Live in Korea β€Ί Essential apps

Essential apps for living in Korea

The apps Koreans actually use β€” organized for your first weeks. Install these and Korea suddenly works. (Most have an English mode; some need a Korean phone number or ARC.)

πŸ”— Official links Β· tap any app
🏠 Housing πŸš‡ Transport πŸ’³ Money πŸ“± Phone πŸ” Food πŸ›’ Shopping πŸ’¬ Daily πŸ’Ό Jobs πŸͺͺ Government πŸŽ“ Study & health
🏠 Housing & secondhand
Find a room, then furnish it cheaply.
Zigbang β†—
직방
Korea's biggest room-listing app. Start here.
Dabang β†—
λ‹€λ°©
Second-biggest listings app β€” cross-check prices.
Naver Real Estate β†—
넀이버 뢀동산
Most accurate prices, fewer scams.
Daangn (Karrot) β†—
λ‹Ήκ·Όλ§ˆμΌ“
Local secondhand β€” furniture, appliances, bikes.
Bunjang β†—
번개μž₯ν„°
Secondhand electronics & gadgets.
πŸš‡ Transport & maps
Google Maps barely works here β€” use these.
T-money β†—
ν‹°λ¨Έλ‹ˆ
One card for subway, bus, taxi. Buy at any convenience store.
Naver Map β†—
넀이버 지도
The map locals use β€” transit, walking, places.
KakaoMap β†—
카카였맡
The other great map app, English mode.
Kakao T β†—
카카였 T
Call a taxi, pay by card, no language needed.
Korail (KTX) β†—
μ½”λ ˆμΌ
High-speed & regular trains between cities.
SRT β†—
SRT
High-speed trains from Suseo (south Seoul).
Kobus β†—
κ³ μ†λ²„μŠ€
Express buses β€” cheaper, reach smaller towns.
πŸ’³ Money & banking
App-banks first, traditional bank later (for jobs).
KakaoBank β†—
μΉ΄μΉ΄μ˜€λ±…ν¬
App-only bank β€” open with passport + phone, no branch.
Toss β†—
ν† μŠ€
Banking + easy transfers, very popular with students.
Wise β†—
μ™€μ΄μ¦ˆ
Best rates for sending money home / from abroad.
πŸ“± Phone carriers
Prepaid SIM at the airport first; switch to a cheaper plan after your ARC.
SKT β†—
SKν…”λ ˆμ½€
Big-3 carrier, best coverage, English desk.
KT β†—
KT
Big-3 carrier, foreigner plans available.
LG U+ β†—
LGμœ ν”ŒλŸ¬μŠ€
Big-3 carrier, often cheapest of the three.
πŸ” Food delivery
Delivery is fast, cheap and everywhere in Korea.
Baemin β†—
λ°°λ‹¬μ˜λ―Όμ‘±
The #1 food delivery app.
Yogiyo β†—
μš”κΈ°μš”
Second-biggest delivery app.
Coupang Eats β†—
쿠팑이츠
Fast single-order delivery, English-friendly.
πŸ›’ Shopping
Everything delivered, often next morning.
Coupang β†—
쿠팑
Amazon of Korea β€” dawn delivery on essentials.
Gmarket β†—
Gλ§ˆμΌ“
Big marketplace, has a Global English site.
11st β†—
11λ²ˆκ°€
Popular general marketplace.
Musinsa β†—
무신사
#1 fashion app for clothes & shoes.
Olive Young β†—
올리브영
Health & beauty / skincare, stores everywhere.
πŸ’¬ Daily essentials
The three apps everyone in Korea has open.
KakaoTalk β†—
μΉ΄μΉ΄μ˜€ν†‘
THE messenger of Korea β€” you'll need it for everything.
Papago β†—
파파고
Best Korean translator β€” better than Google for Korean.
Naver β†—
넀이버
Korea's Google β€” search, maps, news, everything.
πŸ’Ό Part-time jobs
⚠️ You need a work permit first β€” see the visa rules.
Albamon β†—
μ•Œλ°”λͺ¬
Biggest part-time job board.
Alba Cheonguk β†—
μ•Œλ°”μ²œκ΅­
The other major part-time board.
JobKorea β†—
μž‘μ½”λ¦¬μ•„
For internships & career jobs.
πŸͺͺ Government & visa
Official services for your stay.
HiKorea β†—
ν•˜μ΄μ½”λ¦¬μ•„
Book ARC appointments, visa & immigration services.
Gov24 β†—
μ •λΆ€24
Government certificates & civil services online.
πŸŽ“ Study & health
Korean tests and finding a clinic.
TOPIK β†—
ν† ν”½
Official Korean proficiency test β€” needed for jobs & some visas.
Goodoc β†—
κ΅Ώλ‹₯
Find nearby clinics & hospitals, book appointments.
NHIS β†—
κ΅­λ―Όκ±΄κ°•λ³΄ν—˜
National Health Insurance β€” students must enrol.

Knowing the app is step one.

Setting up a Korean-only sign-up, a bank account, or your ARC is where it gets hard. A verified student can sit with you and get it done.

Request a student guide β†’