Korean Job Discussion Forums

[itaewonguy]

ok I have been here since 97.. It was cheap back in those days but showed a strong force on its way to becoming an expensive place to live.
it might have already been there..

But over the years here, I have met people who told me about the 80's and early 90's .. they said it was dead cheap!!
everything was cheap.. too many to list.. but everything.. they even said hookers on the hill would do you for 10.000won. now its 20.000 A DRINK!.
ok bad example but I thought I would throw it in there..

now.. we have all heard about youngsan. yeah cheap DVD'S...!!!!
are they?? 10.000 won a DVD a pirated DVD, is that cheap???
nikes priced at 70.000 won.. is that cheap???
I heard back in the days nikes were like 20 bucks here..
everything seems to be far to expensive.. ok somethings are cheap..
transportation, buses and subways..

so my point is.. I hear about CHINA.. DVD'S 1 dollar,.. cheap clothes.. nikes, etc.. all way cheaper than here.. even thailand is cheaper than here. what is happening to korea? is it becoming to expensive to live here on a normal teachers salary? or will it??

is it time to move to china?

back in the day teachers made good money , compared to the economy.
now it seems like things are getting more expensive around us. but our salaries are not moving...

[VanIslander]

You can compare prices in Korea with a country where you'd make a comparable wage (Japan), or with a country where you come from (Canada). Either way I win big time.

[peppermint]

Yeah, things are cheap in China, but the pay for an ESL er is around half according to some teachers from Shanghai I met when I was in Beijing.

[J.B. Clamence]

[SuperFly]

They nickel and dime you to death. Ha, I taught that colloquial to my students once..


Itaewondude,

Those pirated cd's used to cost 5K won in 1996-97 as I remember.

[Gwangjuboy]

The best way to measure this, is to look at one's disposable income. I have a disposable income of 1 million won per month. In the UK I would have to be earning considerably more to save that kind of money each month. So, comparitavely, Korea is a cheap place to live. (even if I were to consider the free housing, the UK would be a lot more expensive.)

[batman]

Cheap for some things (500cc's of beer, soju, crappy vodka, art supplies, cable service, transportation - scooters, taxi's, trains, buses).
Expensive for other things (imported products, decent clothing, vegetables, fruit, good bread, rice, baby clothes, baby food, diapers).

Right now I am working at home as a stay-at-hom dad.
My son and I rely upon the money that my wife brings home from her teaching job.
We figure, while in Korea, the three of us can live nicely on, about, 800,000 won a month and save the rest.
Don't know if we could do that back home.

But, then, life is about more than money.
If you are not enjoying where you are and what you are doing, who cares how much you are making.

[dominic]

seoul is the 5th most expensive country to live in the world. meat is rediculous here especailly beef. Bread is outragous and so is cheese, electronics are expensive too. cheap my ass

[Saxiif]

I can still get a good sized bowl of meaty bone soup for 4,000. That's cheap enough for me.

[Gwangjuboy]