.9 ₩96.9K

-28.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 ₩117.5K

$89.9 ₩132.3K

-11.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 ₩169.1K

$117 ₩171.7K

-1.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$936 ₩1.4M

$502 ₩738.1K

86.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 ₩889.8K

$325 ₩477.6K

86.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,536 ₩3.7M

$1,003 ₩1.5M

152.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,299 ₩1.9M

$661 ₩972.1K

96.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$21.6K ₩31.7M

$8,821 ₩13M

144.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11K ₩16.2M

$7,152 ₩10.5M

53.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,154 ₩4.6M

$2,530 ₩3.7M

24.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

4.22

-1.90%

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

Last update for Seoul: November 25, 2025

Last update for Busan: November 25, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

Bratislava

🇸🇰 Slovakia

Turin

🇮🇹 Italy

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

Wroclaw

🇵🇱 Poland