Shared Homies
A team of foreigners and Koreans operating shared homes across Seoul. We write what we learn from running a co-living business for international tenants.
Seoul catches more than half its mosquitoes in autumn, not high summer — October alone brings in twice July's count. Here is where they actually get into a Korean apartment, and the ₩1,000–5,000 Daiso fixes that close each route, from someone who does this across twenty share houses every year.
8 min de lectura
One region, a threefold spread in living costs, top tax rates from 24% to 55%, and six completely different immigration systems. No country wins overall. This is the scoreboard, what each one wins, and where our own numbers run out.
10 min de lectura
Singapore no longer gives dependant's passes to the families of intra-corporate transferees. Japan lets your spouse work 28 hours a week with permission. Korea lets them work in professional roles outright. The visa on your own passport is the least important part of a transfer.
9 min de lectura
Korea pays the lowest headline salary of the four. It also gives you a free apartment, a month's severance and a pension refund most teachers forget to claim. Here is what each market pays, what it costs to live there, and what you actually keep.
9 min de lectura
Seoul National edges Tokyo by one place in the QS 2027 rankings. Japan hosts 120,000 more international students than Korea and charges less at national universities. Singapore has Asia's only top-ten university and the highest fees on the continent. Here is the whole picture, sourced.
10 min de lectura
Six countries, six completely different answers. Two of them have no nomad visa at all, one gives you six months and shows you the door, and one lets you stay three years. Here is what each actually requires, what it costs, and when each one starts taxing you — with every number sourced.
11 min de lectura
A rumour is going around that from 2027, foreigners in Korea with more than ₩500 million in overseas assets will pay tax on unrealised gains. That is not what the law says. Here is the actual rule, the five-year test that decides whether it touches you at all, and what genuinely changes in 2027.
11 min de lectura
Dormitories, share houses, gosiwon, officetel — here's the realistic breakdown of Seoul student housing for international students, exchange students, and language learners.
6 min de lectura
Why foreigners pick Haebangchon over Itaewon — what the hill walk, sunset rooftops, indie food scene, and rising rents actually mean for new arrivals.
10 min de lectura
Eight real Shared Homies tenants — on Working Holiday, Student, E-7 work, and Digital Nomad visas — on what co-living in Seoul actually looked like.
11 min de lectura
Day-by-day checklist for foreigners landing in Seoul: housing, SIM, ARC, banking, NHIS, and the cultural rhythms that take month one to fall into.
9 min de lectura
Everything a newcomer needs to throw out trash in Korea without a fine: the white bag, the yellow bag, the orange bucket, the clear bag, what to say at the convenience store, the collection window, and what happens on camera if you get it wrong.
12 min de lectura
Eight Seoul neighborhoods that work for foreigners — what each costs, who lives there, what the vibe actually feels like, and how to pick.
10 min de lectura
What daily life in Seoul actually feels like for foreigners — coworking, expat work culture, student life, food, weekends, community. Beyond the rent, what's it like to live here?
9 min de lectura