South Korea Travel Costs & Backpacking South Korea

 

South Korea Travel Costs

Accommodation – A bed in a hostel dorm with 4-6 beds costs 20,000-25,000 KRW per night, while a bed in a dorm with 8 or more beds costs around 14,000-20,000 KRW. A single private room is around 40,000 KRW, while a double private room is 70,000 KRW. Free Wi-Fi is standard, and communal kitchens as well as free breakfast are common in hostels across the country.

Cheap hotel rooms start at 28,000 KRW for a room that sleeps one, while a double room generally costs at least 40,000 KRW. Expect basic amenities like Wi-Fi, a TV, air conditioning, and an electric teapot. Breakfast is usually not included at budget hotels.

Airbnb is available around the country, with private rooms starting at 25,000-30,000 KRW. For an entire home or apartment, expect to pay at least 50,000-70,000 KRW per night.

While wild camping is illegal in Korea, there are plenty of campgrounds should you want to pitch a tent. Expect to pay 7,000-20,000 KRW for a plot with access to bathroom and shower facilities, and usually even Wi-Fi.

Food – Korean cuisine has developed its own traditions and flavors over the centuries, with a unique emphasis on using uncooked, fermented, and pickled vegetables. Traditional Korean meals are often composed of a variety of side dishes, eaten with short-grain rice. A meal isn’t considered complete unless there’s kimchi on the table.

Common dishes include bulgogi (marinated, grilled beef), samgye-tang (chicken and ginseng soup), bibimbap (a mixed rice bowl), chap chae (a glass noodle dish), and many other noodle and rice dishes. Popular street foods include hotteok (a sweet, filled pancake), tteokbokki (spicy cylindrical rice cakes), and bungeo-ppang (a fish-shaped pastry filled with red bean paste).

Dining out in South Korea is relatively inexpensive. A meal at a casual restaurant serving traditional Korean food is around 9,000-15,000 KRW, while a three-course meal at a mid-range restaurant is around 25,000-30,000 KRW. Expect higher prices in larger cities.

Western food is more expensive. Expect to pay at least 20,000 KRW for a pasta dish at an Italian restaurant.

In terms of fast food, a combo meal (think McDonald’s) is around 7,000 KRW, while a burger is around 4,500 KRW. A typical Korean street food dish is 1,500-3,000 KRW.

A pint of beer is 4,000-5,000 KRW, a glass of wine is 6,000 KRW and up, and a cocktail is 7,000 KRW and up. A latte or cappuccino is 5,000 KRW.

If you cook your own food, expect to pay 50,000-70,000 KRW per week for basic staples like rice, pasta, vegetables, and some meat. Shopping at local markets is the best way to get great fresh produce for cheap.

Backpacking South Korea: Suggested Budgets

On a backpacking budget of 75,000 KRW per day, you can stay in a hostel dorm, cook all your meals, use public transportation and intercity buses to get around, skip the alcohol, and do mostly free activities like walking tours and hiking.

On a mid-range budget of 135,000 KRW per day, you can stay in a private Airbnb or cheap hotel, eat out for most meals at casual restaurants, enjoy a few drinks, take the occasional taxi as well as trains between cities, and do more paid activities like museum visits and food tours.

On a “luxury” budget of 255,000 KRW or more per day, you can stay in a nicer hotel or entire Airbnb apartment, eat out pretty much anywhere you want, drink at the bar, get a high-speed rail pass, and do as many guided tours and activities as you want. This is just the ground floor for luxury, though. The sky is the limit!