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Living Environment in Seoul

Housing Expenses

Housing lease system in Korea
하단에 내용 참고 바랍니다. 하단에 내용 참고 바랍니다.
  • Lease on deposit basis (jeonse) - Lease that allows tenancy and collection of rent upon payment of a rental deposit only without any other additional payments during the term of the contract
  • Monthly rent (wolse) - Lease that allows tenancy and collection of rent upon payment of a rental deposit and monthly rent during the term of the contract
  • Monthly rent on lump-sum payment basis (kkalse) - Lease that allows tenancy and collection of rent upon payment of the monthly rent for a set number of months as a lump sum without a rental deposit
Housing Lease Protection Act
  • Term of lease : The term of lease shall be deemed to be two years, and less than two years shall be valid.
  • Renewal of contract : If the lessor fails to notify the lessee of a refusal of the renewal, or to give notification to the lessee to the effect that he/she would renew the contract without any change in the condition, two to six months before the term of the lease expires, the lease shall be deemed to have been renewed under the same conditions as the former one. The same shall apply to cases where the lessee has not notified by two months before the term of the lease expires.
  • Right to request for renewal of contract : The lessee may exercise the right to request renewal of the contract under the above paragraph only once. In such cases, the term of the renewed lease shall be deemed to be two years.
  • Rent ceiling : The ceiling of the request for rent increase shall be set at one-twentieth of the stipulated rent or deposit; however, for the Special Metropolitan City, Metropolitan Cities, Metropolitan Autonomous Cities, and Special Self-Governing Province, the ceiling of the request for rent increase may be set differently by ordinance within the scope of the one-twentieth in consideration of rental market conditions of the region within jurisdiction.
  • Rent report system : The details of rent transactions shall be reported within 30 days from the date of transaction.
Notes regarding house lease contract
Transactions through real estate agencies are easier and safer than direct transactions between the lessor and the lessee, and fees of a certain percentage shall be paid to the real estate agent after the contract is signed.
Matters related to the contract (down payment, term of lease, method of rent payment, etc.) and a certified copy of the leased house register (collateral security status, provi- sional seizure status, etc.) shall be thoroughly verified before the contract is signed.
The rights of the lessee shall be protected as a priority after the lessee is granted a fixed date on the contract from the dong community service center at the time of the move- in report upon moving into the leased property.

※ Source: National Law Information Center, / http://www.law.go.kr/

Rent by major residential area
(Unit: 1,000/KRW, $1/USD)
Rent by major residential area
Classification Seoul (Average) Tokyo (Average) Singapore (Median)
Yongsan Gangnam Shinjuku Edogawa Central Queenstown
KRW USD KRW USD KRW USD KRW USD KRW USD KRW USD
Monthly rent for apart- ment Deposit 79,927 60,849 228,957 191,040 3,197 26,688 1,727 1,441 1,892~ 2,236 1,579~ 1,866 1,247~ 2,408 1,040~ 2,009
Monthly rent 2,048 1,709 1,813 1,513 2,131 1,778 1,151 960 1,892~ 2,236 1,579~ 1,866 1,247~ 2,408 1,040~ 2,009
Lease on deposit basis for apart- ment Price
(per m²)		 6,544 5,460 8,842 7,378 - - - - - - - -
Price
(Average)		 601,451 501,836 779,565 650,450 - - - - - - - -
※ (Tokyo) The Japanese equivalent for Korea’s security deposit is an installment payment, which is usually the median value between one to two months of the monthly rent and calculated as 1.5 times the monthly rent. The presented monthly rent is the average value of apartments in each region, excluding studio apartments.
※ (Singapore) The deposit is usually set as the monthly rent for one month.
※ Source: (Seoul) Korea Appraisal Board, National Housing Price Trend Survey (June 2020) (Tokyo) SUUMO, the market price of monthly rent in Tokyo Metropolis (2020) (Singapore) Housing and Development Board, Median Rent by Town (2020)

