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| Is korea becoming to expensive to live here? |
| YES, Im thinking its time to move on |
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15% |
[ 6 ] |
| NO, not at all still a cheap place |
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46% |
[ 18 ] |
| wouldnt want to make a career here as an ESL teacher on this salary and this economy. better places to go!! |
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20% |
[ 8 ] |
| I cant really do much better else where.. everything I need is right here.$25.000USD a year is sweet for my life!! |
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17% |
[ 7 ] |
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| Total Votes : 39 |
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Yaya
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2004 1:06 pm Post subject: |
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| itaewonguy wrote: |
I cant believe 7 people posted 25.000 is good enough for me I cant do much better than that anyway!???? I mean please!!!
university graduates and you cant earn more than 25G's a year..
something is wrong.... you people are not poster children for encouraging kids to attend college..
hey look at us.. we graduated and we now earn 25g's a year living away from all our friends and family, in korea.!!!!
seriously??? |
Uh, have you seen how much college grads earn in the US nowadays? Many are actually applying to WAL-MART, buddy! The middle class in the US is declining, and many members of that class have bachelor's degrees. Plus, a lot of the degree earners all have one thing in common - DEBT, DEBT and MORE DEBT from tuition and fees. I paid off my loans rather quickly in Korea, and many others are doing the same.
Plus, I know of other people who make more than $25k in Korea - some average anywhere between 3-5 mln won a month, albeit in teaching. Others I know have branched off into business and such.
But aside from that, many are enjoying themselves in Korea despite the "low" salary of $25k AND paying off debt. Can't blame them now, can we? |
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Squid
Joined: 25 Jul 2003
Location: Sunny Anyang
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| Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2004 4:19 pm Post subject: |
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Yup, I'll have to go with the flow here and say this is a cheaper place to live than other countries I've experienced, most recently NZ.
On balance the cost of living seems less here, notwithstanding everytime I go to E-Mart I drop a hundy at least, but that's only because I'm a TV generation impulse-purchasing mug.
Last year was tough on only a take home of 1.2, from a very well known hagwon chain. But this year it's doubled and that extra is money in the bank.
NZ was OK if you like playing 24/7 "survivor", easy to get to but very difficult to scrape enough together to leave... you really get gouged on the basic foodstuffs, even though most are locally produced. Here food is rock-bottom cheap, including eating out.
Yeah, you can live on a pittance here if you have to, and it's also not badly placed geographically so airfares in and out are reasonable. OK for me. |
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Yaya
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2004 5:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Squid wrote: |
Yup, I'll have to go with the flow here and say this is a cheaper place to live than other countries I've experienced, most recently NZ.
On balance the cost of living seems less here, notwithstanding everytime I go to E-Mart I drop a hundy at least, but that's only because I'm a TV generation impulse-purchasing mug.
Last year was tough on only a take home of 1.2, from a very well known hagwon chain. But this year it's doubled and that extra is money in the bank.
NZ was OK if you like playing 24/7 "survivor", easy to get to but very difficult to scrape enough together to leave... you really get gouged on the basic foodstuffs, even though most are locally produced. Here food is rock-bottom cheap, including eating out.
Yeah, you can live on a pittance here if you have to, and it's also not badly placed geographically so airfares in and out are reasonable. OK for me. |
I've never been to NZ so I am no expert on Kiwiland but I hear wages are quite low. Not that Kiwis are bad off or anything but it seems it's hard to get above just an average salary in that country. |
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Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee
Joined: 25 May 2003
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2004 3:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Medical and taxes are cheap in Korea. And their is no tipping.Outside of that most things are the same price as they are back home.Korea is not really all that cheap. You can live a budget life style in Korea but you can do that back home too. |
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Mankind
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2004 5:20 pm Post subject: |
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HAND 
Last edited by Mankind on Wed Oct 06, 2004 5:57 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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just because
Joined: 01 Aug 2003
Location: Changwon - 4964
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2004 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Korea is getting insane expensive |
Explain this. i have been to many places and lived in quite a few different cities in the world I wouldn't call korea insane expensive. Its about middle of the road if you ask me. I would say japan is bordering on insane expensive at times(but you can live there on the cheap as well) but with some exceptions(good steak, tropical fruits, some vegetables), it compares well with other countries.
