How Much to Spend in Korea for 10 Days: 2026 Budget Guide
A 10-day trip to South Korea typically costs between 1,400,000 and 3,500,000 KRW (roughly 990-2,480 USD) per person, depending on your accommodation standard, how often you eat out versus at convenience stores, whether you take KTX trains or buses between cities, and how many paid attractions you visit. Budget backpackers spending nights in hostel dorms, eating kimbap and travelling by bus can manage on the lower end; travellers staying in mid-range hotels, dining at casual restaurants and taking express trains will land in the middle; those choosing business hotels and frequent table-service meals will reach the upper range. After reading this guide, you will know how to allocate your budget across accommodation, food, intercity transport, local transport, attractions and practical expenses, and which categories offer the most room to cut or splurge.
- Budget range (10 days)
- 1,400,000-3,500,000 KRW (~990-2,480 USD), depending on accommodation and transport choices
- Daily average
- 140,000-350,000 KRW per day (~99-248 USD); budget backpackers around 140,000, mid-range 210,000-280,000
- Biggest variable cost
- Accommodation, ranging from 25,000 KRW/night (hostel dorm) to 150,000+ KRW (business hotel)
- Meals per day
- Convenience-store meals 3,000-7,000 KRW; casual restaurants 8,000-15,000 KRW; sit-down dining 20,000-40,000 KRW
- Seoul-Busan transport
- Express bus ~30,000-40,000 KRW; KTX/SRT train ~60,000-70,000 KRW one-way; check times on Korail.com
- Accommodation costs for 10 nights
- Food and drink budget
- Intercity transport between cities
- Local transport in Seoul and other cities
- Attraction entry fees and activities
- Mobile data, entry paperwork and incidentals
- Sample budgets for three travel styles
- 10-day budget comparison by travel style (per person, in KRW)
- Practical tips
- Frequently asked questions
Accommodation costs for 10 nights
Accommodation is the single largest line item and varies more than any other category. Hostel dorm beds in Seoul, Busan and Gyeongju cost roughly 25,000-40,000 KRW per night; private rooms in guesthouses start around 50,000-70,000 KRW. Mid-range hotels and Airbnb apartments in central neighbourhoods run 80,000-150,000 KRW per night for a double, and business hotels near major stations charge 120,000-200,000 KRW. Over 10 nights, a solo budget traveller in dorms pays around 250,000-400,000 KRW total; two people sharing a mid-range double room pay 800,000-1,500,000 KRW for the trip. Prices jump during Korean public holidays (Lunar New Year, Chuseok, Buddha's Birthday) and summer weekends in beach cities like Busan, so book early or expect to pay 20-40 percent more. Neighbourhoods like Hongdae (홍대), Myeongdong (명동) and Gangnam (강남) in Seoul, and Seomyeon (서면) and Haeundae (해운대) in Busan, offer the widest range of options within walking distance of metro stations. Rural areas and smaller cities like Jeonju (전주) and Gyeongju (경주) often have cheaper guesthouse rates but fewer English-speaking hosts. If your itinerary includes temple stays, expect to pay 50,000-70,000 KRW per night including two vegetarian meals. Always filter by free cancellation and read recent reviews about cleanliness and noise, because room standards vary widely even within the same price band.
Food and drink budget
Food costs depend entirely on where you eat. Convenience stores (GS25, CU, 7-Eleven, Emart24) sell ready-made kimbap (김밥), triangle rice balls (주먹밥), instant noodles and sandwiches for 2,000-7,000 KRW per item; a filling meal costs 5,000-8,000 KRW and you can eat this way for every meal if budget is tight. Casual eateries—kimbap joints, noodle shops, snack bars in traditional markets—charge 6,000-12,000 KRW for dishes like bibimbap (비빔밥), kalguksu (칼국수), tteokbokki (떡볶이) and mandu (만두). Sit-down restaurants serving grilled meat (samgyeopsal 삼겹살, galbi 갈비), stews (jjigae 찌개) and set meals (jeongsik 정식) run 12,000-25,000 KRW per person, and popular tourist restaurants or speciality places can reach 30,000-50,000 KRW. Coffee at chain cafes like Starbucks, A Twosome Place or Ediya costs 4,500-6,500 KRW; independent cafes sometimes charge more. Street food at markets (hotteok 호떡, fish cakes, sundae 순대) costs 2,000-5,000 KRW per skewer or portion. A realistic daily food budget is 20,000-30,000 KRW if you mix convenience stores and cheap eateries, 35,000-60,000 KRW if you eat mostly at casual restaurants, and 70,000+ KRW if you regularly choose table-service places and drink alcohol. Over 10 days, that totals 200,000-300,000 KRW on the budget end, 350,000-600,000 KRW mid-range, and 700,000+ KRW for regular restaurant dining. Tipping is not customary in Korea—the listed price is the final price, and leaving extra money will confuse staff. Note that many local restaurants do not accept reservations and operate first-come seating, especially at lunch.
