Built in Seoul, for everyone figuring out Korea

BudgetWonis an independent project that turns the confusing, hard-to-price parts of visiting and living in Korea into simple tools and clear articles. The premise is straightforward: instead of another “best of” list, you get a calculator that answers your actual question — what will this cost me, what will I take home, which SIM should I buy — with the math shown and the sources named.

Who runs this?

BudgetWonis run by a Seoul-based team. We live here, pay bills here, and use the same services we write about — which means numbers get checked against real electricity bills, carrier invoices, and payslips, not recycled from older blog posts. When we can’t verify something first-hand, we link directly to the official source and say so.

How we verify information

Our workflow: an initial draft is produced, then checked line-by-line by a local resident against primary sources — official government pages (NTS, MOHW, carriers, banks) or direct receipts — before anything is published. For money-related figures specifically, the source and verification date are always recorded internally. Every tool and price-sensitive guide carries a visible “last reviewed” date and is audited quarterly. If something has moved and we haven’t caught it yet, we want to know — see the contact section below.

We’re not lawyers, tax advisors or immigration agents, and nothing here is professional advice. For decisions that carry real consequences — visas, taxes, contracts — we point you to the official source and recommend confirming with a licensed professional.

How we make money

BudgetWonis free to use, with no account required. We earn through display advertising (Google AdSense and similar networks) and a small number of affiliate partnerships — for example eSIM providers, hotel booking platforms and money-transfer services. When you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

These relationships never change what a tool recommends. Recommendation logic is driven entirely by your inputs — not by which partner pays the most. Editorial decisions are made independently of any advertiser or affiliate. Full details are in our privacy & disclosure page.

Get in touch

Found a number that’s drifted, or something we should cover? Email us at hello@budgetwon.com. Corrections from readers are one of the main ways we keep content current, and we read everything.