How much does Seoul cost per day in 2026?

Budget ₩63,000 ($45) covers a hostel dorm, three meals from market stalls and convenience stores, and subway rides on a loaded T-money card. Midrange ₩155,000 ($110) lands a 3-star near Myeongdong station, two sit-down restaurant meals, and a palace ticket. Luxury starts around ₩425,000 ($300) at the Signiel Seoul on floors 76-101 of Lotte World Tower or the Josun Palace in Gangnam. Dorm beds in Jongno-gu or Mapo-gu go for ₩20,000-28,000 ($14-20) per night. Breakfast from CU or GS25 convenience stores costs about ₩2,700 ($1.91) for a triangle kimbap and bottled coffee. Lunch at a kimbap cheonguk, the no-frills chain restaurants with yellow signage on every other block, runs ₩5,000-7,000 ($3.54-4.96) for kimchi jjigae that arrives bubbling in a stone pot with rice and banchan. Dinner on a budget is where Seoul pulls ahead of Tokyo. A bowl of jjajangmyeon at a Chinese-Korean joint in Jongno-gu costs ₩6,000-7,000 ($4.25-4.96), black-bean sauce thick enough to smell from the sidewalk.

The cheapest real meals in Seoul are not at the places guidebooks promoted 5 years ago. Myeongdong's street food carts now charge ₩5,000-8,000 ($3.54-5.66) for hotteok or tteokbokki that costs ₩3,000 ($2.12) in Sindang-dong near Sindang station on Lines 2 and 6. Gwangjang Market still delivers, but walk past the first row of stalls where photographers cluster. The vendors deeper inside sell bindaetteok, crispy mung bean pancakes sizzling in oil at Gate 2, for ₩4,000 ($2.83). Mayak gimbap at the same market goes for ₩4,000 per plate. For a hot, filling bowl, seolleongtang restaurants around Jongno 3-ga serve milky ox-bone broth with rice for ₩7,000 ($4.96), warm and beefy with coarse salt and scallions on the side. That said, convenience store ramyeon stations are the real 2 AM meal. Cook your own ₩1,200 ($0.85) instant noodles in the hot water dispenser after the subway shuts down at midnight.

Seoul's free attractions are not consolation prizes. The National Museum of Korea in Yongsan, founded in 1945, charges nothing for its permanent collection across 3 floors of galleries. Cheonggyecheon, the 10.9 km restored stream through the city center, costs nothing to walk and feels 3-4°C cooler than the surrounding streets in summer. Gyeongbokgung, built in 1395, charges ₩3,000 ($2.12). But rent a hanbok from one of the shops along Bukchon-ro for ₩15,000-20,000 ($10.62-14.16) and palace entry becomes free. That hanbok trick works at Changdeokgung and Deoksugung too, so if you hit all three in one afternoon, the rental pays for itself. Skip the ₩5,000 ($3.54) Namsan Seoul Tower observation deck unless visibility is over 10 km. The 30-minute walk up from the Myeongdong side delivers a view from the base plaza that is nearly as good. The Seoul city government runs free English-language walking tours through the Jongno palace quarter. Book on the Visit Seoul site 3 days out.

Transit is Seoul's biggest budget advantage over other northeast Asian capitals. A single T-money subway ride costs ₩1,400 ($0.99) with ₩100 transfer discounts within 30 minutes. Do not buy the Discover Seoul Pass unless you plan to hit 3+ paid attractions in one day. The 24-hour version runs ₩39,900 ($28.25), but most budget travelers ride the subway 3-4 times daily for ₩4,200-5,600 ($2.97-3.97), less than half the pass price. Late-night taxis add a 20% surcharge after midnight. A ride from Hongdae to Gangnam can hit ₩18,000 ($12.75) between midnight and 5 AM, but the N bus network covers those routes for ₩2,150 ($1.52). The Airport Railroad all-stop train from Seoul Station to Incheon Terminal 1 runs ₩4,150 ($2.94). It takes 15 minutes longer than the ₩14,800 ($10.48) express.