Intercity transport between cities
If your 10-day itinerary includes multiple cities, intercity transport becomes a significant cost. The high-speed KTX and SRT trains connect Seoul to Busan in around 2.5 hours for roughly 60,000-70,000 KRW one-way in standard class; booking in advance on Korail.com or the Korail Talk app sometimes yields small discounts. The same route by express bus takes about 4-5 hours and costs roughly 30,000-40,000 KRW, departing from Seoul Express Bus Terminal (서울고속버스터미널) or Seoul Central City Terminal. Check schedules and fares at kobus.co.kr or txbus.t-money.co.kr. Day trips to Suwon (수원), Incheon or the DMZ can be done on local subway lines or budget intercity trains for under 10,000 KRW round-trip. A sample three-city itinerary—Seoul, Gyeongju, Busan—might cost 80,000-100,000 KRW in bus fares or 140,000-180,000 KRW by KTX. Add another 20,000-40,000 KRW if you visit Jeju Island (제주도), because that requires a domestic flight (roughly 50,000-120,000 KRW one-way depending on season) or ferry. Budget travellers should plan bus routes and book a few days ahead; those prioritising time over money should choose trains. Both options are comfortable, punctual and have clear English signage at terminals. If you stay only in Seoul and take day trips, your intercity transport budget can drop to near zero, but you will miss the coastal scenery of Busan and the historic sites of Gyeongju.
Local transport in Seoul and other cities
Local transport in Korean cities is inexpensive and efficient. The Seoul subway base fare is 1,550 KRW with a rechargeable T-money (티머니) or Cashbee card, and 1,650 KRW for a single-journey paper ticket; rides longer than 10 km incur distance surcharges of a few hundred won. Buses cost similar amounts and accept the same transport cards. A T-money card itself costs 2,500-4,000 KRW to purchase at any convenience store or subway-station vending machine; character editions run 4,000-5,000 KRW. The card price is not refundable, but you can return unused balance at staffed subway counters before you leave. Top up the card at convenience stores or ticket machines in increments of 1,000 KRW. Over 10 days in Seoul, if you take four subway or bus trips per day, expect to spend roughly 60,000-80,000 KRW on local transport. Busan, Daegu (대구) and Gwangju (광주) have similar subway and bus systems with the same fare structure. Taxis are metered and start around 4,800 KRW; a typical 10-15 minute ride costs 8,000-15,000 KRW. Taxis do not expect tips. For navigation, download Naver Map or KakaoMap before you arrive—Google Maps shows transit routes in Korea but does not provide walking or driving directions because of mapping-data export restrictions. Both Naver Map and KakaoMap have English-language interfaces and work offline if you download maps in advance. If you plan to rely heavily on taxis or late-night travel, add another 50,000-100,000 KRW to your transport budget.
Attraction entry fees and activities
Many of Korea's most popular attractions are free or very affordable. Major palaces in Seoul—Gyeongbokgung (경복궁), Changdeokgung (창덕궁), Deoksugung (덕수궁)—charge 3,000-5,000 KRW per palace; a combined ticket for four or five palaces costs around 10,000 KRW and is valid for one month. Temples like Jogyesa (조계사) in Seoul and Haedong Yonggungsa (해동 용궁사) in Busan have no entry fee, though some mountain temples charge 2,000-5,000 KRW. National museums, including the National Museum of Korea (국립중앙박물관), are free; special exhibitions may charge 5,000-15,000 KRW. Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을), Ihwa Mural Village (이화벽화마을) and Gamcheon Culture Village (감천문화마을) in Busan are free to walk around. Theme parks are the big-ticket exception: Lotte World (롯데월드) and Everland (에버랜드) day passes run roughly 50,000-65,000 KRW, and seasonal or weekend tickets can be higher. Check official websites for current pricing. A realistic activity budget for 10 days is 50,000-100,000 KRW if you focus on palaces, temples and free neighbourhoods, or 150,000-250,000 KRW if you add a theme park, a DMZ tour (typically 70,000-130,000 KRW), or entrance to multiple paid museums. Guided walking tours in Seoul and Busan are often free but tip-based; budget 10,000-20,000 KRW per tour if you choose to tip the guide. Always check official websites or Naver for current opening hours and weekly closing days—many palaces close on Tuesdays, and some sites close early or limit last entry an hour before closing.
