Good reply Cman and welcome to the forums!

Where did you get your stats? I think $37,000 is way too high. If I recall this is about what the average American makes. The numbers I pulled were from the world fact book online.

Here is another source:

http://www.finfacts.com/biz10/global...epercapita.htm

In 2004 the average Korean made about $14,000 and the average American made $41,000. Yes, these are averages but the $14,000 should be the average incomes in Songtan (not including the business owners). Even if incomes rose by 10% since 2004, that would put a Korean's income just at $15,400.

Again, I had about 6-7 Korean friends that I knew on base and thy made about $1,000 - $1,500 a month. Also, I knew about 20 Koreans in Songtan and they made about the same.

Now, I believe you are 100% on with your Seoul numbers of $37,000. That is still very little money since most small apartments cost $12,000 - $20,000 a year. The nicer three bedrooms cost about $4,000 - $5,000 a most.

If you are a teacher living in Seoul making $25,000 with your housing paid for, you are doing better than the average Korean in my opinion since the housing is about $12,000 - $20,000. This would mean you are meaning $37,000 at a minimum and most likely somewhere at $40,000+. Now, if you are a teacher living outside of Seoul and Busan, you will be doing very well making $25,000 a year with your housing paid for.

Mike

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I've heard that $37,000-$39,000 figure somewhere before...I think I heard it from a Korean friend.

I still go with the belief that how it is spent is the key to a good living in Korea; just my personal theory. I know Koreans (w/ wife and two children) who make loads and still in debt all the time opposed to those who make less and have almost no debts at all. It seems, generally, the more you make here, the more you have to spend for some reason. Maybe it's because Koreans tend to show off their wealth with expensive import cars and sending kids to the most expensive schools and stuff. Then you got those wives with brand name clothing and accessories shopping at department stores all through the day.

Sometimes I don't think Koreans know how to spend wisely; like they have so much money and don't know what to do with it. You visit some of these "well off" peoples' houses and see a giant PDP TV with 6.1 surround audio theater set up (all wrong, by the way) and they don't even know how to use it. Then they got a cabinet full of expensive liquor and all these decorative vases and paintings everywhere. Added to that, the rich have to give expensive gifts to each other for weddings, graduations, etc.

By the way, good reply and welcome to the forum, cMann!

Average Americans make 60,000+.

I think you are still confused between per capita income versus real wages.

Here are the numbers released by the Statistic Office of Korea.

In the same period, the monthly salary of urban workers increased 1.8 times, from W1.7 million (US$1,700) to W3.1 million. The salary gap between high school graduates and university graduates widened from W544,300 to W1.04 million.

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/ht...601060026.html

So, you are correct on the urban numbers.

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Welcome to the Forum! Not many folks are considering Korea as a place to live, compared to other more publicised countries. I'm just curious why you are considering our little country, and maybe Songtan in particular? Perhaps you or a friend visited the area at one time? No matter what the reason, if you can put up with traffic congestion, a significant language barrier and limited medical facilities close by, plus not having all the comforts of the typical small town in your home country, you may grow to love it. If you are not retired, you should have some cash to get started. Ask the school teacher folks about getting a legitimate government sponsored job BEFORE coming. I know you will have a much easier time if you get a job, thereby a working visa, before coming over. If you have a family or dependants, etc. it can be a major shock, just visiting; again depending on your inconvenience tolerance factor. You might want to visit for a month first to get the lay of the land. Some folks can't take the sights and smells which hit you right after getting off the plane. Sanitation, even in the cities, doesn't measure up to western standards. Most all restaurants could not pass the sanitation requirements in Mexico, let alone U.S. standards. There is a word for soap in Korean, but I must tell you, unless you are within sight of a Military Base or Post, or at a Major Hotel chain, you will see no evidence of any usage, in restrooms or in kitchens. These hardy folks are pretty much immune to germs. You are not. No one on the Forum will dispute that you should drink only bottled water, carry your own toilet paper and expect to get sick from something the first few weeks in the country. And if you never expect anyone to be on time, you will not be disappointed. The people are the best. The conditions are not, but only you can decide your level of comfort. I'm here, over a long period, but totaling only 8 years. I live in Seoul, and work with the U.S. Government. If I can, I expect I may be moving to an area near Sontan in a few years, and perhaps retire there. I just wanted to give you a taste of good and bad, based on experience. You can see the good wins out in the end for me.
P.S. Some of the best Pheasant hunting in the world exists on Cheju Island.
You can find info on the internet. You CAN bring a shotgun for hunting, but the paperwork must be done through the Korean Embassy BEFORE you leave home, and that permission must arrive WITH YOU at the airport. . If you elect that route, it must be stored at your local police station, not at home. It is much easier to rent one at the hunting lodge. Best of luck!

Statistics? Kind of like Politics. You can twist and turn and get whatever you want from them. All interesting reading. I'm learning that Koreans are going through the same growing pains we did with the advent of credit cards.
We (Americans) are experiencing living beyond our means in a manner which has no precedence in history! The only winners are the Credit Card companies, who either get an unbelievable amount in interest or they get to repossess your car or house or whatever and sell it again for more money!
Apparently they are making so much (as high as 25% interest) that they are able to write off the deadbeats (or ignorant) folks who get in so deep in debt they drown in it. I guess a generation that grew up with plastic money just never figured on payday eventually hitting them like a brick. (I am not going to explain about doing without until you can afford it, as we older folks did.
Really. ) I hear that there is a difference in Korea,though. I hear that if Koreans get eaten up by credit card debt and can't pay, that they are put on a list, can't get credit anywhere, and it may affect their ability to get a job. Anyone know if that is accurate? In the U.S. you just open the mailbox, pull out another free credit card, sign it, and put your old debt on it. If you get a new card every 90 days, you could probably live forever that way! Don't laugh. So I guess how much you get paid on paper 20,000, 60,000 or whatever, is beside the point. It is how you budget that matters.