Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulsan and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulsan: $1,339 a month against $1,628 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ulsan
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Ulsan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Ulsan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,339

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,339 in Ulsan versus $1,628 in Busan.

Ulsan $1,339
Busan $1,628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,185 in Ulsan versus $2,543 in Busan.

Ulsan $2,185
Busan $2,543

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,030 in Ulsan versus $3,457 in Busan.

Ulsan $3,030
Busan $3,457

Living in Ulsan costs roughly 18% less than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ulsan is 1% below, Busan is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.62 ₩10.1K

$7.58 ₩10.1K

0.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.63 ₩59.3K

$49.48 ₩65.8K

-9.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 ₩7,882

$6.56 ₩8,717

-9.60%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₩4,410

$3.67 ₩4,882

-9.54%

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

$0.88 ₩1,175

$1.85 ₩2,459

-52.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₩619

$1.44 ₩1,911

-67.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 ₩4,006

$3.77 ₩5,008

-20.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ₩5,826

$4.28 ₩5,696

2.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₩3,139

$2.36 ₩3,137

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,315

$3.26 ₩4,340

-0.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 ₩4,207

$3.15 ₩4,193

0.32%

Eggs

$2.73 ₩3,634

$2.64 ₩3,509

3.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.88 ₩14.5K

$10.84 ₩14.4K

0.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 ₩14.1K

$10.57 ₩14.1K

0.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.54 ₩32.6K

$25.32 ₩33.7K

-3.08%

Apples (1kg)

$11.39 ₩15.1K

$11.22 ₩14.9K

1.52%

Banana (1kg)

$3.74 ₩4,975

$3.64 ₩4,837

2.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.09 ₩10.8K

$8.21 ₩10.9K

-1.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.05 ₩8,048

$5.84 ₩7,763

3.60%

Potato (1kg)

$6.01 ₩7,992

$5.89 ₩7,831

2.04%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 ₩4,328

$3.28 ₩4,357

-0.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 ₩3,844

$2.78 ₩3,696

3.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₩1,707

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 ₩4,154

$3.35 ₩4,458

-6.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.52 ₩24.6K

$18.91 ₩25.1K

-2.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 ₩3,264

$2.39 ₩3,181

2.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ₩4,577

$3.52 ₩4,679

-2.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,511

$1.14 ₩1,515

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 ₩80.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 ₩3,849

$3.58 ₩4,759

-19.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₩1,040

$0.74 ₩984

5.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.96 ₩22.6K

$17.18 ₩22.8K

-1.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₩1,899

$1.35 ₩1,793

5.93%

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

$30.0K ₩39.9M

$29.1K ₩38.7M

3.17%

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

$34.1K ₩45.4M

$33.1K ₩44.0M

3.15%

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

$197 ₩261.8K

$202 ₩268.2K

-2.40%

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

$37.06 ₩49.3K

$37.03 ₩49.2K

0.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.21 ₩36.2K

$27.43 ₩36.5K

-0.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 ₩80.3K

$63.2 ₩84.0K

-4.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.04 ₩13.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.30 ₩13.7K

$11.93 ₩15.9K

-13.66%

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

$263 ₩349.3K

$639 ₩850.3K

-58.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K ₩29.3M

$22.0K ₩29.2M

0.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₩68.5K

$103 ₩136.9K

-49.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.56 ₩60.6K

$64.7 ₩86.1K

-29.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 ₩81.2K

$92.8 ₩123.4K

-34.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 ₩99.7K

$129 ₩171.4K

-41.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 ₩495.3K

$712 ₩946.6K

-47.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 ₩324.7K

$374 ₩497.5K

-34.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 ₩1.0M

$1,304 ₩1.7M

-41.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 ₩861.8K

$718 ₩955.1K

-9.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,483 ₩6.0M

$9,884 ₩13.1M

-54.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,479 ₩3.3M

$6,279 ₩8.3M

-60.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,331 ₩3.1M

$2,790 ₩3.7M

-16.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

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

Last update for Ulsan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Busan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ulsan

$489 36.5%

Busan

$488 30% 0.1% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulsan

$261 19.5%

Busan

$266 16.4% 1.9% $5

Accommodation & Living

Ulsan

$244 18.2%

Busan

$374 23% 53.2% $130

Eating Out

Ulsan

$148 11%

Busan

$165 10.1% 11.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Ulsan

$105 7.8%

Busan

$175 10.8% 67% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Ulsan

$81 6.1%

Busan

$87 5.3% 7.4% $6

Getting Around

Ulsan

$11 * 0.9%

Busan

$73 4.5% 539% $61

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 $373 in Ulsan and $712 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 20% 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: $45.00 in Ulsan vs $49.00 in Busan. Groceries flip the comparison at $489 vs $488, with Busan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Ulsan

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

Same time as Ulsan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,129,827

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)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ulsan vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulsan wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ulsan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Busan. 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: $373 in Ulsan versus $712 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Busan pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,339 per month in Ulsan versus $1,628 in Busan – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,339 in Ulsan versus $1,628 in Busan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ulsan but tight or insufficient in Busan. The gap between the two cities makes Ulsan 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, Ulsan 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 Ulsan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Busan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.