Cost of living comparison

compared to

Busan vs. Washington Cost of Living Summary

Busan is 34.1% cheaper than Washington.

Restaurants
pay 54.3% less in Busan
Groceries
pay 9.6% more in Busan
Transportation
pay 18.7% less in Busan
Housing
pay 57.5% less in Busan
Childcare
pay 74.2% less in Busan
Entertainment and Sports
pay 49.0% less in Busan
Clothing
pay 5.3% more in Busan

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

Busan vs. Washington Cost Breakdown

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

pay 54.3% less for restaurants

 
Washington
Busan
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $25.00
 
$7.08
₩10,528
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$12.00
 
$6.01
₩8,949
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $3.20
 
$1.83
₩2,724

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pay 9.6% more for groceries

 
Washington
Busan
Bread
1 loaf
$4.43
 
$3.18
₩4,738
Local cheese (8 oz) $8.04
 
$5.09
₩7,580
Milk (1 gallon) $4.19
 
$8.15
₩12,129

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pay 18.7% less for transportation

 
Washington
Busan
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.53
 
$4.36
₩6,487
Monthly public transit pass $77.50
 
$56.60
₩84,224
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $35,699.74
 
$26,696.92
₩40M

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pay 57.5% less for housing

 
Washington
Busan
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$69.41
 
$28.30
₩42,112
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $2,568.48
 
$489.40
₩728K
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $2,088.16
 
$306.61
₩456K

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pay 74.2% less for childcare

 
Washington
Busan
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $2,650.00
 
$471.71
₩702K
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $40,166.67
 
$13,620.52
₩20M

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pay 49.0% less for entertainment and sports

 
Washington
Busan
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $8.00
 
$3.54
₩5,264
Cappuccino in mid-range area $6.07
 
$4.00
₩5,948
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$13.00
 
$3.18
₩4,738

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pay 5.3% more for clothing

 
Washington
Busan
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$76.00
 
$99.06
₩147K
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$48.40
 
$61.91
₩92,120
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$104.31
 
$76.06
₩113K

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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 2026
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