Cost of living comparison

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

Busan is 18.6% cheaper than Wellington.

Restaurants
pay 40.3% less in Busan
Groceries
pay 50.6% more in Busan
Transportation
pay 40.7% less in Busan
Housing
pay 63.3% less in Busan
Childcare
pay 18.1% less in Busan
Entertainment and Sports
pay 21.7% less in Busan
Clothing
pay 3.3% more in Busan

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

Busan vs. Wellington Cost Breakdown

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

pay 40.3% less for restaurants

 
Wellington
Busan
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $14.93
NZ$26.12
$6.45
₩9,478
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$8.96
NZ$15.67
$5.91
₩8,688
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.57
NZ$4.50
$1.84
₩2,699

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pay 50.6% more for groceries

 
Wellington
Busan
Bread
1 loaf
$1.96
NZ$3.43
$3.58
₩5,266
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.15
NZ$7.26
$5.10
₩7,503
Milk (1 gallon) $6.98
NZ$12.21
$8.49
₩12,480

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pay 40.7% less for transportation

 
Wellington
Busan
Gasoline (1 gallon) $6.42
NZ$11.23
$4.38
₩6,446
Monthly public transit pass $127.57
NZ$223.15
$42.97
₩63,186
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $34,339.84
NZ$60,071.44
$27,023.07
₩39,734,716

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pay 63.3% less for housing

 
Wellington
Busan
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$54.27
NZ$94.93
$16.11
₩23,695
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,487.35
NZ$2,601.85
$471.50
₩693,294
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,335.17
NZ$2,335.65
$286.48
₩421,242

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pay 18.1% less for childcare

 
Wellington
Busan
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $871.44
NZ$1,524.42
$477.47
₩702,070
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $12,649.75
NZ$22,128.49
$13,786.91
₩20,272,277

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pay 21.7% less for entertainment and sports

 
Wellington
Busan
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $7.17
NZ$12.54
$3.58
₩5,266
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.41
NZ$5.97
$3.82
₩5,621
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$24.46
NZ$42.78
$3.22
₩4,739

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pay 3.3% more for clothing

 
Wellington
Busan
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$75.78
NZ$132.56
$100.27
₩147,435
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$55.09
NZ$96.38
$64.46
₩94,779
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$119.44
NZ$208.94
$90.24
₩132,691

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

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