SOUTH KOREA · TEACHER EDITION
The honest headline for 2026: with your school paying for housing, most English teachers in Korea spend roughly ₩700,000–1,100,000 a month on everything else — and the city you land in changes the picture more than anything else you do.
A city-by-city cost breakdown for English teachers in South Korea, from OK Recruiting, a Korea-based recruiter (since 2006). Figures blend transaction data (다방, 한국부동산원) with crowdsourced sources (Numbeo, livingcost.org), current as of mid-2026.
FX RATE ₩1,515 = $1 (Jul 2026) — dollar figures are a guide; rates move.
What a month costs, by city
These are single-person monthly ranges for a teacher renting a small studio (원룸/officetel). The biggest swing is rent — but for most teachers the school covers that entirely (more on this below), which is what makes teaching in Korea so saveable.
| City | Rent 월세, own place |
Utilities + 관리비 |
Transport | Groceries | Eating out | All-in total with rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seoul | ₩700–950K ($460–630) | ₩150–250K | ₩62–70K | ₩300–450K | ₩150–250K | ₩1.6–2.0M ($1,055–1,320) |
| Incheon | ₩500–700K ($330–460) | ₩150–230K | ₩60–70K | ₩250–400K | ₩130–190K | ₩1.25–1.6M ($825–1,055) |
| Busan | ₩450–650K ($300–430) | ₩150–250K | ₩60–80K | ₩250–400K | ₩130–200K | ₩1.3–1.7M ($860–1,120) |
| Daegu | ₩400–550K ($265–365) | ₩150–250K | ₩50–70K | ₩250–380K | ₩130–190K | ₩1.2–1.5M ($790–990) |
| Gwangju | ₩400–600K ($265–395) | ₩150–230K | ₩40–60K | ₩250–380K | ₩120–180K | ₩1.2–1.5M ($790–990) |
| Daejeon | ₩400–550K ($265–365) | ₩140–220K | ₩50–70K | ₩250–380K | ₩120–180K | ₩1.15–1.45M ($760–955) |
| Smaller city | ₩300–450K ($200–295) | ₩120–200K | ₩30–50K | ₩230–350K | ₩110–170K | ₩1.0–1.3M ($660–860) |
Rent = one-bedroom 원룸/officetel monthly rent (월세) with a ₩5–10M deposit. Ranges blend Numbeo (crowdsourced, updated 2026), livingcost.org (2026), and Korean transaction data (다방, 한국부동산원). Officetel averages skew higher because they include larger units.
Rent and the deposit system (보증금/월세)
Korean rentals almost never work like a simple monthly rent. They pair a refundable lump-sum deposit (보증금) with a monthly rent (월세), and listings write the two together:
A bigger deposit buys a lower monthly payment, and vice versa. (You may also see 전세, an all-deposit lease with no monthly rent, but it ties up tens of millions of won and rarely suits teachers.) The good news: most teachers never touch this system, because the school handles it.
What your school covers — and what it doesn't
This is the line that changes every number above. Most hagwon contracts include a rent-free, furnished single apartment, with the school paying the deposit. Public-school programs like EPIK either provide housing or pay a ₩400,000–500,000 monthly housing allowance. Either way, the "rent" column usually disappears for you.
What still comes out of your pocket:
- Utilities + 관리비 (building maintenance fee): together about ₩120,000–250,000 a month for a studio, spiking toward ₩300,000 in deep winter with heating.
- Food: a single person in Seoul spends around ₩500,000 a month on groceries, closer to ₩700,000 once delivery and eating out are added.
- Transport and phone (below).
Getting around: fares and passes
Public transport is cheap and covers daily life in every city. Base card fares as of mid-2026:
- Seoul & capital region (incl. Incheon): ₩1,550 (since 28 June 2025).
- Busan: ₩1,600 (one zone), ₩1,800 (two zones).
- Daegu & Daejeon: about ₩1,500–1,550.
