Cost of living comparison

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

Busan is 11.3% more expensive than South Korea overall.

Restaurants
pay 25.1% more in Busan
Groceries
pay 12.5% more in Busan
Transportation
pay 6.9% more in Busan
Housing
pay 8.5% less in Busan
Childcare
pay 5.9% less in Busan
Entertainment and Sports
pay 9.7% more in Busan
Clothing
pay 39.0% more in Busan

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

Busan vs. South Korea Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Busan instead of South Korea, you would:

pay 25.1% more for restaurants

 
South Korea
Busan
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $6.16
₩8,618
$6.45
₩9,018
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$5.24
₩7,330
$5.91
₩8,267
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.47
₩2,060
$1.84
₩2,568

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pay 12.5% more for groceries

 
South Korea
Busan
Bread
1 loaf
$3.08
₩4,304
$3.58
₩5,010
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.40
₩7,561
$5.10
₩7,140
Milk (1 gallon) $7.46
₩10,435
$8.49
₩11,875

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pay 6.9% more for transportation

 
South Korea
Busan
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.39
₩6,146
$4.38
₩6,134
Monthly public transit pass $45.32
₩63,403
$42.97
₩60,123
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $27,023.07
₩37,808,512
$27,023.07
₩37,808,512

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pay 8.5% less for housing

 
South Korea
Busan
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$17.65
₩24,700
$16.11
₩22,546
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $426.93
₩597,329
$471.50
₩659,686
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $328.41
₩459,489
$286.48
₩400,822

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pay 5.9% less for childcare

 
South Korea
Busan
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $373.40
₩522,432
$477.47
₩668,036
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $22,907.58
₩32,050,447
$13,786.91
₩19,289,546

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pay 9.7% more for entertainment and sports

 
South Korea
Busan
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $3.09
₩4,329
$3.58
₩5,010
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.39
₩4,742
$3.82
₩5,348
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.21
₩4,497
$3.22
₩4,509

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pay 39.0% more for clothing

 
South Korea
Busan
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$60.70
₩84,933
$100.27
₩140,288
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$44.52
₩62,292
$64.46
₩90,185
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$72.99
₩102,125
$90.24
₩126,259

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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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