Taipei
Asia · 2 guides · Digital nomad visa available
South Korea
- Guides
- 2
- guides
- Average rating
- 7.7
- average rating
- Average monthly living costs, before rent
- $1,393
- a month before rent
At a glance
Average across 2 guides
Visa and working hours
Digital nomad visa available
The F-1-D visa would allow individuals to stay in Korea for one year with the opportunity to extend for another year. Extension of stay would be handled by the local immigration office in South Korea.
To be eligible, you must be a remote worker employed by a foreign company, earning at least double South Korea's gross national income per capita from the previous year, which was around $64,000 for 2023.
Additionally, you must have worked in your current industry for at least one year, provide proof of health insurance, and have a clean criminal record. Accepted applicants can be accompanied by their spouse and children under 18 without additional visas.
Working hours
Korean Standard Time is +9 hours ahead of GMT, making it 7 hours ahead of CET during the summer months. In relative terms to other destinations in Asia, this is +2 hours on Bangkok and +1 on Kuala Lumpur.
I had already been working in the region for the three months previous, so it wasn't a huge change in working hours, but it's right at the edge of where you would class an acceptable working time whilst not impacting your daily schedule.
A typical year
By month
| Month | Low °C | High °C | Rain mm | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -2 | 7 | 30 | |
| February | 0 | 8 | 72 | |
| March | 1 | 16 | 82 | |
| April | 8 | 20 | 116 | |
| May | 11 | 23 | 125 | |
| June | 19 | 28 | 198 | wet month |
| July | 24 | 33 | 166 | peak season |
| August | 25 | 32 | 161 | peak season |
| September | 21 | 30 | 170 | wet month |
| October | 14 | 24 | 235 | wet month · peak season |
| November | 5 | 19 | 67 | |
| December | 0 | 9 | 14 |
Typical daytime highs and overnight lows, from the last two years of observations (Open-Meteo). Rain icons mark the wettest months.
- Visitors a year
- 3.3M2025
- Crowds
- Medium
- Peak season
- Jul–Aug, Oct
- Low season
- Dec–Feb
Costs
$1,233a month, before rent
Basic living costs, rent not included
Day-to-day spending for a month: two meals out and a coffee every day, three taxis and two nights out a week, a gym and a coworking desk. Add your rent on top.
Moderate- Meal in a casual restaurant$10
- Speciality coffee$4.04
- Pint of local beer$4.54
- Cocktail$10
- Taxi for 2 miles$7.07
- Men's haircut$15
- Women's haircut$40
- Gym membership, monthly$63
- Coworking, monthly$187
Prices as of Oct 2026. Confidence: medium (gym & coworking verified; other prices restated at 2026-10-07 exchange rates). Sources: numbeo.com, nomada.tools, seoulz.com. Always check locally before planning around them.
