Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jzrossef]

I'm probably on the wrong track here as a lot of people love bragging about how cheap it is to live in Korea... but bear with me here.

Other than foreign brands, imported and luxury goods... (tend to be expensive regardless of where you live) I'm having a benefit of doubt about living cost in Korea.

Here's an example. I remember that typical lunch/dinner menu range from 5000-8000 won. That's about $5 - $7, which isn't all that cheap compared to what we have in Canada. (Around $7-8-ish in average) Housing accommodation seems to be about 400,000 won, but that's about $360-ish perm month. Finding an apartment with Korean sized accommodation in Canada isn't terribly expensive, especially in a time where there are more supply over demand in housing market. ($500-800 even in cities like Calgary and Toronto) I surfed around, and it looks like internet fee cost around 30,000 won, which is $27 Canadian. (Pretty similar to my Telus internet fee here) While Canadian price can be a bit more expensive, one has to consider that Canadian salary and dollar value tends to be a lot stronger than Korean counterparts. I guess 2-3 million per month + housing benefit... so really about 2.5 - 3.5 million-ish. That's like, ranging 30 - 42 million won... which is above average in Korea but isn't all that impressive in Canada (27 - 38k Canadian dollars) Other than public transit... is there significant cost expense difference between Korea and North America? I'd love to see some real-life examples, if anyone care to share some.

I know the answer is yes, but I just would like to be able to visualize here.

[nukeday]

I don't think Korea (especially Seoul) is a cheap place to live at all, and I'm coming from San Diego. I think maybe the UKers would consider it cheap here.

Rents are *marginally* cheaper here - but most of us have the place given to us. I'd say the 400,000 won cash if you find your own place would not go very far in the cities. So this depends on where you're coming from and where you live in korea

Transportation is a lot cheaper.

Taxes are low.

As for restaurants..lunch: 5000 won. dinner: 8000-14,000

Food (in restaurants and especially at the supermarket), alcohol (again, bar or store..unless you drink korean soju and rice wine), clothes, utilities (never had to pay for heat or AC before), electronics...I could go on, but all of those things are more expensive in Seoul/Korea for me personally.

It all really comes down to where you're coming from (which country? urban/rural/) and where you'll stay in Korea (Seoul, another major city, the sticks?)

[dongjak]

I agree with the above post. I never thought that Seoul was that cheap, except for if you shop for clothes in Dongdaemun or Express Bus Terminal.

I find furniture here to be terribly expensive and ugly.

[redaxe]

I lived in Seoul for two years (2008-2010) and I thought it was much more expensive all around than living in America. I honestly cannot think of a single thing, besides Korean food and soju, that is less expensive in Korea than it is in the part of America where I'm from (Seattle). I'm talking about for things of comparable quality, here.

And I even think cheap Korean food in Korea is still more expensive than cheap American food in America. Here I can get a double cheeseburger at BK for a dollar. In Seoul you can't even get a roll of kimbap for 1,000 won anymore.

[nukeday]

[northway]

The cost of living in or around Seoul is about the same as living in American/Canadian city. The main area you can save is transportation, as trains/subways/buses/taxis are significantly cheaper than they are at home. Even a long subway ride here will cost you less than $2, whereas a two stop subway ride in New York, Montreal, or Boston will cost you more (the three cities that I can really speak for).

I think that most of the people who say they live on 400,000 a month live out in the boondocks and live on rice and ramyeon. You could do this in North America too.

[jzrossef]

[redaxe]

Oh ok, yeah. The subway and buses in Seoul still very cheap at 900 won. The price of taxis went up last year but they are still very cheap compared to in America. That's a good example. But I don't think it makes up for the high rents, high consumer goods prices, and skyrocketing costs of groceries in Korea.

I often wondered how taxi drivers could survive on such low wages, especially given how expensive cars and gas are in Korea. They must be subsidized somehow.

I think the main reason why westerners think it's cheap to live in Korea is just because they don't have to pay rent or own a car in Korea. If you didn't own a car, and ate as cheaply back in America or Canada you could probably save just as much money. I really don't think the money is a valid reason to go to Korea anymore. These days it's more just about being able to have a job at all.

[jzrossef]

So the only cheap thing about Korea is transportation? :S

[blm]

[nukeday]

[eamo]

[redaxe]

[jvalmer]

[Dazed and Confused]

Korea has certianly gotten more expensive over the years and I don't think the salaries have caught up with inflation yet. Maybe they never will.
I'm from rural America where the minimum wage is what the federal government says it is. I guess that's $7.25/hour before taxes now? Korea seems about the same or a little more expensive at times but some things are still cheaper.
Medical care and medicine
Eyeglasses
Dental care
most services such as hair cuts, cleaning ladies and maybe even daycare for those who've got kids.
university tuition
car repairs
cigarettes
and of course.........KIMCHI!