By Honorary Reporter Jessica Louvain from Brazil
Photos = Ale Anjos 

If living in Korea is your dream, you'll have to consider the costs of finding and renting a well-located home near transportation, university and convenience facilities. Yet with a population of 52 million, the country often sees fierce competition for housing.

International student in Korea and YouTuber Ale Anjos from Brazil in this interview shares her experience of finding and renting an apartment in Korea. The interview was done by e-mail on September 15th.

Ale Anjos runs a self-titled vlog on YouTube.

Give us a brief background of yourself.
I'm from Curitiba, Parana. In high school, I was introduced by a friend to K-pop and that's when I started looking into how not just to visit Korea but live here.

How did you come to Korea?
Since I was looking into living here for a long time, I thought the easiest way was as a student. I found a university with a good Korean-language program, and that's how I ended up here.

Ale Anjos and her sister (right) in October 2017 pose in front of the statue of King Sejong the Great at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square.

Did you visit the country before moving there as a student?
Yes, in October 2017, I came as a tourist and visited a lot of landmarks and ate delicious Korean food. 

How is living in Korea, which is considerably more expensive than Brazil?
The cost of living is very different from what I had in Brazil. Take housing for example. If you search online in Korea, the average monthly rent is KRW 510,000. Not only must you pay rent but a security deposit as well.

What types of housing are common in Korea?
The types available range from villas and apartments to officetels (studio), goshiwon (study room) and shared houses. It all depends on how much security deposit you pay. Usually, the higher the deposit, the lower the rent.

What housing payment methods are in Korea?
The two options are rent or buy. If you want to buy an apartment in Seoul, it will cost several hundred million KRW. The two forms of rent are monthly (wolsae), in which a tenant pays a lower deposit that they'll get back at the end of the lease and pay higher rent, and jeonse, a uniquely Korean system in which the security deposit is around 70% or more of a home's value. But the tenant under the latter pays little to no rent, just utility bills such as for electricity, gas and water.

The writer lives in a shared house in Seoul.

What is the best housing option for students?
I chose a shared house. I initially thought only students lived in such places, but one of my housemates is a white-collar worker. Many young people choose to live in shared houses because it's an in-between, as in not as tiny as a goshiwon, not as full of rules as a dorm and not as expensive as a regular unit. 

Ale Anjos plans to stay in Korea until she is fluent in Korean.

In your opinion, is renting a cheaper home far from the city worth it?
It's your choice if you're willing to commute one to two hours daily back and forth from work or school for cheaper rent.

What is the major difference between homes in Korea and Brazil?
In my opinion, it's the bathroom. Most bathrooms in Korean homes have no separate space for the shower, and it's pretty common to have a washing machine there. 

Many homes also have an electronic lock, so no need to worry about forgetting the key. 

Sleeping on the floor is a cultural thing and personal preference. Some people prefer sleeping on thin mattresses on the floor. 

Ale Anjos said her Hallyu addiction began in high school after a friend introduced her to K-pop.

In general, how much does living in Korea cost per month for one person?
You can also adapt to the Korean lifestyle, eat what Koreans eat, wear what they wear and shop where they shop. Do that and you can live on KRW 1.5 million-2 million per month.

Do you plan on staying in Korea for a while? 
Yes, I want to continue studying Korean. Since it's a language I've been learning for a long time, I wish to keep studying it until I reach fluency.

Ale Anjos (center) poses with friends in front of Lotte World in Seoul.

What advice do you have for those considering moving to Korea?
For housing, please do your research. If something online looks too good to be true, it probably is. If your dream is to live in Korea, just plan well and save money every month and your time will come. If you can dream it, you can do it.

kalhong617@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.