Guide · as of 2026-08-09T00:00:00.000Z
The verifiable fixed components of a single person’s Seoul budget in 2026: health insurance from ₩142,000/month for an employee on a ₩3.5 million salary (7.19% rate, half employer-paid, plus long-term care) or a ₩158,630/month floor for a foreign local subscriber (NHIS 2026 rate notice); unlimited public transport at ₩62,000/month with the 기후동행카드 (₩65,000 including 따릉이 bike share); and per-ride fares of ₩1,550 (subway, card) and ₩1,500 (trunk/branch bus, card). Rent dominates everything else and varies by district — the district pages carry the data.
Housing
Rent is the largest and least generalizable line. Rather than a citywide average, per-district deposit and rent distributions are maintained at /districts (Mapo, as one reference point: /seoul/mapo). On top of rent:
- 관리비: ₩50,000–100,000 flat for one-rooms, ₩100,000–150,000+ for officetels (unverified: representative ranges; building-specific).
- Electricity (KEPCO): progressive residential tariff; summer air-conditioning months diverge sharply from spring (unverified: representative single-household monthly amounts).
- City gas (heating + cooking): strongly seasonal; winter months for an individually heated one-room commonly run several times the summer figure (unverified: representative amounts).
- Internet: ₩22,000–35,000/month on 1-year+ contracts (unverified: current promotional pricing); often included in one-room 관리비.
Health insurance (verified, 2026)
- Employee: 7.19% of salary, employee share 3.595%, plus long-term care at 13.14% of the health premium (NHIS 2026 rate notice; MOHW press release). On ₩3,500,000: about ₩142,000 deducted monthly.
- Local subscriber (freelancer, student past reductions, job-seeker): income/property formula with a floor at the previous year’s average premium; ₩158,630/month for foreign local subscribers in 2026 (₩140,210 health + ₩18,420 long-term care — NHIS 2026 rate notice). D-2/D-4 students: 50% reduction (unverified: current scope).
Transport (verified)
Fares since 2025-06-28 (subway) and 2023-08-12 (bus), per Seoul’s published fare table:
| Item | Card fare |
|---|---|
| Subway base (10 km) | ₩1,550 |
| Trunk/branch bus | ₩1,500 |
| Village bus (마을버스) | ₩1,200 |
| 기후동행카드, 30 days | ₩62,000 |
| 기후동행카드 + 따릉이 | ₩65,000 |
The 기후동행카드 covers Seoul-area subway sections, Seoul city buses, and (in the higher tier) 따릉이; it excludes 신분당선 and buses of other jurisdictions. Break-even against per-ride fares sits at 40 subway rides per month (62,000 ÷ 1,550). Short-term 1–7 day passes exist since July 2024. The alternative K-패스 refunds 20%+ of fares for 15+ rides/month for general users (unverified: current refund tiers).
Food and daily goods
Grocery and restaurant totals are behavior-dependent; no citywide official average is maintained here. Reference points with public sources: a convenience-store 삼각김밥 at ₩1,200–1,700 and 백반/국밥-class restaurant lunches in the ₩9,000–12,000 range in 2026 Seoul (unverified: KPI 외식비 statistics not re-checked for this revision). Statistics Korea’s household expenditure survey puts single-household food spending near ₩700,000–800,000/month including eating out (unverified: latest survey figure).
Small fixed items (verified where marked)
- Waste: 20L general-waste bag around ₩490 (Gangdong-gu; per-district ordinance prices published by Seoul), food-waste disposal billed per use — a few thousand won monthly in practice (unverified: typical monthly total).
- Mobile: MVNO SIM-only plans commonly ₩10,000–40,000/month by data allowance (unverified: representative current pricing).
Assembled example (single, employed, one-room outside the core)
Rent 700,000 (illustrative — see /districts) + 관리비 70,000 (unverified range) + NHIS ~142,000 (₩3.5m salary) + transport 62,000 + phone 20,000 (unverified) + internet 0 (in 관리비) + utilities 60,000 (unverified, seasonal) + food 700,000 (unverified) ≈ ₩1.8 million/month excluding discretionary spending. Every unverified line above is replaceable with the reader’s own figures; the verified floor of non-housing fixed costs (NHIS + 기후동행카드) is ₩204,000–220,630/month.