The reason why Seoul is one of the most expensive cities in the world is due to all the comparisons being made with western cities. I don't live in Seoul so it might be alittle bit cheaper for me but I don't agree with your above statement. |
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Mr. Pink
Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Location: China
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2004 6:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Mankind wrote: |
Have you people lived anywhere outside of your hometowns and here?
You can't compare London and New York with ESLing in Seoul.
Korea is getting insane expensive. Anyone who's been around awhile has seen the inflation. My food bill is double what it was even 5 years ago. Go to the Middle East if you want good wages and cheap living. In the UAE you can rent a 2 storey house with a yard for 6,000,000 won a year. The Indian resturant that was by my place had a buffet for under 1700 at lunch and 2300 at dinner time. Thats cheap. Don't even get me started on electronics and cars.
HAND |
I don't agree with you.
In the past 7yrs I have been here:
Taxi prices have just barely doubled. They were DIRT cheap when I came here. Like 10,000 won to the airport from east seoul...that is CHEAP.
Transportation is up but I don't think double yet.
Food is about the same. I paid 3-5k for a ordered in meal, prices are the same.
Electronics are cheaper. Don't get me started on how expensive computer stuff USED to be...
Most things I would buy are the same.
The guy who said driving here is more expensive: not if you include the cost of insurance and maintance. Both of those are WAY cheaper here. |
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Joe Thanks
Joined: 01 Oct 2003
Location: Dudleyville
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2004 10:49 pm Post subject: |
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I agree with Mankind,
Prices are risign faster than income, and when they finally reach a 40 horu work week, less doughand higher inflation will really sack things. Fewer Koreans are going out these days compared to four years ago - and the economy is a bit more stable at the moment. Wages for ESL teachers have been frozen for two years at 2 million for newbies. 2 million now buys a LOT less (at least HALF as much as it used to) than it did four years ago and there is an imbalance.
Dvd player price have dropped, but little else. Everythign else has gone up.
They can blame the WTF, but it's not the WTF, so much as local forces at work.
Prices keep climbing too.
I can save dough here and live comfortably, but the days of milk and honey are pretty much over. In four years, Korean ESL will be as lucretive as Japan (meaning: save some, live okay, but not much).
Joe
| Mankind wrote: |
Have you people lived anywhere outside of your hometowns and here?
You can't compare London and New York with ESLing in Seoul.
Korea is getting insane expensive. Anyone who's been around awhile has seen the inflation. My food bill is double what it was even 5 years ago. Go to the Middle East if you want good wages and cheap living. In the UAE you can rent a 2 storey house with a yard for 6,000,000 won a year. The Indian resturant that was by my place had a buffet for under 1700 at lunch and 2300 at dinner time. Thats cheap. Don't even get me started on electronics and cars.
HAND |
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schwa
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Yap
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2004 11:33 pm Post subject: |
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| That ranking of the world's most expensive cities that comes out every year to such fanfare really has precious little to do with our lives here. Its compiled as a guide for multinational corporations & govts to determine how to recompense executives, upper level managers, & diplomats in terms of maintaining all their accustomed 5-star western amenities. No surprise that puts Seoul near the top. |
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Mr. Pink
Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Location: China
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| Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2004 12:46 am Post subject: |
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Well salaries are almost triple what they were when I came here 7yrs ago. Prices on all items are not. I would say those of you who started at 2.0 and up are lucky...very lucky. A year before I showed up 900k was the starting salary per month  |
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Joe Thanks
Joined: 01 Oct 2003
Location: Dudleyville
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| Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2004 2:18 am Post subject: |
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| Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee wrote: |
| Medical and taxes are cheap in Korea. And their is no tipping. |
Medical - superb, taxes - high for foreigners and you jump through hoops to get them back (ala pension).
No tipping is sweet, but there is a 10% gratuity at finer restaurants and even if the service sucked, you can't get out of paying the gratuity but you could use the tipping as leverage.
