How much does it cost to travel to Busan? (2026)
Budget, mid-range and luxury daily estimates for Busan, in USD and KRW.
Daily and weekly costs
| Tier | Per day (USD) | Per day (KRW) | 7 days (USD) | 7 days (KRW) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BudgetHostel bed, cheap meals, public transport | $55 | ₩78,000 | $385 | ₩550,000 |
| Mid-rangeThree-star hotel, restaurants, some taxis | $135 | ₩190,000 | $945 | ₩1,300,000 |
| LuxuryFour- or five-star hotel, dining out | $285 | ₩410,000 | $1,995 | ₩2,800,000 |
Every amount in this table is an estimateestimate, derived from the World Bank price level for South Korea rather than quoted by any seller.
How this is calculated
A US baseline of 90, 210 and 450 USD a day for the three tiers is multiplied by the price level of South Korea (0.5738933071029917, World Bank 2025) and by a city-size factor of 1.1, then rounded to the nearest 5 dollars. Local amounts use the World Bank exchange rate of 1422.44083333333 KRW to the dollar, rounded to two significant digits.
These are modeled estimates, not quoted prices. Read the full formula on the methodology page.
Sample prices in Busan
Typical prices, every one an estimateestimate rather than a quoted price.
Budget hotel or guesthouse room
estimate, per night for one person
$35
Cheap local meal
estimate, at a casual eatery
$8
Mid-range restaurant meal
estimate, for one person with a drink
$25
Local transport ride
estimate, single subway or bus fare
$2
Coffee
estimate, at a café
$5
Museum or attraction ticket
estimate, standard adult admission
$10
Tourist SIM card
estimate, short-term data plan for about a week
$20
Where the money goes
Across the three tiers, the difference mainly comes from lodging quality and dining choices rather than transport, which stays cheap at every level. A budget traveler spending about $55 a day is relying on basic rooms and local eateries, while the mid-range figure of about $135 a day allows for better hotels and sit-down restaurant meals, and the luxury tier of about $285 a day covers upscale lodging and dining with room for taxis and paid activities.
The cheapest and quietest stretch of the year falls in January, February, and April, when both crowds and typical costs tend to ease compared to the summer peak. All dollar figures here, including the daily and weekly tiers and the individual item estimates, should be treated as planning estimates rather than fixed prices, since actual costs vary by neighborhood and season.
Cheapest months by climate demand: Jan, Feb and Apr.
Keep reading
More on Busan
Sources
- GeoNames city database — CC BY 4.0, fetched September 14, 2026
- World Bank price level and exchange rate — CC BY 4.0, data year 2025
AI-written interpretation reviewed against the data above — claude-sonnet-5, generated September 21, 2026. Every number on this page comes from a dataset named here; the formulas are public.