Cost of Living in Jeju Island

Jeju seems gorgeous and cool (very breezy) in the spring, but the nicer the weather, it starts to get overrun with Chinese tourists. The trails along the coast have incredible views of cool islands in the ocean, with crashing waves against rocky cliffs, rolling meadows covered with flowers, and winding tree covered paths, though the trail has so many tourists that it’s very “manicured.” Ask around or just explore and you can find more rustic mountain trails, pass by unexpected mound graves that will make you feel like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, or climb up wooded trails leading to a surprise temple at the top of a mountain with incredible views of the sunset under the temple eaves. A lot of these places are away from the coast at higher elevations (and much cooler temps), away from where most of the tourists flock.

Compared to before, many more Western tourists have shown up, a lot from Western & Northern Europe, as well as from the Middle East and South Asia. Not too many Americans. English not widely spoken by the Koreans here, but depending on your luck, many Koreans try very hard to help. Education rate is extremely high, so many just pull out the Korean version of Google Translate (ChatGPT is much better with Korean than Google Translate), which then makes everything possible. You’ll run into the occasional grumpy old man, though. Incredibly safe at all hours for both men and women.

Something I just found out - 119 (Korean 911) is a public service, so if you have a medical emergency, call it, and it’s COMPLETELY FREE, even for non-Koreans with no insurance. But you’ll have to pay for medical services at the hospital if you don’t have traveler’s insurance. Med clinics and hospitals range anywhere in quality from the equivalent of French public clinics to posh Manhattan medical offices. I had an urgent ear problem, lost hearing in my right ear. It turned out to be ear wax I pushed into my ear with a Q-tip, lol. A very kind local pulled out her phone, looked on Korean Google (Naver), found me a highly rated ENT center just 10 minutes away. Gorgeous place, took me right in, and with no insurance I paid $15. I’d never be able to get an ENT appt in the US for weeks, instead would have waited hours at an urgicare center, and would have paid $50-$100 with insurance copayments. AMAZING.

My dog swallowed a small bone, a store clerk recommended a vet across the avenue - small but nice and clean facility. With ChatGPT, they did an exam, took X-rays, and gave him medicine, all for $13.

Some things here are expensive, but some things, even extremely nice or vital, like some medical services or 119, are incredibly cheap.

An EXCELLENT resource is the Jeju Integrated Call Center a nice man just told me about this morning to confirm potential ambulance costs (after my ear problem, I wanted to be prepared for bigger medical emergencies in a foreign country). On a local cell phone, dial 064-120. They have interpreters, and they are a Jeju tourism Association organization for non-Jeju people (Koreans and foreigners) to help us navigate the Jeju system. They will answer questions from where to go for medical services, to tourist attractions, to how to get around the island. They will also connect you to organizations you may be trying to find to get more detailed information. They helped me figure out how to find where I could easily fly to quickly restart the clock on my 90-day time-limited tourist visa.

Remember that while Jeju is a “subtropical’ island in Asia, it is not Thailand. With only 50 million people, it is the world’s 12th largest economy and one of the most high-tech countries in the world. It doesn’t make sense to expect prices like in Vietnam or the Philippines, and Koreans expect themselves to speak English about as much as Americans expect themselves to speak Spanish, even though there are exponentially more Spanish speakers in the US than English speakers in Korea.

We are digital nomads, meaning we are supposed have a non-American-centric perspective after traveling to so many places. Travel to Japan to find even fewer people speaking English, and even more annoyance that we expect them to, behind their apologetic facade.

If you are looking for a cheap place for a temporary workplace, Jeju might not be your best choice, but would you expect anything different from Japan or Barcelona? But compared to Seoul, accommodations are cheaper, and it’s a beautiful place to stay at the right season.

I hope this review helps. Jeju isn’t for everyone, but for some, it’s a real gem, and with the few things that I was lucky to find out, I hope these can make the challenges of being somewhere very different smoother so you can focus on the beauty here!

Cheers!

Jeju now has more coworking spaces across the island due to the remote worker trend going on in Korea. You would have to locate many via google maps though. 1 month stays are trending on the island as well for Korean remote workers. The free coworking space in Jeju city still exists. New hotels are popping up as well. Pandemic travel to the island has given it more life from mainland Koreans. It's good to see the new growth and tech efforts. Jeju still has a lot more potential for the future. It's still a good value for a modern island lifestyle.

Safe for female solo travelers with affordable accommodations. Nature lovers should like it.

I stayed in Jeju for 2 weeks while traveling and I wouldn't recommend it.
The internet is fast, but that's about it.
People do not particularly speak English and it makes it hard to get around. It's hard to visit the island if you don't have a car, and you need an international driving license to rent a car.
Also, prices are high. I spent around 15$ for a main course with no drinks and average service.

Wouldn't recommend. SEA is better.

It's best to go after the crowds and typhoon season ends. It then becomes peaceful and quiet for work and relaxation. Taxis are affordable. Able to get by without knowing too much Korean.

It's hard to get around without a car. it's possible to use the public transportation, but having a car is so much easier. bus system is great but without knowing korean it might take some time to get used to. Food is amazing, the beaches are the world class, locals are generally nice and full of hip cafes and shops if you know where to go. The downside is the price - so expensive compare to Seoul! Seoul has at least the cheap options you can choose from, but Jeju has nothing like that. If you are a meat eater the pork in Jeju is tremendous. Highly recommend to go group fishing on a boat, so cheap and soooo fun!

Kind of deserted after the Chinese are gone. Better stay in a cemetery.