Fondateur, Shared Homies
Visa F-4, gérant de colocations à Séoul depuis 2023. J'écris sur ce que ça implique vraiment de se loger ici quand on n'est pas coréen : ce que le système te coûte en temps et en argent, ce qu'il faut mettre en place pour rester longtemps, et les endroits où le marché locatif séoulite fait trébucher ceux qui débarquent.
A field-tested, 7-step how-to for landing a shared house in Hongdae / 홍대 as a foreigner — with real prices, visa paperwork, and the pitfalls that cost deposits.
11 min de lecture
A step-by-step 2026 housing playbook for H-1 working holiday makers in Seoul: budgets, neighborhoods, contracts, and how to book before you land.
10 min de lecture
Chuseok 2026 is a holiday mid-renegotiation: the ancestral rite has become a minority practice while a record number of Koreans fly out instead.
8 min de lecture
A step-by-step housing playbook for exchange students at Korea University — dorm lottery odds, Anam neighborhood options, contract checks, and February 2027 move-in planning.
12 min de lecture
A step-by-step housing playbook for Yonsei exchange students: dorm odds, off-campus options near Sinchon, budgets, and a February 2027 arrival timeline.
11 min de lecture
A step-by-step playbook for international female students choosing safe, affordable Seoul housing — from visa docs to move-in, with real cost benchmarks.
8 min de lecture
Median share house rent in Seoul is ₩1,000,000/month (range ₩700,000–₩2,100,000). Real pricing by area, gender policy, and what internationals actually budget — Q3 2026 data, updated quarterly.
9 min de lecture
Most Korean visa applications don't ask for a housing document — the ARC does. What counts, which visa types need it, and how to get it before you land.
10 min de lecture
Foreigners searching for a Seoul share house hit eight different channels, not one site. Here's what each requires — language, ARC, deposit, scam risk — and how they compare.
12 min de lecture
A step-by-step guide to picking the right Seoul neighborhood as a foreigner in 2026, with commute, budget and lifestyle trade-offs made explicit.
6 min de lecture
A step-by-step 2026 guide to finding legal, foreigner-friendly housing in Seoul — from budget-setting to ARC registration and lease signing.
7 min de lecture
What does a Seoul winter gas bill actually cost? Real Nov 2025–Mar 2026 data from 14 SharedHomies houses: ₩57,000–₩180,000/month per house, up to ₩299,770 in the worst month, and about 6.8x higher than summer — plus how ondol heating, 도시가스 billing, and our utility policy actually work.
10 min de lecture
A practical 2026 guide to finding a women-only share house in Seoul as a foreigner, with steps, safety checks, visa notes, and January move-in planning.
7 min de lecture
A step-by-step 2026 playbook for finding an English-speaking landlord in Seoul, vetting contracts, and avoiding deposit traps.
6 min de lecture
A step-by-step guide to finding one-semester housing in Seoul as a foreign student or exchange participant, with visas, budgets, and timelines.
6 min de lecture
A step-by-step 2026 guide to the H-1 working holiday visa in Korea: eligibility, application, arrival setup, housing, and job hunting.
6 min de lecture
University language institutes rarely include housing. Gosiwon vs co-living vs homestay for a 10-week term — and why winter-term students get the best rooms in Seoul.
4 min de lecture
Spring semester 2027 starts March 2 — but the housing decision happens in October–November 2026. The full timeline, costs, and the December early move-in advantage.
5 min de lecture
A step-by-step 2026 playbook matching your Korean visa type (D-2, D-10, E-7, F-2, F-4, H-1) to the right housing option and paperwork.
6 min de lecture
Seoul has one of the lowest street-crime rates of any major city — and one of the world's worst digital sex crime problems. Both are true. Here's what that actually means for where you live.
11 min de lecture
The rent on a direct Seoul lease is the visible half of the bill. Here's the full accounting — deposit opportunity cost, furnishing, contracts, utility setup, and 20–40 hours of Korean-language bureaucracy — with the numbers side by side.
