Cost of living comparison

 Manila, Philippines
compared to
 Busan, South Korea
Busan vs. Manila Cost of Living Summary

Busan is 67.9% more expensive than Manila.

Restaurants
pay 82.5% more in Busan
Groceries
pay 77.7% more in Busan
Transportation
pay 2.6 times more in Busan
Housing
pay 10.1% less in Busan
Childcare
pay 1.7% less in Busan
Entertainment and Sports
pay 55.5% more in Busan
Clothing
pay 2.1 times more in Busan

The cost of transportation, clothing, restaurants, groceries, and entertainment and sports in Busan are more expensive than in Manila. Expenses including housing and childcare are lower in Busan. Notably, transportation, clothing, and restaurants are significantly more expensive in Busan.

Busan vs. Manila Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Busan instead of Manila, you would:

pay 82.5% more for restaurants

 
Manila
Busan
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $5.12
₱289.08
$6.45
₩8,783
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.26
₱240.90
$5.91
₩8,051
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.87
₱49.34
$1.84
₩2,501

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pay 77.7% more for groceries

 
Manila
Busan
Bread
1 loaf
$1.35
₱76.40
$3.58
₩4,879
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.30
₱299.72
$5.10
₩6,953
Milk (1 gallon) $6.79
₱383.90
$8.49
₩11,564

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pay 2.6 times more for transportation

 
Manila
Busan
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.14
₱234.04
$4.38
₩5,973
Monthly public transit pass $9.93
₱561.10
$42.97
₩58,551
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $25,575.45
₱1,445,396.42
$27,023.07
₩36,819,978

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pay 10.1% less for housing

 
Manila
Busan
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$28.80
₱1,627.91
$16.11
₩21,957
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $468.88
₱26,498.89
$471.50
₩642,438
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $234.44
₱13,249.47
$286.48
₩390,342

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pay 1.7% less for childcare

 
Manila
Busan
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $482.52
₱27,269.81
$477.47
₩650,570
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $14,127.39
₱798,409.45
$13,786.91
₩18,785,205

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pay 55.5% more for entertainment and sports

 
Manila
Busan
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.36
₱77.09
$3.58
₩4,879
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.70
₱152.42
$3.82
₩5,209
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.07
₱173.45
$3.22
₩4,391

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pay 2.1 times more for clothing

 
Manila
Busan
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$33.31
₱1,882.65
$100.27
₩136,620
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$26.60
₱1,503.12
$64.46
₩87,827
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$74.03
₱4,183.54
$90.24
₩122,958

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: July 2025
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