Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cocoajelly]

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if you could help me out with some information. What kind of accommodation can you get with 15Mill key money and 650K monthly rent in Seoul. I was thinking of officetel with loft. Is it achievable? How much would the utilities be?

Cheers

[pkang0202]

1-room officetel is within your price range. With an officetel be aware of the following:

1. The utils and management fees are really high. You will be paying 3-4x's as much in utils as someone who lives in a 1 room villa.

2. Those big windows are single pane and do NOT insulate at all. Buy curtains.

3. With no veranda you will do drying your clothes in your room.

On the plus side:

OfficeTels usually have a convenience store, dry cleaning, and even a small gym within the building. Its very convenient. Also, you have the security/door guy. He's useful for when you have packages and things delivered.



From personal experience, higher living expenses in an officetel do not justify it over living in a villa.

[cocoajelly]

Thanks for your reply.
Would that be enough for a furnished apartment? (basics i.e bed, tv, couch, fridge, table and chairs)

Thanks

[alongway]

You can get lots of 2 room + kitchen kind of places for that price. The last one I lived in was 10million down and 600 a month.
It was lots of space for someone who wanted to stretch out a bit.

[ttompatz]

[highstreet]

You can find a loft for that amount but it will be a smaller one and probably won't be near a station.

The management fees will probably be around 60-80K WON for one in your price range. At officetels they charge a certain amount x pyeong. For 650 a month, you're looking at a 7-10pyeong loft.

You'll be paying more for gas in a officetel, but not much more. Mine is 50K won in the winter months and 10-15 during summer. Water and power is usually included in the management fee. Internet I would assume is the same as in a villa or officetel.

[fezmond]

[pkang0202]

Really depends on your area OP. In Gangnam/Apgujeong you are looking at a 1 room studio. Same money/key money gets you a 2+ room in Noksapyong/Itaewon area.