Korean Job Discussion Forums

[fejleb]

I will be teaching English in Korea starting this summer and I wanted to get an idea of costs from teachers already in Korea. How much do you spend each month on the following:
1. Food (I hear this can be very expensive)
2. Partying/Nightlife
3. Phone
4. Health Club Membership

I know the potential to save a lot of money exists, but how much do you really save?

[hadeshorn]

I get 1.9 million a month.

I send about 800,000 to 1.1 million home a month.

I budget myself about 100k a week to live off which is still quite extravagant. Partying isnt all that expensive unless you go to Hongdae. However im not a huge fan of Hongdae so they can stick their nightlife and I will go for the cheaper option at Itaewon.

My phone bill is about 10k to 20k a month. So no biggies there.
Gym membership is 50k a month so once again no big deal.

It also gives me about 200 to 300k a month of shopping money which I either blow at Yongsan or Osan.. So yeah its all good!

[Ilsanman]

This month I was sick, so I was able to live on almost nothing. Months before when I had a girlfriend, I used to spend about half my earnings on frivulous crap.

Depends so much on your lifestyle. It is not at all difficult to save a million won a month.

[ryleeys]

2 million a month:

11,000 for insurance per month
30,000 for phone per month
20,000 for internet per month
30,000 or so for other utilities per month
5,000 - 10,000 a day for food
10,000-20,000 per week for beer


That being said, I live in a relatiely small city and don't generally eat alot and get drunk before I can drink a hole in my wallet. I'm generally saving between 1,000,000 and 1,200,000 per month, depending on what gadgets I buy in a month (just bought an mp3 player at 250,000 and some speakers for my computer at 50,000).

[camel96]

[ryleeys]

My insurance was 300,000 for the year and my boss paid half... so I paid a one time 150,000 deal... Maybe that's 12,000 a month? Too damn lazy to get a calculator. My internet was really cheap from what I remember. Hell if I know exactly since all my bills are paid automatically. I know that the first month I saved $1000 and the second month I only saved $700 cause I blew cash on gadgets and clothes (had to update my wardrobe from the sloppy college student look), plus dropped the med insurance the second month. I just got my third paycheck and now have about 4 mil in my account.

[Mr. Pink]

Curious how your insurance is so low.

I pay 55,000 a month for health insurance.

Also your phones are cheap too. I pay about 40k a month for that using 011 service.

Pretty sure we spend more than half my salary on expenses. I have a wife and kid. My wife is currently not working. We don't pay rent, pay low utils and I'd say most of our costs are food, baby items, gas for my car. (that is after deductions and phone/internet costs)

Oh my gym is 60k a month or 3mths for 150k...so I did 3mths.

[ryleeys]

Couldn't tell you much about my insurance... I know that if I get run over by a crazy taxi driver and killed, my family gets $83k. If I get sick, I get the first 2 weeks in the hospital free of charge and then something like 5% every day after that...

My phone is cheap I guess... I can talk on the phone to America for an hour and it costs about $10. I have an 019 number and use 00345 to call international.

[Ilsanman]

If you want any kind of social life, you pretty much have to get a cell phone. It will be between 100,000 and 500,000 won one time and then 20,000-30,000 won a month.

[Homer]

It all depends on your needs and on your income.
It also depends on your location (city).

You got a decent idea of the costs from the responses in this thread and in general it seems that people manage to save between 800-1000$US per month and live on about 800 000 to a million Won. Thats a rough guideline.
But, if your a party animal then the figure of savings will melt.

As for food, its not that much more expensive then back home (Canada in my case) unless you eat at high rate western restaurants all the time!

[kangnamdragon]

I spend too much and save too little.

[Plastic B]

Of course if you factor in trips to Australia, Thailand, Laos and Hong Kong, overnight trips to Busan every other month, a week in Seoul and various day trips around Korea, you could be like me and save absolutely bugger all in six months. And that's not even mentioning paying various bills back home...

[lao_ocean_girl]

1. Food - 250,000 (includes eating out)
2. Nightlife - 200,000 (inlcudes a trip to Seoul about once a month)
3. Phone - 50,000-60,000 a month (I have no land line)
4. Gym - 100,000 for 3 months
5. Utilities - 30,000 internet, 5,000 water, 30,000 electricity, 16,000 cable
6. Other - 200,000 (clothes, household, electronics, misc.)

* Note: I live 3 hours outside of Seoul in a city of about 300,000 people. The only fast food chains we have are McDonalds, Popeye's, Pizza Hut, and Domino's.

[prairieboy]

I get 2.2 mill a month. Of that I pay around 200,000 give or take for taxes, insurance, pension.

I send home 1.4mill. Leaves me with 600,000 for the month.

I pay around 100,000 for utilities. (phone is about 30,000 because I don't make international calls...the parents call me on their cheaper than cheap plan)

I have a girlfriend so partying is kept to a minimum, just a couple of dinners a week and a few movies every month...maybe 100,000 there. Plus coffee and general shopping with her maybe another 100,000. We buy groceries together so we actually eat in alot...about 100,000 on groceries

I pay 80,000 for Kung-fu classes and 60,000 for the health club.

Leaves me with about 30,000 by the time pay day comes around again.

Cheers