Cost of living comparison
compared to
Busan vs. Seoul Cost of Living Summary
Busan is 8.3% more expensive than Seoul.
- Restaurants
-
pay 14.7% more in Busan
- Groceries
-
pay 2.8% more in Busan
- Transportation
-
pay 3.6% more in Busan
- Housing
-
pay 9.2% less in Busan
- Childcare
-
pay 3.1% less in Busan
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.4% more in Busan
- Clothing
-
pay 44.7% more in Busan
The cost of clothing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, transportation, and groceries in Busan are more expensive than in Seoul. Expenses including housing and childcare are lower in Busan.
Busan vs. Seoul Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Busan instead of Seoul, you would:
pay 14.7% more for restaurants
|
Seoul
|
Busan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$8.49
₩12,514
|
$7.08
₩10,428
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.30
₩9,281
|
$6.01
₩8,864
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.64
₩2,415
|
$1.83
₩2,698
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.78
₩1,151
|
$1.31
₩1,937
|
|
Seoul vs. Busan - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.8% more for groceries
|
Seoul
|
Busan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.24
₩4,772
|
$3.18
₩4,693
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.79
₩10,011
|
$5.09
₩7,508
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.85
₩11,566
|
$8.15
₩12,014
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.93
₩4,321
|
$2.88
₩4,248
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.67
₩6,880
|
$3.59
₩5,298
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.45
₩5,078
|
$3.69
₩5,440
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.52
₩2,246
|
$1.44
₩2,129
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.35
₩3,466
|
$3.33
₩4,910
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.77
₩4,086
|
$2.30
₩3,387
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.62
₩2,386
|
$2.25
₩3,311
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.30
₩1,912
|
$1.46
₩2,152
|
|
Seoul vs. Busan - Cost of groceries
pay 3.6% more for transportation
|
Seoul
|
Busan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.43
₩6,530
|
$4.36
₩6,426
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$45.99
₩67,782
|
$56.60
₩83,424
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$25,072.36
₩36,951,647
|
$26,696.92
₩39,345,918
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$10.50
₩15,475
|
$9.06
₩13,348
|
|
Seoul vs. Busan - Cost of transportation
pay 9.2% less for housing
|
Seoul
|
Busan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$20.56
₩30,296
|
$28.30
₩41,712
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$925.55
₩1,364,083
|
$489.40
₩721,271
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$559.33
₩824,340
|
$306.61
₩451,880
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$118.88
₩175,208
|
$139.76
₩205,971
|
|
Seoul vs. Busan - Cost of housing
pay 3.1% less for childcare
|
Seoul
|
Busan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$360.15
₩530,786
|
$471.71
₩695,201
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$21,667.04
₩31,932,878
|
$13,620.52
₩20,073,916
|
|
Seoul vs. Busan - Cost of childcare
pay 4.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Seoul
|
Busan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.54
₩5,214
|
$3.54
₩5,214
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.70
₩5,450
|
$4.00
₩5,892
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.18
₩4,693
|
$3.18
₩4,693
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$56.34
₩83,028
|
$57.31
₩84,467
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.61
₩15,642
|
$10.97
₩16,163
|
|
Seoul vs. Busan - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 44.7% more for clothing
|
Seoul
|
Busan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.77
₩73,344
|
$99.06
₩145,992
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.49
₩58,201
|
$61.91
₩91,245
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$74.94
₩110,450
|
$76.06
₩112,101
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$99.06
₩145,992
|
$120.29
₩177,276
|
|
Seoul vs. Busan - Cost of clothing
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: December 2025
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