Coffee is an essential drink for many people for their day to function properly.
It’s no different for most Korean people who need their daily cup of coffee or five to get through long study and working sessions, sometimes with little sleep.
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The average cup of coffee you can purchase in South Korea in cafés or coffee takeout shops is around ₩3,000 (~$2). At cheaper coffee shops, you can get the most basic coffees for around ₩1,500 (~$1), while the more fancy cups of coffee at regular cafés can cost up to ₩7,000 (~$4.7). If you want to make coffee yourself at home, you can get a whole 1kg bag of roasted coffee beans or ground coffee for around ₩20,000 (~$14), depending on the brand.
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How much is a cup of coffee in Seoul, South Korea?
Most people cannot go through a day without having coffee, especially if they have a long day of studying or work ahead of them.
Many Koreans have a very busy schedule, which means the country consumes a ton of coffee. Therefore, you can find coffee shops everywhere. There are usually several spots on the same street.
But how much does a cup of coffee cost in South Korea?
The average cup of coffee you can purchase on the go or at a café costs around $2 – ₩3,000.
Here are some more detailed examples of coffee prices, as the type of coffee and location impacts the price a lot:
- Cheaper coffee shops: ₩1,000-₩2,000 (~$0.7 – $1.3) for basic coffees
- Cheaper coffee shops: ₩3,000-₩4,000 (~$2 – $2.6) for fancier coffees
- Regular coffee shops/cafés: ₩2,500-₩3,500 (~$1.7 – $2.3) for basic coffees
- Regular coffee shops/cafés: ₩5,000-₩7,500 (~$3.3 – $5) for fancier coffees
There are also many unique and themed cafés around Seoul, Busan, and other cities in South Korea, at which drinks are usually a bit more expensive, often costing upwards of ₩10,000 ($6.7) and sometimes more.
The most sold type of coffee in South Korea is Iced Americano, which is one of the basic coffees you can order.
To give you some insight into where I gathered the prices for the different types of coffee, here is a list of the largest and most popular coffee shop and café chains, as well as their general price level:
- The Venti (Cheaper)
- Mega Coffee (Cheaper)
- Paik’s Coffee (Cheaper)
- Ediya Coffee (Regular)
- Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (Regular)
- Starbucks (Regular)
- A Twosome Place (Regular)
- Cafeé Bene (Regular)
- Holly’s Coffee (Regular)
- Tom N Tom’s Coffee (Regular)
- Angel In Us (Regular)
Besides chains, there are also tons of smaller independent coffee shops and cafés all over South Korea, some of which are more expensive than the regular coffee/café chains, some the same price, and some as cheap as the cheaper coffee shop chains.
You can get most types of coffee in coffee shops in South Korea either hot or iced. It usually says Hot/Iced next to the name of the coffee on the menu when you can choose.
If you’re after the cheapest cup of coffee in South Korea, nothing can beat coffee made at home.
If you purchase a 1kg bag of roasted coffee beans or ground coffee at Emart, Costco, or Homeplus, a cup of coffee will cost you around $0.10.
A 1kg bag of roasted coffee beans or ground coffee costs around ₩20,000 (~$14), depending on the brand, and will yield around 130 cups of coffee for an average price of just ~₩154 (~$0.10) per cup. Sometimes, you can also get the 1+1 or 2+1 discounts, where you get an extra for free when buying a certain number.
That’s how much coffee costs in South Korea!
Have any input or suggestions for this guide? Let us know in the comment section below.