- Gwangju: ₩1,250 — the cheapest of the six, though a rise toward ₩1,500 is under review for late 2026.
The bigger saver is the nationwide K-패스 (K-Pass), which refunds 20% or more of your fares once you take 15+ trips a month, and works in all of these cities. Seoul's ₩62,000 unlimited Climate Card (기후동행카드) still exists, but from September 2026 it folds into the K-Pass system — so lean on K-Pass as the durable option.
Phones: the ₩20,000 lever
What your salary actually covers
Put it together with a typical first-year salary and free housing, and the reason people teach in Korea to save becomes obvious. A realistic month for a teacher earning ₩2,300,000 with employer-provided housing:
Illustrative, before pension and health-insurance deductions (~9% combined). Add a social budget in Seoul; subtract less in a smaller city.
On a ₩2.1–2.7M salary with housing provided, a saving rate of ₩1.0–1.5 million a month is realistic — more outside Seoul, somewhat less in the capital with an active social life.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to live in South Korea as an English teacher in 2026?
With employer-provided housing, most English teachers spend about ₩700,000–1,100,000 (roughly $460–730) a month on utilities, food, transport, and a phone plan as of mid-2026. Paying your own rent adds roughly ₩400,000–950,000 depending on the city, for an all-in total of about ₩1.2–2.0 million ($790–1,320).
How expensive is Seoul compared to other Korean cities?
Seoul runs about ₩1.6–2.0 million ($1,055–1,320) a month all-in for one person in 2026 — roughly 20–40% above Busan or Daegu, and 40–60% above smaller cities. The gap is mostly rent: a one-bedroom averages around ₩700,000–950,000 in Seoul versus ₩400,000–550,000 in Daegu or Daejeon.
How does the Korean rent deposit (보증금) system work?
Korean rentals combine a refundable lump-sum deposit with monthly rent: a listing written "1000/70" means a ₩10 million deposit and ₩700,000 per month, and a larger deposit lowers the monthly payment. Most teaching contracts skip this entirely — the school pays the deposit and provides the apartment.
Do English teachers in Korea get free housing?
Most hagwon contracts include a rent-free furnished studio with the deposit paid by the school; public-school programs like EPIK provide housing or a ₩400,000–500,000 monthly allowance in 2026. Teachers usually still pay their own utilities and the building maintenance fee (관리비), about ₩120,000–250,000 a month combined.
How much is the subway in Seoul and Busan in 2026?
The Seoul and capital-region base fare is ₩1,550 by transit card (since June 2025); Busan's one-zone metro fare is ₩1,600. Daegu and Daejeon are about ₩1,500–1,550, and Gwangju is cheapest at ₩1,250. The nationwide K-Pass refunds 20% or more of fares if you ride 15+ times a month.
How much can an English teacher save per month in Korea?
On a typical first-year salary of ₩2.1–2.7 million with housing provided, living costs of ₩700,000–1,100,000 leave roughly ₩1.0–1.5 million ($660–990) a month to save in 2026 — more in smaller cities, somewhat less in Seoul.
Sources & notes
- Rent & officetel data: 한국부동산원 오피스텔 가격동향 and 다방 transaction reports (2026); cross-checked with Numbeo (crowdsourced) and livingcost.org (2026).
- Transit fares: Seoul base fare ₩1,550 (Seoul Metropolitan Government, from 28 June 2025); Busan Transportation Corporation; city transport authorities.
- K-Pass / 기후동행카드 details as announced for 2026; the Climate Card merges into K-Pass from September 2026.
Note: Costs vary by neighborhood, building age, season, and deposit size, and crowdsourced figures (Numbeo, livingcost.org) are estimates. Dollar equivalents assume ₩1,515 = $1 (July 2026) and shift with the exchange rate. Current as of mid-2026.
■ This also helps: How Much Can You Save Teaching English in Korea in 2026?
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