Mobile data, entry paperwork and incidentals
A prepaid tourist SIM card or eSIM with 10 days of unlimited or high-cap data costs roughly 20,000-40,000 KRW depending on the provider and where you buy it; airport booths are convenient but sometimes slightly pricier than ordering online in advance. If your phone supports eSIM, services like Airalo and others offer Korea data plans you can activate before departure. Confirm the plan includes enough data for mapping and translation apps, which you will use constantly. Regarding entry requirements: from 1 January to 31 December 2026, passport holders from exactly 22 countries are temporarily exempt from the Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA). Those countries are the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. If your nationality is on that list and you are visiting for tourism on a short stay, you do not need to apply for K-ETA during this window, though you must still submit the electronic e-Arrival Card at e-arrivalcard.go.kr within three days before your flight. If your nationality is not on the list—for example, if you hold an Irish, Portuguese, Swiss, Greek or Czech passport—you still need K-ETA; check the current requirement and fee at the official site k-eta.go.kr because the exemption is temporary. There is no departure tax to budget separately; it is included in your airfare. Other incidentals include coin-locker fees at train stations (2,000-4,000 KRW per day), occasional paid toilets in older bus terminals (500 KRW), and small purchases like wet wipes, bottled water and snacks. Budget an extra 30,000-50,000 KRW across 10 days for these miscellaneous costs.
Sample budgets for three travel styles
Budget backpacker: staying in hostel dorms (300,000 KRW for 10 nights), eating mostly at convenience stores and cheap kimbap shops (250,000 KRW), travelling Seoul-Gyeongju-Busan by express bus (90,000 KRW), using public transport in cities (70,000 KRW), visiting free sites and a few palaces (40,000 KRW), plus SIM card and incidentals (50,000 KRW), totals around 800,000 KRW. Add flights and you are near the 1,400,000-1,600,000 KRW mark per person for the full 10 days. Mid-range traveller: private room in a guesthouse or budget hotel (900,000 KRW for 10 nights), mix of restaurant meals and casual eateries (450,000 KRW), KTX trains between cities (160,000 KRW), local transport including occasional taxis (100,000 KRW), palaces plus one theme park or tour (150,000 KRW), SIM and extras (60,000 KRW), totals roughly 1,820,000 KRW, or around 2,200,000-2,500,000 KRW with flights and souvenirs. Comfortable traveller: mid-range hotel rooms (1,400,000 KRW), regular restaurant dining (700,000 KRW), high-speed trains and a few taxis (200,000 KRW), multiple paid attractions and a guided tour (200,000 KRW), data and incidentals (80,000 KRW), totals about 2,580,000 KRW before airfare, pushing the all-in cost toward 3,200,000-3,500,000 KRW. Exchange rates fluctuate; as of August 2026 the approximate rate is 1,410 KRW to 1 USD, but always check a live converter like xe.com or your bank app before you travel. Bring a debit card that refunds foreign ATM fees, because many Korean ATMs charge 3,000-5,000 KRW per withdrawal; Global ATMs at convenience stores and banks accept international cards.
10-day budget comparison by travel style (per person, in KRW)
| Category | Budget backpacker | Mid-range | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (10 nights) | 250,000-350,000 | 800,000-1,100,000 | 1,200,000-1,600,000 |
| Food and drink | 200,000-300,000 | 350,000-550,000 | 600,000-900,000 |
| Intercity transport | 80,000-100,000 | 140,000-180,000 | 160,000-220,000 |
| Local transport | 60,000-80,000 | 90,000-120,000 | 120,000-180,000 |
| Attractions and activities | 30,000-60,000 | 100,000-180,000 | 150,000-250,000 |
| SIM, entry docs, incidentals | 40,000-60,000 | 50,000-80,000 | 60,000-100,000 |
| Total (excl. flights) | 660,000-950,000 | 1,530,000-2,210,000 | 2,290,000-3,250,000 |
Practical tips
Frequently asked questions
Before you go
Your 10-day Korea budget will fall somewhere between 1,400,000 and 3,500,000 KRW per person depending on where you sleep, how you travel between cities, and how often you choose convenience stores over restaurants. Accommodation is the largest variable and the easiest place to adjust your total spend; intercity transport comes second, where choosing buses over trains can save 40-50 percent. Food offers daily flexibility—mixing market snacks, convenience-store meals and occasional restaurant dining lets you eat well without stretching your budget. Build your estimate using the category breakdowns and sample budgets above, add a 10-15 percent buffer for exchange-rate movement and spontaneous purchases, and confirm current transport fares and attraction fees on official sites before you book.
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