What Is It Really Like to Live in Hongdae as a Foreigner?
What is it really like for a foreigner to live in one of Seoul’s busiest and most exciting neighborhoods?
In this video, we spend the day with Claire, a member of the HYUZ Crew, who lives near Hongdae in Seoul.
Claire was born in the Philippines, grew up in Italy, and now lives in Korea on a working holiday visa. She speaks English, Filipino, and Italian fluently, and she can also understand everyday Korean conversations.
Instead of showing us the usual tourist attractions, Claire takes us around the places she actually visits in her daily life — her favorite Korean street food restaurant, affordable clothing stores, a beautiful café, and the neighborhood where she lives.
And perhaps the most surprising part?
She tells us exactly how much she pays to live in Hongdae.
🔊 Listen: 홍대
(hongdae)
Hongdae
Table of Contents
Meet Claire: Filipino Roots, Italian Life, and Now Korea
Claire describes herself as someone shaped by more than one culture.
She was born in the Philippines but moved to Italy when she was seven years old. She spent most of her life there, while her parents continued speaking Filipino at home so that she would stay connected to her roots.
Because of that background, she now speaks three languages fluently:
English, Filipino, and Italian.
After graduating from university, Claire decided to try something completely different — living abroad in Korea.
At the time of filming, she had already been living in Korea for almost six months.
Her Korean may not be perfect yet, but she says she can understand most everyday conversations and respond to many basic questions.
Living in another country becomes very different once you start understanding the language around you.
🔊 Listen: 외국인
(oegugin)
Foreigner
Claire’s Favorite Korean Street Food in Hongdae
Our first stop is Hongdae Jopok Tteokbokki, one of Claire’s favorite places to eat Korean street food.
The restaurant serves several classic Korean dishes, including:
- Tteokbokki
- Gimbap
- Eomuk
- Sundae
Claire especially likes tteokbokki, but there is one important condition.
She does not like it too spicy.
For her, the perfect tteokbokki should have a balance between sweetness and spiciness.
The restaurant is also convenient for international visitors because food can be ordered through a kiosk with several language options.
So even if you cannot speak Korean yet, ordering food in places like this can be easier than you might expect.
🔊 Listen: 떡볶이
(tteokbokki)
Spicy rice cakes
Trying Sundae for the First Time
One dish on the table makes Claire a little nervous.
Sundae.
Korean sundae is a type of blood sausage, and this was Claire’s first time trying it.
Before taking a bite, she admits that she is a little scared.
But after tasting it, her reaction is surprisingly calm.
She says that it does not really taste like meat — and, more importantly for her, it does not taste like blood.
Trying unfamiliar food is one of the most interesting parts of living abroad.
Sometimes the food that sounds the strangest becomes much less intimidating once you actually try it.
🔊 Listen: 순대
(sundae)
Korean blood sausage
What Is It Like to Live in Hongdae?
Claire lives only about five minutes away from Hongik University Station.
That means restaurants, cafés, clothing stores, nightlife, and shopping streets are always nearby.
For someone who wants to experience Seoul, the location is incredibly convenient.
But there is also a downside.
Hongdae is almost always busy.
Claire says she enjoys going for relaxing walks, but in Hongdae there are usually people everywhere.
That is the trade-off of living in one of Seoul’s most popular neighborhoods: almost everything is close, but quiet streets can be harder to find.
🔊 Listen: 동네
(dongne)
Neighborhood
Shopping in Hongdae Can Be Surprisingly Cheap
After lunch, Claire takes us shopping.
One of her favorite places is Lucky Factory, where she finds extremely affordable clothing.
During the video, she points out pants selling for only 6,000 won.
For Claire, the difference between shopping in Korea and Italy is noticeable.
She explains that even a basic shirt in Italy can cost around €10 or more, while in Korea she can sometimes find shirts or tops for around half that amount.
She also likes the variety of fashion available in Hongdae.
You can find streetwear, elegant styles, cute outfits, jeans, dresses, and many other looks within a relatively small area.
It is easy to understand why Hongdae has become such a popular shopping area for young people.
🔊 Listen: 쇼핑
(syoping)
Shopping
Living in Korea on a Working Holiday Visa
Claire came to Korea on a working holiday visa.
Her goal was not simply to travel.
She wanted to work part-time, explore Korea, experience a different lifestyle, and learn more about herself while living abroad.