Education Expenses

Foreign and international schools (American education system)
(Unit: 1,000/KRW, $1/USD)
Foreign and international schools (American education system)
Classification Seoul Foreign School Yongsan International School of Seoul Dwight School Seoul
KRW USD KRW USD KRW USD
Elementary- school Admission 5,500 4,589 500 417 400 334
Annual tuition 31,943 26,652 21,450 17,897 32,934 27,479
Middle school Admission 5,500 4,589 500 471 400 334
Annual tuition 33,854 28,247 25,200 21,026 32,934 27,479
High school Admission 5,500 4,589 500 417 400 334
Annual tuition 39,487 32,947 25,200 21,026 32,934 27,479
※ Based on the annual tuition (admission + tuition) and the number of students in Seoul
※ Source: SFIS (Search for Foreign & International Schools) (http://sfis.kr)

Medical Expenses

Medical expenses per day of visitation
(Unit: 1,000/KRW, $1/USD)
Medical Expenses Medical expenses per day of visitation
Medical Expenses Medical expenses per day of visitation Clinic (less than 30 beds) Hospital (30-99 beds) General hospital (100-499 beds) Tertiary hospital (more than 500 beds, specialized treatment for severe diseases)
Inpatient Outpatient Inpatient Outpatient Inpatient Outpatient Inpatient Outpatient
Average medical expenses nationwide KRW 187,237 25,767 155,885 37,383 312,733 64,409 559,662 118,287
USD 156 21 130 31 261 54 467 99
※ Source: National Health Insurance Service, Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, and National Health Insurance Statistics (2018)
Tertiary hospital room fees
Tertiary hospital room fees
Classification Average hospital room fees in Seoul
KRW USD
Hospital room fees (per night) Private 214,356 179
Semi-private 77,947 65
Three-bed room 39,720 33
※ Tertiary hospital rooms: Hospital rooms not covered by the National Health Insurance Service
※ Source: Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (July 2020)

Public Transportation Expenses

Transportation fare system
Transportation fare system list
Transportation Fare system
City bus
  • One-time use: Single rate plan (cash 1,300 won, card 1,200 won)
  • Bus routes in Seoul City are divided into five types by operational arrangement

    Main line bus : Interregional linkage of downtown Seoul and satellite cities of Seoul

    Branch line bus : Linkage/transfer of routes between subway stations

    Circular line bus : Circuit of branch lines in downtown Seoul and satellite cities of Seoul

    Wide-area bus : Linkage of downtown Seoul and the Seoul Metropolitan Area

    Linkage of nearby bus stops and subway stations; covering routes of branch-line buses : Linkage of nearby bus stops and subway stations; covering routes of branch-line buses
Subway
(based on adult using transportation card)
  • Up to 10km: KRW 1,250
  • 10-50km: Additional KRW 100 charged every 5km
  • 50km or more: Additional KRW 100 charged every 8km
Taxi
  • Regular taxi: Basic fare (up to 2km) KRW 3,800 / additional KRW 100 charged every 132m
  • Luxury taxi: Basic fare (up to 3km) KRW 6,500 / additional KRW 200 charged every 151m
※ Metropolitan Integrated Fare System: A system that integrates public transportation fares in the Seoul Metropolitan Area and charges in proportion to the distance traveled regardless of the means of public transportation. The normal time limit for the bus transfer discount is 30 minutes (one hour between 21:00 and 07:00 next morning). A total of four transfers are allowed.
Table of transportation fares
Table of transportation fares
Transportation Seoul Seoul Singapore
KRW USD KRW USD KRW USD
Bus Blue Bus/ Green Bus
(cash/card)		 1,300 /1,200 1.08 /1.00 2,409 2.01 1,462 /791 0.66 /1.22
Subway Zone 1
(cash/card)		 1,350 /1,250 1.13 /1.04 1,887 1.57 1,462 /791 0.66 /1.22
Taxi Basic fare
(regular)		 3,800 3.17 16,207 13.52 2,752 -3,354 2.30 -2.80
Basic fare
(luxury)		 6,500 5.42 - - - -
※ Source: (Seoul) Seoul Metropolitan Government (https://news.seoul.go.kr), Seoul Solution (https://seoulsolution.kr)
※ Source: (Tokyo) Statistics Bureau of Japan (2019), Tokyo Metro (https://www.tokyometro.jp)
※ Source: (Singapore) SBS Transit (https://www.sbstransit.com.sg), SMRT Corporation (https://smrt.com.sg), ComfortDelgro Taxi (https://www.cdgtaxi.com.sg)
※ Singapore buses charge a basic fare up to 3.2km and add extra fees depending on the additional distance traveled