5 min de lecture
Nine red flags in Korean rental contracts that cost foreigners deposits: mismatched owner names, banned move-in reports, blanket repair clauses, and the special terms (특약) that quietly override everything — with the actual contract language to watch for.
6 min de lecture
In Korean listings, \"fully furnished\" (풀옵션) can mean a fridge and a washing machine — or a genuine turnkey home. Here's the category-by-category breakdown, what each tier usually includes, and what filling the gaps costs.
5 min de lecture
South Korea made its F-1-D 'Workation' digital nomad visa permanent on June 30, 2026 — with a lower income bar and a 3-year stay. Here's who qualifies, how much you need to earn, and how to apply.
7 min de lecture
A step-by-step 2026 how-to for foreigners choosing coliving in Korea — budget, visa docs, neighborhoods, contracts, and move-in checks.
5 min de lecture
A step-by-step 2026 guide to finding expat housing in Itaewon, comparing housing types, deposits, contracts, and visa-friendly options for foreigners.
6 min de lecture
Korea and Japan both offer working holiday visas for ages 18–30 — 12 months standard, and Korea grants some nationalities up to 24. Japan's program is bigger and more open; Korea is cheaper, easier to base yourself in, and a better launchpad for the rest of Asia. Here's the honest, numbers-first comparison.
8 min de lecture
Korean deposits are refundable by law — but the law only works if you follow the sequence: written notice, documented handover, certified letter, lease registration order, then mediation or court. Here's the full playbook for foreigners.
6 min de lecture
Most foreigners in Korea want to stay longer than their visa allows — but the large majority of job postings are in Korean. Here are the realistic paths, the platforms that actually work, and what to do about your visa while you figure it out.
8 min de lecture
Co-living in Seoul is the fastest, lowest-friction way for expats to land, settle, and actually enjoy the city. Here's everything you need to know before booking.
6 min de lecture
Gosiwon is cheaper — ₩300,000–550,000 vs ₩650,000+ for a share house. Real prices, room sizes, ARC paperwork, and which one actually suits your stay in Seoul.
6 min de lecture
Foreigners have more monthly rental options in Seoul than they think — but each comes with different requirements and trade-offs. Here's the complete 2026 breakdown.
6 min de lecture
Wolse short-term contracts are foreigners' biggest fraud surface in Korea. Four patterns, six verification steps, and the one shortcut that skips the whole risk.
14 min de lecture
What exchange students actually need to find housing in Seoul — the visa-contract trap nobody explains, the real options, and where to live near your university.
3 min de lecture
Korea's Working Holiday visa (H-1) lets you live and work in Korea for 12 months. Here's who qualifies, what it actually costs, and where to live in Seoul without key money or a guarantor.
10 min de lecture
Heat, housing, weekends, real costs — what your KLI, KLEC, or LEI brochure won't tell you about summer in Seoul. The honest 6-to-8-week guide.
12 min de lecture
The ARC unlocks every Korean bureaucracy step. The catch: you need a residential address before you can apply. Here's how foreigners actually get one.
10 min de lecture
What foreigners actually need to live like a local in Seoul: an eSIM that works on landing, the right apps, and which ones don't require an ARC.
9 min de lecture
Most foreigners compare only monthly rent. The real cost includes deposit opportunity, furnishing, utility setup, and 2-year lock-ins. Here's the full breakdown.
10 min de lecture
The honest playbook for foreigners who don't have an ARC, Korean bank account, guarantor, or fluent Korean. What you can actually rent on day one — and what unlocks at each milestone.
10 min de lecture
Visa, ARC, bank account, SIM, healthcare, first 30 days, cultural norms. Everything a foreigner actually needs to land in Seoul without losing weeks to bureaucracy.
9 min de lecture
The real cost of renting in Seoul isn't the rent — it's the deposit, the language barrier, and the 2-year lock-in. The complete foreigner's guide.
11 min de lecture
Korean rentals run on deposits, not monthly rent. Here's how jeonse, wolse, and key money actually work — and which ones a foreigner can sign.
7 min de lecture