Living in Gwangju, South Korea
Gwangju is a large coastal city in South Korea (1 to 5 million people in the city proper). It has a mild climate, averaging 14°C over the year with about 1,236 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €3,454 a month to live centrally, and South Korea sits in our high tax tier. For foreigners, long-term residency in South Korea is possible, with conditions.
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- Est. cost
- €3,454
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- High
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 14°C
- 1,236 mm rain a year
- Size
- Large
- 1 to 5 million people
- Safety
- 72/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~170 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Possible, with conditions
- for most foreigners
What stands out about Gwangju
- Stronger healthcare than 99% of the cities we compare
- On or near the sea
Healthcare
South Korea scores 82 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 99% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in South Korea.
Climate
Gwangju averages 14°C across the year with about 1,236 mm of rain, which makes it mild and wet. It is warmer than 25% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Taxes
South Korea sits in our high tax tier: high personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at low to medium will not see Gwangju in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €3,454 a month to live centrally in Gwangju, 27% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 25% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Residency and visas
Possible, with conditions. Long-term residency is realistic via the points-based F-2-7 skilled-professional track, E-series employment visas that ladder into F-2 residence and then F-5 permanent residence, or capital-based investor schemes; there is no pure passive-income or retirement visa.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for South Korea:
- Investment: about $988k (Immigrant Investor Scheme for Public Business (IISPB) public-interest fund, KRW 1.5 billion for F-2 residence (KRW 3bn grants F-5 directly); converted at 1,517.65 KRW/USD. Cheaper real-estate route (IISRE, ~KRW 0.7-1bn) lapsed at its 30 Apr 2026 sunset with no confirmed renewal.; as of June 2026)
For short visits, 62 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 136 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Safety and stability
South Korea scores 72 out of 100 on safety, safer than 65% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 8.0 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in South Korea. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Language and culture
Main languages: Korean. English proficiency: some. Social openness scores 72 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in South Korea runs at about 170 Mbps, faster than 58% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Questions couples ask about Gwangju
Is Gwangju a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Gwangju scores well on healthcare and political stability. It is weaker on affordability. Expect a mild, wet climate (14°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Gwangju and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Gwangju?
We estimate about €3,454 a month for a couple living centrally, 27% above the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Gwangju?
South Korea is in our high tax tier (high personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make low or medium tax a must-have will not see Gwangju in their results.
Can foreigners live in South Korea long term?
Our assessment: possible, with conditions. Long-term residency is realistic via the points-based F-2-7 skilled-professional track, E-series employment visas that ladder into F-2 residence and then F-5 permanent residence, or capital-based investor schemes; there is no pure passive-income or retirement visa. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: investment, about $988k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Gwangju?
Gwangju averages 14°C across the year with about 1,236 mm of rain, which makes it mild and wet. It is warmer than 25% of the cities we track.
Cities like Gwangju
Closest matches in other countries across climate, size, coast, cost, safety, healthcare, internet, language and politics.
Near Gwangju
Moving to South Korea as a couple
Entry, residency, taxes and costs for a couple who both hold one of these passports.