Cost of living in Korea

Having come from the UK, which is one of the most expensive countries around and has a very strong currency, it is safe to say I am having a heck of a time out here! Woohoo making it rain! Do the money dance people!

buh seriously now

Seoul is cheaper than London I can tell you that, but only if you know what to do with your money. Cheaper than america I don't know since the won is pretty close with the dollar so you don't get the 50% super sale like I do when I buy my 50 hello kitty dolls. (what? I needed those dolls)

here's an idea of the general price ranges you'll see.

Eating out

1,000-5,000won- cheap, can buy you kimbap and even whole meals in cheap places-its pretty common
5,000-10,000won- average, will buy you a whole meal in most places, most common price range for food
10,000-15,000won- expensive, you are probably eating western food at this price, but it'll be more high quality, or it's a dish that is meant for a group to eat.
15,000-20,000won- very expensive, you're eating steak at this point or a buffet
20,000+won - you are eating friggin' lobster

Clothes

1,000-10,000won-cheap stuff like this can be found in student areas, you can buy all sorts, shoes, dresses, jumpers
10,000-20,000won- still cheap
20,000-40,000won- average, you'll find this in your typically branded stores
50,000-90,000won- will be more nice stuff like cool handbags, coats, jackets, unique pieces etc.
90,000+ upwards and onwards in quality and brand

Travel

chhheeeeeaaaappppppp!!!
Subway-1,500won a trip + a few 100won for long distance
Taxi-2,400won base rate and 100won for distance/time
Coach- depends on destination but Korea is small so you'll only travel maybe 4-6 hours max to get to the otherside 10,000-40,000won and with super comfortable reclining seats
Bus-cheaper than but similar to Subway price

Rent

You have to keep in mind that in Korea you have to pay a massive deposit if you want to rent an apartment usually 5,000,000won+ it's government protected though so if your landlord spends it all or doesn't give it back the government will pay you and chase up the landlord after. Contracts usually last a year, and you may have to pay more rent monthly to get a shorter contract, you can also pay more deposit to get a lower monthly rent. If you have 100,000,000won you can actually find a way to live rent free, since most buildings are owned by property developers and investors and they will invest your deposit to make money, and in return you can live in the building rent free.

300,000-600,000won a month- a haksoojib, goshiwon or dorm price in seoul, can also get a small one room apartment in a not so nice area.
600,000-1,000,000won a month-if your contract is long and you are paying a larger deposit probably a small but more modern one room apartment
1,000,000-2,000,000won a month- you can manage a modern officetelle with this kind of price range
2,000,000+ you will gradually get more and more space and a better location extra

Don't have enough money for a deposit?
don't worry! you can get a small bedroom in a goshiwon or a hasookjib. They're much cheaper monthly too, it's generally reserved for students but working adults are free to live in them too. A goshiwon is similar to a dorm in size and, depending on what you pay, will be very tiny and may or may not have you're own small bathroom unit inside the room. I'm currently in a goshiwon, it's tiny but I have my own bathroom and have added all my cute home comforts, so it's just like having a bedroom in a shared house really. A hasookjib is for students, you will get a room, usually a shared bathroom with a floor, annnndddd a special bonus *drum roll please* your meals are cooked for you! ta-da! in a goshiwon you'll probably have free kimchi and rice in the shared kitchen but a hasookjib will prepare full meals for you.

Utilities
I'm afraid I don't know about bills since they're included in my goshiwon and were included in my dorm, but i've been advised by estate agents to always add another 100,000won on top of you rent to budget for bills. Which will vary depending on the size of your place and your usage etc.

HOT TIP
wanna decorate your pad with awesome cute stuff? stationary? cleaning products? storage utilities? Daiso is the Korean 99p/dollar store/whatever you have in your home country store. I love that place, it has so much awesome stuff at 1,000won 

In general Seoul isn't too bad to live in money wise, if you need to live cheap you can do it and be pretty comfortable, and if you are teaching a typical salary is 2,000,000won a month and you don't even  have to pay rent, so yeah, money dance people!