How much does a trip to South Korea cost?
A mid-range week in Seoul for two runs about $3,830 before flights: $245 a night for a hotel room and $132 a day each for meals.
Estimate your trip
| Lodging1 room for 7 nights at $245 a night | $1,715 |
|---|---|
| Food and incidentals2 people for 8 days at $132 a day · government meal allowance | $2,112 |
Daily costs in South Korea
Per person per day, two people sharing a room, before flights and activities.
Budget
$40Mid-range
$239- Seoul
- $239
- Busan
- $228
How expensive is South Korea?
Restaurants and hotels in South Korea cost about 100% of what they cost in the United States, by the World Bank’s International Comparison Program (2021). That puts it close to US prices for the two things a trip spends most on.
How these estimates work
Mid-range uses the U.S. government’s per diem for each place: the most a federal traveler may claim for a hotel room, by season, plus meals and incidentals. It tracks a solid business-class hotel and restaurant meals.
Budget and luxury rooms use published guide figures for South Korea, converted to US dollars and linked beside each number; ranges are averaged. Where a guide gives no daily food spend, food uses the same government meal allowance as mid-range.
Currencies are converted at the European Central Bank reference rate, or the U.S. Treasury reporting rate where the ECB has none, as of October 8, 2026.
Not included: flights, activities and shopping. Two travelers share a room; a third takes a second room.
Plan South Korea within budget
Build the itinerary day by day, track what everyone spends, and split it fairly, in one app.
Trip cost questions
About $3,830 for two at mid-range, before flights: $245 a night for the room and $132 a day each for food.
Plan on about $239 per person per day at mid-range, with two people sharing a room.
Restaurants and hotels in South Korea cost about 100% of US prices (World Bank, 2021).
