Seoul is an exciting place filled with many things to eat, do, and see but admittedly it isn’t exactly the cheapest city in the world. Still, there’s plenty of ways to make the most of one’s budget here.

First, for visitors arriving at Incheon International Airport or Seoul’s Gimpo Airport, the most inexpensive way to get into Seoul, and vise versa, will be the regular all-stop Airport Railway Link. The all-stop train takes approximately 58 minutes one way and is cheaper than the non-stop Airport Express Link when paid with a transportation card. It’s about half the fare cost for the nonstop, express train and almost a quarter of the cost of an airport limousine bus.

Speaking of transportation cards, the T-Money cards as they are called here, can be picked up at any subway station and most convenience stores to be used on Seoul’s subways, buses, most taxi cabs and even certain convenience stores and cafes. They’re not only convenient but they offer benefits like discounts on public transportation rides and free transfers. Best of all, they’re rechargeable and reusable so you can keep it for any future return visits to Seoul!

You may also consider the Seoul City Pass and the Seoul Travel Pass which not include a certain amount of subway and bus rides per day but admission and discounts to many attraction arounds the city. Visit the Seoultravelpass.com for more information. If you’re extremely short on time and want to make the most of your trip, consider the Seoul City Tour Buses which operates various courses to the city’s top attractions. You’ll find Seoul is a very walkable city with many attractions such as palaces, markets, and shopping areas within 10-15 minutes walking distance of each other. Walking is a great way to save costs and enjoy destinations like the Cheonggyecheon Stream, the many Hangang Parks, or even a walk up to the N Seoul Tower instead of the cable car!
Seoul has a range of cheaper accommodations around the city including guesthouses, motels, and hostels. To go with probably the cheapest option however, you can choose to pay and stay overnight at a jjimjilbang which will allow you to bathe, shower, and sleep in gender-separated quarters at a minimum rate. They may not have large lockers for suitcases however but most subway stations have locker rentals of various sizes you can make use of.

Admission to most cultural attractions are inexpensive or cheap. Entrance to most royal palace is generally only 1 to 3 thousand won but if you plan to visit all or most of them as well as the Jongmyo Shrine consider purchasing the Combination Ticket for only 10,000 won for access to four royal palaces and the Jongmyo Shrine. If you plan to rent the traditional Korean outfit of hanbok to try on, remember that wearing them will give you free admission to the royal palaces!

Many museums of Seoul are free including the National Museum of Korea, the War Memorial of Korea, The Seoul Museum of History, The National Folk Museum of Korea, the Seoul Museum of Art, and the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History. Other museums sometimes operate free or discounted days and times such as the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul when admission is free between 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The last Wednesday of every month is also a designated culture day which offers free or discounted admission to not only many of Seoul’s museums and cultural heritage sites but discounts at performance facilities and even movie theaters!

For food and shopping, know that, in general, prices are a bit higher south of the river than the north and particularly in tourist areas like Myeongdong, Gangnam, Hongdae or “posh” neighborhoods like Itaewon, Sinsa or Cheongdamdong. Traditional markets, especially the smaller neighborhood markets, are some of the best places for both shopping and eating as you can pick up simple noodle or rice dishes for as low as 3 to 5 thousand won. Street carts and pojangmachas will have food and snacks that are generally cheaper than brick stores. At traditional and smaller markets, you can sometimes negotiate a cheaper price which vendors are more open to agree to if you’re buying multiple items and paying by cash.