John is a teacher in Seoul. He's got a lot in student loans that he has to pay off, but still has some party in him from college. He goes to Itaewon bars 2-3 nights a week; goes to Itaewon or Hongdae bars on the weekend. When John eats by himself, he usually grabs take-out pizza, take-out chicken, or fast-food. When with friends, John usually eats at places like Geckos or Outback. John and some friends are also planning on going to Thailand for the week he has off in January. He also plans on seeing Shanghai before he finishes his contract.

• Assessment: John is clearing 500,000/week at his job. Looking at the food and alcohol budget, John is probably spending 20-50,000won/day on weekdays and possibly 50-150,000 on the weekends. At that rate, John is spending between 150-400,000/week on food and booze alone. The trip to Thailand will likely run about 500,000 return, if he gets a good deal. Excluding expenses while down there. Shanghai could be about the same. Assuming that John does not travel elsewhere or does not buy and accumulate any stuff like cellphones or a computer, etc., he can probably afford that lifestyle and still save about 10-15% of his salary to wire back home.

Sue is a teacher in Daegu. She doesn't have much in debt, but wants to save for the tuition towards getting an MA, when she goes back home. Sue spends a lot of time with Korean friends, learning Korean, learning about Korean food, and travelling around the country. She goes out and drinks with friends 1-2 times a week and on weekends. Although not a partier, she does socially drink and likes to occassionally go to Bennigans or Outback. However, most of her meals either by herself or with friends are usually at Korean restaurants. Sue also plans to travel to Vietnam on her holidays.

• Assessment: Firstly, living outside of Seoul achieves a break on the cost of living. Using a Korean BBQ restaurant as an example, you can order a serving of samgyeopsal for as low as 6000won in Seoul, if you hunt and peck, whereas in downtown Daegu, it's pretty easy to find the same portions for as low as 3000won. Considering how addictive Korean BBQ is to foreigners and how quickly just one hungry person can go through 2-3 servings of meat, costs can get expensive over time. Sue also is learning about Korean culture and cuisine, which helps her navigate Korean menus and places to shop, which will help make her more cost-conscious. And she is opting to use up her travel bug in Korea, as opposed to travelling extensively outside of Korea. With this lifestyle, Sue can probably save between 40-50% of her salary. However, if she lived that same lifestyle while living in Gangnam or an expensive area of Seoul, she'd probably only be able to save 25-35%.

Mark is a teacher in Mokpo. He's over here to save. Period. He plans on hunkering down and working in Korea for a year, and then maybe see China for a month after his contract and then either do another contract in Korea or go back home. Mark has taken the time to ask questions to his director and Korean co-workers on where are the cheap places to shop and eat around his school. He went to E-mart and bought a rice cooker, rice, and some bulk foods, like kimchi, tuna, etc... Even peanut butter and jam sandwiches, just to fill that Western void. But for the most part, he eats all of his meals at home. On occassion, he goes out with co-workers or friends and eats Korean food. Mark and the other staff often eat at the same restaurant near their school, and as a result, have asked the director to negotiate a 장부 with the restaurant owner, which will also help save money. He also is mindful enough to not buy bottled water whenever he runs out, but remembers to take his water bottle to school to replenish it at their water cooler. The only time that he eats out by himself is at cheap places like Kimbap Cheonguk or Hansot Dosirak. When he travels around Korea, he doesn't stay at motels, but stays overnight at jjimjilbangs, instead. A savings of 20-30,000won/night. His hobbies include learning Taekwondo and exercising. He's made an arrangement with the Taekwondo instructor to teach English to his kids in return for taekwondo instruction. He doesn't go to a gym to exercise, but instead walks to a local mountain and uses it for a cardio workout, then he uses the exercise bars and equipment found at the base of the hill, as is common to find in many Korean parks.

• Assessment: As with Sue's example, Mark has an edge over John, because he is not in the Seoul area. Plus he cooks at home a lot. Making kimchijjigae and other easy Korean meals, is very cheap. Maybe less than 1000won, depending on your portion sizes. All of his lifestyle habits are textbook examples of how to save well in Korea. He can probably live on 5000won/day throughout the week without too much difficulty. If he keeps with that lifestyle, he could probably save 60-70% of his salary. If he lived that same lifestyle while living in Gangnam or an expensive area of Seoul, he'd still probably be able to save at least 50%.