Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mgs2]

I have got some mixed messages of the cost of living in Korea. Some people have told me that reasonable quality restaurant food costs around $US4 or so, and that beer and other drinks is similarly very cheap. Others have told me that most restaurant meals are $US10 minimum, and rarely any cheaper. And that most nightclubs for example of a $10-$20 entry fee.

Which of these is more accurate, is the cost of living in Korea really not that different from developed countries?

[andrewchon]

Motel sleep over-night: 30,000 won to 40,000 won.
short stays (no sleep-over) are cheaper.
Hotel 70,000 upwards
Restaurants:
Korean style:
cheapest is usually the black bean noodles (jja-jang-myun) 3,500 to 4,500.
Any meat dish around 10,000
western style restaurants are expensive 10,000 +++++
Korea comes 16th in the BigMc Index at $3.14
pizza 20,000
pack of cigs (20) 2,500
litre of gasoline 1,600
Korean booze are cheap, non-Korean booze expensive.

[Xuanzang]

900 won basic rate for subways or buses with T-Money card. Still dirt cheap compared to Europe and North America.

[storysinger81]

Are you asking about the cost of living, or travel expenses? They are different (and factor in things like health care, transportation, housing, etc.)

For your specific questions, it depends what your tastes are and where you are/live. I eat once a week at an Indian restaurant that runs me about 12,000 won ($10), but most Korean restaurants are between 3,000 won (cheap kimbap and jjajjangmyeon places) and 8,000 won for the food (more for meat, which I don't eat, or for alcohol, which I don't really drink much of these days), BUT in Korea, there's no tipping.

Imported alcohol (beer, wine, etc.) costs a bit more than it does back home.

Club/entry fees are often waived if you're a foreigner (especially if you're a woman). My swing dance club fee is 5,000 won. I live in Daegu and have only once had to pay a club fee of 5,000 for a hip-hop style club(though in Itaewon I was asked for 10,000-15,000). My Korean friends have to pay for entrance at these clubs.

[UknowsI]

[Xuanzang]

Depends on the restaurant. Beef will certainly run from the 8-15000 range. Fresh, luscious strips of pork won't be 4000 won. A lot of places increased their prices for meat because of this economy. One 3,500 won meat place I went to had this disgusting frozen samgyopsal.

[mgs2]

What would you budget per day for a traveller, not including accomodation, who wants a decent existence, like $US40 per day?

[andrewchon]

Yeah, 'Any' meat dish thing is far too general.
What I wanted to emphasize was that meat is expensive in Korea.