Cost of living comparison

 Reykjavik, Iceland
compared to
 Busan, South Korea
Busan vs. Reykjavik Cost of Living Summary

Busan is 8.5% cheaper than Reykjavik.

Restaurants
pay 54.9% less in Busan
Groceries
pay 35.5% more in Busan
Transportation
pay 46.1% less in Busan
Housing
pay 44.5% less in Busan
Childcare
pay 2.1 times more in Busan
Entertainment and Sports
pay 44.3% less in Busan
Clothing
pay 15.0% less in Busan

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

Busan vs. Reykjavik Cost Breakdown

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

pay 54.9% less for restaurants

 
Reykjavik
Busan
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $20.00
ISK2,545
$6.45
₩8,915
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$18.02
ISK2,293
$5.91
₩8,172
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $3.15
ISK401
$1.84
₩2,538

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pay 35.5% more for groceries

 
Reykjavik
Busan
Bread
1 loaf
$3.61
ISK459
$3.58
₩4,953
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.76
ISK987
$5.10
₩7,057
Milk (1 gallon) $6.40
ISK815
$8.49
₩11,738

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pay 46.1% less for transportation

 
Reykjavik
Busan
Gasoline (1 gallon) $8.50
ISK1,082
$4.38
₩6,063
Monthly public transit pass $74.95
ISK9,538
$42.97
₩59,430
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $42,450.45
ISK5,401,820
$27,023.07
₩37,372,666

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pay 44.5% less for housing

 
Reykjavik
Busan
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$69.87
ISK8,890
$16.11
₩22,286
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,971.17
ISK250,832
$471.50
₩652,081
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,803.44
ISK229,488
$286.48
₩396,201

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pay 2.1 times more for childcare

 
Reykjavik
Busan
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $252.14
ISK32,085
$477.47
₩660,335
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $5,993.99
ISK762,736
$13,786.91
₩19,067,181

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pay 44.3% less for entertainment and sports

 
Reykjavik
Busan
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $10.81
ISK1,376
$3.58
₩4,953
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.31
ISK675
$3.82
₩5,287
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$12.25
ISK1,558
$3.22
₩4,457

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pay 15.0% less for clothing

 
Reykjavik
Busan
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$108.97
ISK13,867
$100.27
₩138,670
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$49.72
ISK6,327
$64.46
₩89,145
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$151.85
ISK19,323
$90.24
₩124,803

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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: May 2025
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See the cost of living in Iceland vs. South Korea. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Iceland and South Korea.

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