However, getting ready for the working holiday was not easy.
Claire remembers preparing a large number of documents while also finishing her bachelor’s degree and preparing for graduation.
She describes the process as difficult, but eventually she was able to come to Korea and begin her new life.
At the time of filming, her visa was valid until February 2027.
🔊 Listen: 워킹홀리데이
(woking hollidei)
Working holiday
What Does Claire Do for Work in Korea?
Claire works as an assistant teacher at an English academy in Suwon.
Suwon is outside central Seoul, so her commute takes around an hour.
Living abroad initially felt easier than she expected because the first few months were mostly about exploring and experiencing new things.
But after six months, life started to feel more realistic.
She now has work responsibilities while still trying to enjoy her time in Korea.
That balance — working, traveling, making friends, and trying new things — is a big part of her Korean experience.
🔊 Listen: 직장
(jikjang)
Workplace
Is Living Abroad in Korea Difficult?
Claire expected homesickness to be one of the hardest parts of living in Korea.
During her first three months, however, she says things were easier because she had friends around her.
By the sixth month, the experience had changed.
She was no longer simply exploring Korea as a newcomer.
She was working and building an actual daily routine.
Still, she wants to make the most of the experience.
Rather than rushing to decide exactly what she wants to do in the future, Claire is using her time abroad to understand herself better — what kind of job she wants, what she genuinely enjoys, and where she may want to live.
🔊 Listen: 한국 생활
(hanguk saenghwal)
Life in Korea
How Much Does It Cost to Live in Hongdae?
This is probably one of the most interesting parts of Claire’s story.
Claire lives with two roommates in a three-bedroom home near Hongdae.
The house includes a living room, washing machine, dryer and, importantly for an Italian household, a coffee machine.
The total monthly rent is:
2,100,000 won (about $1,542 USD)
Since three people share the house, Claire says each person pays approximately:
700,000 won per month (about $514 USD)
The deposit was especially surprising.
According to Claire, the total deposit was only:
500,000 won (about $367 USD)
That was less than one month of rent.
Housing prices and deposit arrangements can vary significantly depending on the property and contract, but Claire’s case gives us a fascinating look at one foreign resident’s actual housing situation in Hongdae.
🔊 Listen: 월세
(wolse)
Monthly rent
A Beautiful Café Hidden in Busy Hongdae
After eating and shopping, Claire takes us to a café she likes.
The atmosphere feels completely different from the crowded streets outside.
The building has a traditional Korean-style appearance that reminds Claire of a hanok.
Places like this are one reason exploring Hongdae can be so interesting.
One minute you can be surrounded by bright clothing stores, restaurants, music, and crowds.
A few minutes later, you can find a quiet café that feels almost completely removed from the busy streets.
🔊 Listen: 한옥
(hanok)
Traditional Korean house
Italy, the Philippines, or Korea — Where Is Home?
Claire’s story becomes even more interesting when she talks about family.
Both of her parents are Filipino, and her family is originally from Laguna in the Philippines.
Because she grew up in Italy, however, both Italy and the Philippines feel like home to her.
She also recently visited her grandparents in the Philippines while living in Korea, taking advantage of the relatively short distance compared with traveling from Europe.
In the future, she would like to spend more time with her family.
But she is still unsure whether she ultimately wants to live in Italy, the Philippines, Korea, or somewhere else.
And maybe she does not need to decide yet.
At 25, Claire sees her time abroad as an opportunity to explore different experiences and discover what kind of life she genuinely wants.
🔊 Listen: 가족
(gajok)
Family
Experience Seoul With Claire
There are thousands of guides telling you where tourists should go in Seoul.
But sometimes the most interesting way to discover a city is to follow someone who actually lives there.
Claire’s Hongdae is not just a tourist destination.
It is where she eats tteokbokki, buys clothes, drinks coffee, meets friends, pays rent, and lives her everyday life in Korea.
And this is only the beginning.
Claire plans to explore more of Seoul and Korea while sharing her experiences along the way.
If you want to see the restaurants, streets, cafés, shopping spots, and Claire’s reactions for yourself, watch the full video on the HYUZ YouTube channel.
And if you enjoy seeing Korea through the lives of people from around the world, subscribe to HYUZ and join us for the next journey.
🔊 Listen: 같이 가요!
(gachi gayo!)
Let’s go together!