Travel Expenses

Fare Table - Express Bus
(One-way/adult)
Fare Table - Express Bus
Transportation Seoul-Busan Seoul- Gwangju Dong Seoul-Pyeo-ngchang Seoul-Jeju
Express bus Economy 24,200 19,000 15,100
(Intercity Bus)		 None
Excellent 36,000 28,100 -
Premium 39,800 31,000 -
Fare Table – Train (KTX)
(One-way/adult)
Fare Table – Train (KTX)
Transportation Seoul-Busan Seoul- Gwangju Songjeong Seoul-Pyeo- ngchang Seoul-Jeju
Train(KTX) Weekday 59,800 47,100 19,700 None
Weekend 59,800 47,100 19,700
Fare table – Air (peak season)
(One-way/adult)
Fare table – Air (peak season)
Transportation Seoul-Busan/Gimhae Seoul- Gwangju Seoul-Jeju
Flight
(high season)		 Weekday 27,000~102,000 35,000~90,000 31,000~124,000
Weekend 27,000~102,000 35,000~90,000 46,000~124,000
※ Based on (Weekdays) Mon-Thu, (Weekend) Fri-Sun (High season) 2020: 7/25-8/22, 9/29-10/5 10/8-10/11, 12/25-12/27, 12/31 2021: 1/1-1/3, 2/10-2/15, 2/20-3/1, 5/1-5/5, 5/15-5/19, 7/24-9/21, 9/18-9/23, 12/31
※ Source: (Express bus) Integrated Express Bus Website (https://www.kobus.co.kr) (Intercity Bus) Ticket reservation site for intercity bus (https://txbus.t-money.co.kr) (Flight) Korean Air domestic flight fare table (https://www.koreanair.com) Asiana Airline domestic flight fare table (https://flyasiana.com)

Major Consumer Goods Prices

Prices of daily necessities and major consumer goods
Prices of daily necessities and major consumer goods
Item Seoul Tokyo Singapore
KRW USD KRW USD KRW USD
Big Mac Combo Meal
(McDonalds)		 5,900 4.92 6,660 5.56 7,439 6.21
Americano tall size
(Starbucks)		 4,100 3.42 3,885 3.24 4,386 3.66
Milk
(1L)		 2,523 2.11 2,253 1.88 2,468 2.06
Egg
(10 eggs per pack)		 3,882 3.24 2,809 2.34 2,116 1.77
Mineral water
(2L)		 707 0.59 966 0.81 1,144 0.95
Toilet paper
(30rolls)		 14,001 11.68 10,635 8.87 15,954 13.31
Cigarette
(1 pack)		 4,500 3.75 5,362 4.47 11,868 9.90
Beer
(355ml per can)		 1,557 1.30 2,165 1.81 1,866 1.56
Gasoline
(1L)		 1,464 1.22 1,479 1.23 1,677 1.40
※ The prices of daily necessities are based on the average price of three to four major brands for each item.
※ Gasoline: (Korea) OPINET (as of the 4th week of July) (Tokyo) Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (as of the 4th week of July) (Singapore) Strait Times (as of the 4th week of July)

Residential environment data

  • 01. Public Utility Bills
  • 02. Appendix