Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Busan: $1,628 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Seoul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $1,628 in Busan.

Seoul $1,794
Busan $1,628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $2,543 in Busan.

Seoul $2,863
Busan $2,543

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $3,457 in Busan.

Seoul $3,931
Busan $3,457

Living in Seoul is roughly 10% more expensive than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 33% above, Busan 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$7.58 ₩10.1K

16.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$49.48 ₩65.8K

38.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$6.56 ₩8,717

14.94%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$3.67 ₩4,882

15.26%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$1.85 ₩2,459

-11.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$1.44 ₩1,911

-48.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$3.77 ₩5,008

-3.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$4.28 ₩5,696

43.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$2.36 ₩3,137

-14.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$3.26 ₩4,340

-3.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$3.15 ₩4,193

37.14%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.64 ₩3,509

36.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$10.84 ₩14.4K

64.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$10.57 ₩14.1K

-1.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$25.32 ₩33.7K

1.90%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$11.22 ₩14.9K

-31.73%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$3.64 ₩4,837

-7.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$8.21 ₩10.9K

-29.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$5.84 ₩7,763

9.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$5.89 ₩7,831

-36.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$3.28 ₩4,357

-22.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$2.78 ₩3,696

2.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$1.28 ₩1,707

-13.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$3.35 ₩4,458

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$18.91 ₩25.1K

-2.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$2.39 ₩3,181

0.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.52 ₩4,679

-4.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$1.14 ₩1,515

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$60.7 ₩80.8K

-24.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$3.58 ₩4,759

-2.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.74 ₩984

-14.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$17.18 ₩22.8K

-48.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.35 ₩1,793

11.85%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$29.1K ₩38.7M

0.61%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$33.1K ₩44.0M

-14.76%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$202 ₩268.2K

7.83%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$37.03 ₩49.2K

-5.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$27.43 ₩36.5K

-22.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$63.2 ₩84.0K

-8.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$10.04 ₩13.4K

60.36%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$11.93 ₩15.9K

-5.20%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$639 ₩850.3K

204.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$22.0K ₩29.2M

4.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$103 ₩136.9K

-44.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$64.7 ₩86.1K

-48.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$92.8 ₩123.4K

-22.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$129 ₩171.4K

-35.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$712 ₩946.6K

26.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$374 ₩497.5K

63.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$1,304 ₩1.7M

93.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$718 ₩955.1K

76.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$9,884 ₩13.1M

197.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$6,279 ₩8.3M

89.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$2,790 ₩3.7M

30.84%

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 Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Busan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Busan

$374 23% 38.8% $238

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Busan

$488 30% 2.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Busan

$266 16.4% 2.8% $7.8

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Busan

$165 10.1% 10.3% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Busan

$175 10.8% 59.3% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Busan

$87 5.3% 7.9% $6.3

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Busan

$73 4.5% 26.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $712 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 31% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Seoul vs $49.00 in Busan. Groceries flip the comparison at $477 vs $488, with Seoul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

Same time as Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

3,586,079

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Seoul vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Busan wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Busan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Seoul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $901 in Seoul versus $712 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Busan runs roughly 32% less than in Seoul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $639 in Busan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,628 in Busan versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Busan but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Busan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Seoul 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.

Expats usually find Busan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.