Cost of living comparison

 Ottawa, Canada
compared to
 Busan, South Korea
Busan vs. Ottawa Cost of Living Summary

Busan is 15.7% cheaper than Ottawa.

Restaurants
pay 35.7% less in Busan
Groceries
pay 40.3% more in Busan
Transportation
pay 20.6% less in Busan
Housing
pay 61.7% less in Busan
Childcare
pay 41.5% less in Busan
Entertainment and Sports
pay 19.7% less in Busan
Clothing
pay 29.1% more in Busan

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

Busan vs. Ottawa Cost Breakdown

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

pay 35.7% less for restaurants

 
Ottawa
Busan
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $17.96
CA$24.45
$6.45
₩8,783
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.78
CA$14.67
$5.91
₩8,051
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.17
CA$2.95
$1.84
₩2,501

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pay 40.3% more for groceries

 
Ottawa
Busan
Bread
1 loaf
$2.65
CA$3.61
$3.58
₩4,879
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.28
CA$8.55
$5.10
₩6,953
Milk (1 gallon) $9.92
CA$13.51
$8.49
₩11,564

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pay 20.6% less for transportation

 
Ottawa
Busan
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.15
CA$5.65
$4.38
₩5,973
Monthly public transit pass $92.50
CA$125.92
$42.97
₩58,551
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $24,412.64
CA$33,231.71
$27,023.07
₩36,819,978

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pay 61.7% less for housing

 
Ottawa
Busan
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$50.21
CA$68.35
$16.11
₩21,957
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,425.51
CA$1,940.48
$471.50
₩642,438
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,269.57
CA$1,728.20
$286.48
₩390,342

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pay 41.5% less for childcare

 
Ottawa
Busan
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $999.72
CA$1,360.87
$477.47
₩650,570
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $19,936.07
CA$27,137.98
$13,786.91
₩18,785,205

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pay 19.7% less for entertainment and sports

 
Ottawa
Busan
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.75
CA$7.82
$3.58
₩4,879
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.71
CA$5.05
$3.82
₩5,209
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$12.93
CA$17.60
$3.22
₩4,391

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pay 29.1% more for clothing

 
Ottawa
Busan
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$57.20
CA$77.86
$100.27
₩136,620
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$44.39
CA$60.43
$64.46
₩87,827
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$97.78
CA$133.10
$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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See the cost of living in Canada vs. South Korea. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Canada and South Korea.

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