Korea travel prices: a Seoul guide
The presets use public prices where we could find them. Use the table below to check each number yourself, then change the boxes to match your plans.
| Item | Price (KRW) | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seoul-area subway base fare | 1,550 | From 28 June 2025, with a transit card | Newsis |
| Airport Railroad all-stop train, Seoul Station to Terminal 1, round trip (adult) | 9,500 | One way 4,750 × 2, transit card. Terminal 2 is 5,350 one way. Checked 6 October 2026 | Airport Railroad |
| Kimchi stew meal (Seoul) | 8,769 | August 2026, Korea Consumer Agency | Herald Business |
| Bibimbap (nationwide average) | 10,314 | August 2026 | Herald Business |
| Naengmyeon cold noodles (nationwide average) | 10,845 | August 2026 | Herald Business |
| One roll of gimbap (nationwide average) | 3,581 | August 2026 | Herald Business |
| Seoul hotel average room rate | 164,995 | March 2026 | Hankyung |
| Palace admission, adult | 1,000–3,000 | Unchanged for 21 years. A fare increase was discussed in September 2026 | Seoul Shinmun |
Ways to keep local transport low
- Use a transit card. The subway fare above is the transit card fare, and one card works on subways and buses.
- Take the subway or walk for short trips, and keep taxis for late nights or heavy luggage. Splitting a taxi among three or four people can cost less per person than separate tickets.
- The airport box starts with the Airport Railroad all-stop train between Seoul Station and Terminal 1, round trip. If you arrive at Terminal 2 or use another station or an express train, check the price and edit the box.
How the calculation works
Everything is calculated in whole won, and rounded only when shown.
- Lodging = rooms × nights × price per room per night
- Food, local transport and sightseeing = travelers × days × price per person per day
- Airport transport = travelers × round-trip price per person
- Total = all of the above + shopping + other
- Per person = total ÷ travelers
Example
This example only shows how the calculation works. It is not an average market price.
2 travelers, 4 days, 3 nights, 1 room:
- Lodging: 1 room × 3 nights × 100,000 = 300,000
- Food: 2 × 4 days × 30,000 = 240,000
- Local transport: 2 × 4 days × 10,000 = 80,000
- Airport transport: 2 × 20,000 = 40,000
- Shopping: 200,000
Total 860,000 KRW, or 430,000 KRW per person.
Frequently asked questions
- Does it include flights?
- No. Flight prices are not included. Enter only costs inside Korea, plus the airport transport you plan to pay.
- Why is cost per person an equal split?
- The calculator divides the total by the number of travelers. If your group shares costs unevenly, use the total and split it yourself.
- Where does the exchange rate come from?
- When the page opens, it requests a reference rate from Frankfurter (api.frankfurter.dev) and shows its date. If that fails or takes more than 3 seconds, a built-in rate is used instead and its date is shown. You can edit the rate. Card and exchange fees are not included.
- How accurate are the presets?
- Standard is based on public statistics and the others are assumptions. Real prices change, so treat the result as a planning estimate.
- Does the page save what I enter?
- No. Nothing you type is saved. The only request the page makes is the exchange rate lookup, which contains currency codes only. Refreshing the page resets the boxes.
Plan around these places
KORIVU guides with live camera views.
See Seoul's sky right nowPrice base date and sources
Price base date: 2026-10-06. Prices are reviewed every quarter and may change. Links are listed in the table above.