Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suji-gu and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Suji-gu: $1,362 a month against $1,812 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Suji-gu
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Suji-gu Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Suji-gu

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,362

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,812

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,362 in Suji-gu versus $1,812 in Busan.

Suji-gu $1,362
Busan $1,812

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,251 in Suji-gu versus $2,952 in Busan.

Suji-gu $2,251
Busan $2,952

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,139 in Suji-gu versus $4,091 in Busan.

Suji-gu $3,139
Busan $4,091

Living in Suji-gu costs roughly 25% less than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.86 ₩7,873

$7.34 ₩9,859

-20.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.38 ₩46.2K

$48.83 ₩65.6K

-29.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 ₩9,232

$6.59 ₩8,851

4.25%

Cappuccino

$3.71 ₩4,990

$3.75 ₩5,042

-1.07%

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

$1.53 ₩2,054

$1.78 ₩2,386

-14.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₩828

$1.45 ₩1,942

-57.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.54 ₩4,754

$3.67 ₩4,933

-3.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 ₩5,966

$4.33 ₩5,824

2.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ₩2,712

$2.32 ₩3,116

-12.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,100

$3.24 ₩4,351

-5.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 ₩3,529

$3.07 ₩4,124

-14.33%

Eggs

$3.26 ₩4,374

$2.71 ₩3,636

20.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.46 ₩20.8K

$11.00 ₩14.8K

40.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.41 ₩14.0K

$10.52 ₩14.1K

-1.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.99 ₩14.8K

$25.00 ₩33.6K

-56.04%

Apples (1kg)

$6.85 ₩9,198

$11.04 ₩14.8K

-37.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 ₩3,269

$3.65 ₩4,900

-33.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 ₩6,065

$7.91 ₩10.6K

-42.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.28 ₩8,436

$5.78 ₩7,773

8.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 ₩4,502

$5.87 ₩7,888

-42.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 ₩3,364

$3.25 ₩4,372

-23.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 ₩2,785

$2.72 ₩3,652

-23.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₩1,532

$1.26 ₩1,698

-9.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,432

$3.31 ₩4,447

-0.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.76 ₩18.5K

$18.92 ₩25.4K

-27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 ₩3,096

$2.42 ₩3,253

-4.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₩4,295

$3.64 ₩4,889

-12.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 ₩1,462

$1.18 ₩1,583

-7.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.1 ₩91.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 ₩4,927

$3.60 ₩4,843

1.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ₩759

$0.66 ₩893

-13.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.90 ₩12.0K

$14.88 ₩20.0K

-40.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ₩1,795

$1.36 ₩1,831

-1.47%

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

$29.7K ₩40.0M

$40.0K ₩53.8M

-25.64%

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

$27.9K ₩37.5M

$33.0K ₩44.3M

-15.39%

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

$211 ₩284.0K

$197 ₩264.6K

7.33%

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

$35.23 ₩47.3K

$35.89 ₩48.2K

-1.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.77 ₩27.9K

$26.71 ₩35.9K

-22.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.66 ₩65.4K

$50.9 ₩68.4K

-4.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.08 ₩17.6K

$9.86 ₩13.3K

32.66%

Cinema Ticket

$11.11 ₩14.9K

$11.71 ₩15.7K

-5.12%

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

$447 ₩600.5K

$624 ₩838.2K

-28.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ₩23.6M

$22.0K ₩29.6M

-20.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.8 ₩84.4K

$104 ₩140.1K

-39.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.96 ₩44.3K

$65.9 ₩88.6K

-49.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.3 ₩91.8K

$92.2 ₩123.9K

-25.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.5 ₩108.1K

$129 ₩172.7K

-37.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 ₩719.9K

$753 ₩1.0M

-28.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 ₩496.3K

$575 ₩773.0K

-35.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 ₩1.9M

$2,202 ₩3.0M

-37.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 ₩1.4M

$1,386 ₩1.9M

-23.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,456 ₩8.7M

$5,126 ₩6.9M

25.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,213 ₩8.3M

$3,249 ₩4.4M

91.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,132 ₩1.5M

$2,658 ₩3.6M

-57.42%

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 Suji-gu: November 3, 2026

Last update for Busan: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Suji-gu

$386 28.4%

Busan

$484 26.7% 25.3% $98

Accommodation & Living

Suji-gu

$369 27.1%

Busan

$575 31.7% 55.7% $206

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suji-gu

$267 19.6%

Busan

$259 14.3% 2.9% $7.8

Eating Out

Suji-gu

$147 10.8%

Busan

$163 9% 11% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Suji-gu

$110 8.1%

Busan

$176 9.7% 59.9% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Suji-gu

$71 5.2%

Busan

$74 4.1% 4.8% $3.4

Getting Around

Suji-gu

$11 * 0.8%

Busan

$80 4.4% 635% $69

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 $536 in Suji-gu and $753 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $34 in Suji-gu vs $49 in Busan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $484 per month, with Suji-gu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Suji-gu

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

20:49 8:49 PM

Same time as Suji-gu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

374,948

3,586,079

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Suji-gu vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suji-gu wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Suji-gu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 57% lower in Suji-gu. 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: $536 in Suji-gu versus $753 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Busan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,362 per month in Suji-gu versus $1,812 in Busan – Suji-gu is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,362 in Suji-gu versus $1,812 in Busan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Suji-gu but tight or insufficient in Busan. The gap between the two cities makes Suji-gu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

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