Not counting flights, a week-long Korea trip costs about $430 to $745 per person on our line items, and 10 days costs about $590 to $1,045. These are our price checks of 9 October 2026, official palace fees checked on 12 October 2026, and rail fares read on the operators' pages on 4 November 2026. We did not price flights.
The short table
We priced one traveler who shares a double room with one other person. The hotel is mid-range, the meals are cheap local ones, and you ride the subway and take one KTX round trip to Busan. We use ₩1,341 to one US dollar, the rate for 9 October 2026.
| Line | 7 days (6 nights) | 10 days (9 nights) |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel, your half of the room | $201 to $403 | $302 to $604 |
| Cheap meals, 3 a day | $110 to $188 | $157 to $268 |
| Subway, 4 to 6 rides a day | $32 to $49 | $46 to $69 |
| Airport train or bus, both ways | $7 to $27 | $7 to $27 |
| KTX round trip to Busan | $81 | $81 |
| Total, no flights | about $430 to $745 | about $590 to $1,045 |
A solo traveler pays the whole room. For 7 days that adds about $201 to $403, and for 10 days about $302 to $604.
Where each line comes from
Price: Hotel: ₩90,000 to ₩180,000 a night per room near Seoul Station, ₩70,000 to ₩150,000 in Dongdaemun, ₩100,000 to ₩200,000 in Myeongdong. We used ₩90,000 to ₩180,000 per room. Your half for 6 nights is ₩270,000 to ₩540,000, and for 9 nights ₩405,000 to ₩810,000 (our hotel guides, checked 9 Oct 2026)
Price: Meals: ₩7,000 to ₩12,000 for a bowl of gukbap or kalguksu, or a meal at a kimbap shop. Three a day for 7 days is ₩147,000 to ₩252,000, and for 10 days ₩210,000 to ₩360,000 (our solo-dining guide, checked 9 Oct 2026)
Price: Subway: ₩1,550 a ride with a T-money card for the first 10 km (Seoul Metro fare page, read 4 Nov 2026). At 4 to 6 rides a day, 7 days is ₩43,400 to ₩65,100, and 10 days ₩62,000 to ₩93,000
Price: Airport: the AREX all-stop train from Seoul Station is ₩4,750 to Terminal 1 with a transit card (AREX fare table, read 4 Nov 2026), and a limousine bus ₩17,000 to ₩18,000 (our airport guide, checked 9 Oct 2026). Both ways is ₩9,500 to ₩36,000
Price: KTX: ₩54,400 each way from Seoul to Busan since 1 September 2026, down from ₩59,800 (Korail press release, 5 Aug 2026, read 4 Nov 2026). A round trip is ₩108,800
The subway, AREX and KTX numbers are the operators' own. The subway line assumes rides of 10 km or less; longer rides cost ₩100 more for each 5 km.
Where our numbers disagree
| Detail | One of our guides says | Another says | What we use |
|---|---|---|---|
| A mid-range day | Seven-day itinerary guide: ₩150,000 to ₩250,000 a day, no flights | This page: about ₩83,000 to ₩143,000 a day from the 7-day total | Both. The table is the lean case. The itinerary band adds dinners, sights and taxis |
| KTX Seoul to Busan | Our older guides: about ₩60,000 each way | Korail press release, 5 Aug 2026: ₩54,400 from 1 Sep 2026 | ₩54,400, Korail's figure |
| Airport costs | ₩4,750 on AREX all-stop | ₩17,000 to ₩18,000 on a limousine bus | A range, $7 to $27 for both ways |
Three ways to spend a week
Our itinerary guide gives per-day bands, excluding flights. We turn them into dollars at ₩1,341.
| Style | Per day | 7 days | 10 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hostel beds and street food | ₩70,000 to ₩110,000 | $365 to $575 | $520 to $820 |
| Mid-range hotels and restaurants | ₩150,000 to ₩250,000 | $780 to $1,305 | $1,120 to $1,865 |
| Our line-item case above | about ₩83,000 to ₩143,000 | $430 to $745 | $590 to $1,045 |
The comfort band, ₩350,000 a day and up, is our estimate and has no ceiling. We did not price it.
Extras that cost money, and ones that do not
Price: Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung: ₩3,000 each for an adult, about $2. The Secret Garden is ₩5,000 more. The three together are ₩11,000, about $8. The Royal Palace Pass is ₩6,000 on the Changdeokgung page and valid six months (Royal Palaces and Tombs Center English fee page, read 12 Oct 2026)
Price: Free entry: in hanbok, for foreigners aged 18 and under or 65 and over, and for the four palaces from 29 Oct to 15 Nov 2026, except the Secret Garden (Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, notice of 30 Sep 2026, read 12 Oct 2026)
Price: DMZ half-day tour from Seoul: ₩55,000 to ₩95,000, about $41 to $71 (our DMZ guide of 9 Oct 2026, from 2026 operator listings). A VisitKorea listing shows from ₩80,000, undated
Price: Jeju Airport to Seogwipo by bus: ₩5,000 for an adult each way on bus 800 (Jeju bus fare sheet, read 12 Oct 2026)
Note: At Seoul subway ticket machines, a foreign card adds a fee of 3.7% on average (Seoul city press page, 17 Mar 2026)
What this page leaves out
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Flights. We have no dated US fare source. Check fares for your dates before you decide.
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Shopping and tax refunds. Our refund guide has the ₩15,000 minimum.
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Dinners above ₩20,000, drinks, taxis, mobile data and travel insurance.
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Tours and tickets beyond the palaces and the DMZ. Concerts and Hallasan are not in the table.
What is checked here and what is not
Checked: our own price checks of 9 October 2026, as they appear in our hotel, solo-dining, airport, Seoul to Busan, itinerary and DMZ guides; the exchange rate of 9 October 2026 from our Korea and Japan cost page; and the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center English fee page and the Korean notice of 30 September 2026, on 12 October 2026.
Re-checked on 4 November 2026, for the fares:
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Seoul Metro's fare page: ₩1,550 for the first 10 km with a transit card.
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The AREX all-stop fare table: ₩4,750 from Seoul Station to Terminal 1 and ₩5,350 to Terminal 2.
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Korail's press release of 5 August 2026: KTX Seoul to Busan ₩54,400 from 1 September 2026. It does not name the seat class.
Not checked: flights, the limousine bus fare on the operator's site, the KTX fare for a single train on Korail's live search (it showed a block for unusual activity), hotel prices on specific dates, dinners above ₩20,000, our own spending on a real trip, and any card issuer's fees. All numbers are estimates and ranges. The exchange rate has moved since 9 October 2026.
So, the rail and subway fares are the operators' own, and the hotel and meal lines are our estimates.