I agree with the rest of what you wrote (snipped)
Joe |
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Joe Thanks
Joined: 01 Oct 2003
Location: Dudleyville
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| Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2004 2:25 am Post subject: |
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quote="Mr. Pink"
I don't agree with you.
In the past 7yrs I have been here:
Taxi prices have just barely doubled. They were DIRT cheap when I came here. Like 10,000 won to the airport from east seoul...that is CHEAP.
Transportation is up but I don't think double yet. |
Have you been out of the country for a few months/years straight and then returned?
Taxis are double, for sure. Maybe in Seoul this isn't noticible, but in cities like Kyeongju, Pohang and Ulsan - it's noticible.
Buses - which suck - are still fairly priced, as are the trains.
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| Food is about the same. I paid 3-5k for a ordered in meal, prices are the same. |
I also beg to differ. 2,500 won meal are now 3-4 grand at chains. Restaraunts are still okay in prive, but they are climbing. If you live here 7 years straight the changes might not seem so dramatic
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| Electronics are cheaper. Don't get me started on how expensive computer stuff USED to be... |
They are still grotesquely overpriced, especially for what the same Korean model runs for abroad.
Same goes for computers, though I agree that prices have dropped in this area.
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| The guy who said driving here is more expensive: not if you include the cost of insurance and maintance. Both of those are WAY cheaper here. |
Perhaps if you are fluent in Korean or have a Korean spouse, but bike maintanence is for the birds... Pay is low but so is service.
You pay double for a new motorcycle/skooter here than you do in Taiwan, and the craftsmanship and repair work is sub-par, and double the price compared to Taiwan, for example.
Joe |
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Joe Thanks
Joined: 01 Oct 2003
Location: Dudleyville
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| Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2004 2:28 am Post subject: |
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| Mr. Pink wrote: |
| Well salaries are almost triple what they were when I came here 7yrs ago. Prices on all items are not. I would say those of you who started at 2.0 and up are lucky...very lucky. A year before I showed up 900k was the starting salary per month |
I remember when 1.4 was "good!"
Joe |
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Mr. Pink
Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Location: China
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| Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2004 2:49 am Post subject: |
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About car maintence. I don't speak much Korean. I had a few problems.
Once someone tried to break into my car so I had to get some stuff replaced. Was cheaper than I would have imagined.
Once someone smashed my driver side mirror, that wasn't so cheap: 50,000 won or so to replace.
But the labor costs are so cheap. I remember back home I'd be dropping a couple hundred bucks to have something looked at because labor was so expensive.
Let's not go down the road of quality. The quality of Korean cars and bikes is horrible compared to most Euro/Japanese/American products. |
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Mankind
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2004 4:12 am Post subject: |
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| Taxi prices have just barely doubled. They were DIRT cheap when I came here. Like 10,000 won to the airport from east seoul...that is CHEAP. |
Double prices in 7 years. That's an average of over 14% inflation a year. That's HIGH.
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Transportation is up but I don't think double yet. |
See above.
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Food is about the same. I paid 3-5k for a ordered in meal, prices are the same. |
No way. 5K in 1997 bought you 2 orders of anything. You could get Ramen for 1000. Now it's closer to 3000. Kimchi is so expensive now. My wife actually paid less in Dubai for it than her Sister was here last year.
| Quote: |
| Well salaries are almost triple what they were when I came here 7yrs ago. Prices on all items are not. I would say those of you who started at 2.0 and up are lucky...very lucky. A year before I showed up 900k was the starting salary per month |
My Salary and most people I knew in 96-97 was 1.2 million. That was around $2,000 Canadian at the time. Now people make 2.0 which is about $2,400 (THe American dollar share % wise almost the exact same changes). So Korean won is up about 65%, while the country has doubled with inflation, so the teacher is out 35%. They do get a little more (home conversion) money, but not really, as cost of living will eat it all, plus some. Inflationary wise salaries are not keeping up. Remeber also that that big pay jump happened over about 1 year, the last 2 years, it's actually had downward presure towards 1.9.
Normally Mr.Pink I think you're on the ball, but this time I think you missed the boat.
HAND [/quote] |
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