Finding housing in South Korea (short and long term)

Summary

2Temporary housing

Whether you are just visiting Korea or moving here for an extended period, you’ll like need temporary housing at some point.

We advise against signing any long term leases before arriving in the country and visiting the place in person. For that reason, we recommend first booking temporary accommodation to give yourself some time to find something more permanent once you’re in Korea.

Doing so will not only help you to avoid scams, but also to familiarize yourself with the various neighbourhoods of your city.

Hotels and youth hostels

You can always opt for classic hotels and youth hostels. There is quite a large selection of hostels in Korea at every price point. Private hotel rooms will obviously be more expensive than youth hostels. Sites for youth hostels include:

Motels (모텔)

Even though motels are generally frequented by couples, they are a perfectly viable option if you need a bed for a night. They are usually less expensive than standard hotels but just as well furnished and equipped, sometimes even themed.

You must book in person by going to the reception of a motel. You can motels near you by typing 모텔 into the search bar of Naver or Kakao Map.

Airbnb

Airbnb works very well in Korea and there are many choices on the platform. You can filter for entire homes, just a room, and even youth hostels and goshiwon. For stays of longer than one week, this is probably one of the best value options.

That said, there are some scams. Prioritize listings with many positive reviews, and whose hosts have been on the platform for a long time.

Hanok (한옥)

Hanok is the name for traditional Korean homes. Staying in one of these homes will allow you to discover a bit of Korean culture. You will get your own private room and experience Korean traditions in a tranquil setting. For the full experience, you can pay for meals to be served to you. Hanok are generally situated outside of large city centres. Find a hanok on:

Homestay

As the name suggests, homestay means you stay in a home with the owner-occupant. These are more expensive but are a good option if your goal is to experience life with and as a local.

To find homestays, you can use the website homestay.com.

Couchsurfing

For a very short stay of just one or two nights, couchsurfing might be worth consideration if you are on a very limited budget. Someone can offer to house you for free on their couch or in a guest bedroom for free. It saves you money and you might meet interesting locals this way! Check out our full article on couchsurfing.

Sauna / jimjilbang (찜질방)

Jimjilbang is a Korean sauna. It’s a place of relaxation where one can also spend the night at a low price. Once you pay the admission, you can stay as long as you like, and this type of establishment is open 24 hours a day. You can take a short (or long) nap in one of the resting rooms.

Beyond the ones we’ve presented, there are also other types of short term accommodation, including officetel (오피스텔), minbak (민박), pension (펜션), yeogwan (여관), resort (리조트)…