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Seoul Short Term Accommodation

Posted by Roger Keays, 30 July 2010

Finding accommodation in Seoul was really hard - even worse than Tokyo. This is because there really aren't that many foreigners coming to Seoul for business or study. So while there is some pretty reasonable accommodation available it can be difficult or impossible to negotiate a deal because of the language barrier. I even had a Korean friend talk to the landlord of one place who still wouldn't take my money because I am a foreigner.

Anyway, hopefully this blog can help you find monthly or weekly rental accommodation. First, you want to know about the different options:

officetel (studio apartments)
yeogwan (budget hotels)
guest houses
hasukjib (student dorms)
goshiwons (really small student dorms)
jjimjilbangs (the ultimate backup option - public 24hr sauna/spas).

For long term accommodation you either you pay rent monthly with a small deposit like in most western countries, or you just pay a huge once-off deposit which you collect when you leave. The landlord earns money off the interest.

Here are some resources to check when looking for accommodation:

Here are the properties I looked at, from cheapest to most expensive. I ended up spending one month at Korea Hostel Guesthouse which was well managed and roughly two months at a sublet from Craigslist which I got at a reasonable price. Prices are listed in thousand Won (1000 Won ~ 1 AUD).

	Station	Month	Deposit	Utilities
Geoyeo Apartment	Songpa	300	600	30
Dongkyung Share	Sindaebang	300	300	30
Suwong Share	Suwong	300
Anam Hostel	Anam	320	0	0
Ning's Studio	Korea University	350	200	30
Hammandong Share	Itaewon	380	380	30
Yonsang Share	Itaewon	385
Hasuk 333 9145	Sinchon	400	0	0
Anam Studio	Korea University	450	0	30
Sinchon Studio	Sinchon	500	250	30
Hostel Korea	Sinseoldong	600	0	0
Gangam Apartment	Gangam	600	0	30
Hongik Studio	Hongik	700	0	0
Hongik Short Rent	Hongik	700	0
EVChain TwinHaus	Nakseongdae	790	50	0
Gwanak Apartment	Sadang	800	0	0
Alps Sharehouse	Myeongdong	900	250	0
Yeongdeongpo Studio	Yeongdeongpo	1000	50	0
Seoul Guest House	Anguk	1050	0	0
Yim's House Hotel	Anguk	1050	0	0

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Comment posted by: maggie on 22 August 2010, 12:26 AM

Hi.. i am looking for budget apartment ( 2 rooms), we hv 4 adults 2 children aged 4 and 6. Travelling on 25 Nov till 2 Dec 2010. I would like to rent for a week.

can u recommend where to stay? how much we need to pay for it.

Thank you for your help.

Regards,

Maggie

Comment posted by: Roger Keays on 23 August 2010, 2:35 AM

It would be difficult to find a good place for just one week. You could find a serviced apartments, but it wouldn't be cheap. There are many Yeogwans (여관 budget hotels) throughout Seoul, but you need some basic Korean to book them in person and probably better Korean to find them online. Checkout the links in the article above, maybe you can find something.

Comment posted by: Leesa on 29 August 2010, 9:44 PM

Hi,

I'll be heading to Seoul in January for 4 weeks, I was wondering if you know any cheap studio apartments under AUD1600 for a month around the central area?

Thanks,

Leesa

Comment posted by: Roger Keays on 4 September 2010, 1:47 AM

AUD1600 is more than enough for a good apartment / officetel. There are a few 'central' areas in Seoul, such as Jongno (north of the river), Gangnam (south of the river) and Yeouido (an island on the river). I checked one of the EVChain studio apartments and it was pretty good, but didn't have a desk for me to work on. Their website is www.evchain.com. If you're only in Seoul for four weeks you probably dont want to muck around too much looking for the perfect studio. The place is pretty well connected by metro.

Have fun :)

Comment posted by: mickey on 21 October 2010, 11:12 PM

i am looking for a cheap place to stay for 3 weeks over christmas and new year. any suggestions? thanks!

Comment posted by: Matthew on 3 November 2010, 3:46 PM

Hello, my wife and I are looking for somewhere to stay for one month at the beginning of March 2011. If any one has any useful information please email me!

Thank-you

Comment posted by: Olex on 9 January 2011, 2:33 AM

Hi. In the summer, 5 of my friends and I will be staying in Korea for about 2 months - August & September. How much would be an ideal place to stay - 3 bedrooms, a decent bathroom, decent kitchen, and enough space for us to move around - cost? 2 of us are Korean, the rest are Filipino.

Comment posted by: ashlay on 25 July 2011, 11:43 AM

Hello. my friend and I will be staying in korea for 14nights. we were wondering if their are any places for a good price (college students) that is great to stay at. with a kitchen and laundry..but we don't want to stay at guest houses or anything. Can you help?

Comment posted by: saiful on 27 August 2011, 5:07 PM

i am PhD student in Chung Ang University. I need a family dormitory nearby university.