Hello! I'm moving to Korea in the next month and would like to live for 6 months in Busan and 6 months in Seoul. Is this sort of thing possible? From my own research and inquiries it looks like most places will only take a minimum of 12 months. Would I have more luck being in the country already?
Posted May 24, 2018, 5:22 PM UTC
Check the Gangnam Information Board. There is a guy who rents in Gangnam and is a realtor and will absolutely know the best short term rentals. These are three month contracts and rent is like 700,000W or so plus utility fee of 50-100,000W. There are cheaper ones and nicer ones. After three months they automatically renew if you just pay and you cancel like 7 days before you wanna move out. Easy.
Air bnb private apartments if you want to live alone. Owners would probably be thrilled to get someone staying so long for the steady cash lol
I looked at that also, but that becomes way to expensive very quickly. Ultimately I'd like to be spending between ~$600 AUD monthly on rent, which is around 500,000 KRW. AirBNB sits around $1000-$1100.
Thanks for the tip though!
Working holiday visa? Honestly though, with that budget, (on Airbnb at least) you're not looking at much of a selection for places, and not at that great of quality either, if you're trying to find only listings that give you the whole place to yourself. You'll have better luck booking private rooms.
Of course, that budget is totally do-able if you can sign a 1-year lease and are only factoring in the monthly rent. But: even if you do decide to just stay in 1 city for the whole year, don't forget that most Korean apartments require a deposit which is usually much higher than the monthly rent. You would be looking at around 2400-6000 AUD on the low end. You can of course stay in a goshiwon (which I've never tried and wouldn't even know where to look for one), but I'd personally prefer a private room on Airbnb over a closet with a bed.
I've looked through the private rooms also on AirBNB and they look pretty average at best.
I've got key money aside for the 2400-6000 AUD price range, that was no issue. Only thing is ideally I wanted to find a place for 6 months in Busan and another 6 months in Seoul. If it's not possible that's totally cool, just means I'd be aiming for 12 Months in Seoul or Busan.
I've seen a few goshiwon and they're definitely not my cup of tea lol
*Edit: Yes, a working holiday.
Go to the realtors office and ask if they have 단기임대
I've got key money aside for the 2400-6000 AUD price range, that was no issue.
Just in case you weren't already planning on this - I'd go through a realtor if you're going to pay key money. That way it's all in writing. Doesn't guarantee that it will be easy to get back, but at least you'll have a good source of information to prove you payed it along with a couple of witnesses.
Get in the country, book a hotel/hostel/Airbnb for a week and go hunting for a place. If you have the key money ready, you can definitely book a one-room for 6 months. Just be prepared, you probably won't find anything furnished, and might have to pay some extra rent if you stay short term.