6 ways to eat for less than $5 USD a meal

If you’re living in Korea or travelling on a budget, one of your goals might be to save some money. Food, however, can take a big portion of your budget. But don’t worry, Korea has tons of options for eating cheaply. Here are 6 ways to eat in Korea for less than $5 USD a meal!

1. Kimbap Restaurant

Kimbap restaurants are pretty much Korean fast food. They offer food that is cheap, fast and quick and sell so much variety, from kimbap, ramyeon noodles, bbimbap, fried dumplings, kimchi jjigae and a whole lot more. And of course, many of the items on the menus of kimbap restaurants can be had for less than 5,500 won!

2. The Average Korean Restaurant

The average Korean restaurant in Korea will have something on the menu that can be had for less than 5,5000 won. Even galbi restaurants, where galbi can get expensive, will almost definitely have dwenjang jjigae (된장찌개) for a price of around 5,000 won. Sundae (blood sausage) restaurants will have expensive sundae dishes, but will also have single serving options such as sundaeguk (blood sausage soup) for cheap as well. Plus you get the side dishes for free and can refill as much as you want!

3. Convenience Stores

Convenience stores are found everywhere in Korea, and this is good for hungry people in a rush. You can find triangle kimbap for less than 1,000 won; instant ramyeon noodles for around 1,000 won; sandwiches for less than 2,000 won; and for the really hungry folks, a whole doshirak (lunch box) meal complete with rice, side dishes, and main course.

4.Street food

One of the simplest meals that can be found anywhere in Korea is bunshik, Korean street food. These Korean street food trucks can be found pretty much in any city in Korea, and for the most part they sell the same things. Get an order of tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), twigim (fried snacks) and an odeng (fish cake) all for less than 5,500 won. Portions are decent enough to feed two!

5.Supermarket Sampling

Large scale supermarkets in Korea are famous for their many sampling stations. Walk around the entire floor of a Korean supermarket once, and you’ll have the chance to sample dumplings, seafood soup, udon noodles, samgyupsal, curry, and everything else in one go. It might not be enough to fill you up, but can you really argue with free food?

6.Bakeries

Korean bakeries offer more than just bread. Bakeries in Korea usually have bread fashioned into a semi-meal with slices of ham, corn, and other toppings or fillings. All these can typically be had for less than 1,000 won a piece. If you’re not into corn on bread, many bakeries like Paris Baguette or Tous les Jours have sandwiches for less than 5,000 won.

Hope you save a lot!^^