Living in Gangneung-si

In Gangneung-si, tenants pay an average rent of €413 a month (2026) and unemployment is 2.2% (2025).

강릉시 is in South Korea; its population was 205,666 in June 2026. For 강릉시, the housing-vacancy rate was 12% at the end of 2024. The unemployment rate was 2.2% at the end of 2025.

Last checked 2026-10-0223 sources

Population205,666people30 Jun 2026Official source · MOIS resident registration population by si/gun/gu, June 2026

Average rent413.2EUR/month31 Aug 2026Official source · (월) 평균월세가격_아파트 (Korea Real Estate Board / R-ONE)

Unemployment rate2.2%country median 2.7% — 19% belowOfficial source · KOSIS Local Area Labour Force Survey — si/gun/gu unemployment rate

Recorded crime3,040incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2024Official source · KR-Police-regional-crime-2024

PM2.5, annual mean12.88µg/m³country median 16.0 — 20% belowOfficial source · Air Pollution Level Confirmation Data — 2024 PM2.5 station observations

Which South Korea-wide rules apply when you move to Gangneung-si?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in South KoreaNational rates and thresholds that apply in Gangneung-si.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent figure is published for Gangneung-si. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€32

Mobile plan, 10 GB€29

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	31.8 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	KT 100 Mbps internet¹¹Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	28.91 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	KT mobile data plan¹²Official · national market
Dwellings	92,596 dwellings	31 Dec 2024	DT_1JU1501 2024 housing units by municipality³Official
Housing vacancy rate	12.01 %	31 Dec 2024	DT_1JU1512 2024 vacant housing units by municipality⁴Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	413.2 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	(월) 평균월세가격_아파트 (Korea Real Estate Board / R-ONE)¹Official

Is Gangneung-si a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker55%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 46–64%

Skilled employee69%strong on work, weak on safety · range 61–77%

Student52%strong on education, weak on work · range 44–60%

Family66%strong on family, weak on cost · range 58–74%

Retirement52%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 42–62%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in 강릉시?

The unemployment rate is 2.2 % (2025). Source: KOSIS Local Area Labour Force Survey — si/gun/gu unemployment rate⁹

Unemployment across cities in South KoreaUnemployment in Gangneung-si is 2.2%. Of 218 cities with data, 36 have unemployment of 0.5 to under 1%.

0–0.50.5–11–1.51.5–22–2.52.5–33–3.53.5–44–4.54.5–55–5.55.5–6

Gangneung-si 2.2%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Public employment offices	1 count	15 Sept 2026	Work24 — 고용복지+센터 institution finder²³Official
Unemployment rate	2.2 %country median 2.7%	31 Dec 2025	KOSIS Local Area Labour Force Survey — si/gun/gu unemployment rate⁹Official

Public employment offices in Gangneung-si

Work24 lists 1 public employment office in Gangneung-si (checked 2026-09-16). Use the official office finder for addresses and appointments; registration and job search are also available online through the national service below.

Office count verified

Work24 public employment service — Public employment service

Ministry of Employment and Labor, Republic of Korea

Job Search

Search jobs

Open the South Korea service overview

The office count comes from the service's own directory. Individual addresses and opening hours are not listed here yet. Sources checked through 16 Sept 2026.

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Public language course providers	3 count	30 Sept 2026	National KIIP operating-institution register¹⁶Official
Schools	65 schools	21 Jul 2026	Schoolinfo official open-data callback response²⁰Official

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Doctors per 1,000 residents	3.6 per 1,000	31 Dec 2024	KOSIS e-RegionIndex doctors per 1000⁷Official
Hospital beds per 100,000 residents	1,100 beds per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	KOSIS e-RegionIndex hospital beds per 100k⁸Official
Hospitals	11 count	30 Jun 2026	HIRA 전국 병의원 및 약국 현황 2026.6 — 시설정보⁵Official
Pharmacies	96 count	30 Jun 2026	HIRA 전국 병의원 및 약국 현황 2026.6 — 약국정보서비스⁵Official
Physicians per 100,000 residents	360 per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	KOSIS e-RegionIndex doctors per 1000⁷Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Gangneung-si under the national coverage rules.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Doctors per 1,000 residents3.6 per 1,000Verified 2026-07-21

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

How safe is 강릉시?

Police recorded about 3,040 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: KR-Police-regional-crime-2024¹⁰

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	3,040 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	KR-Police-regional-crime-2024¹⁰Official
Violent crime per 100,000 residents	43.27 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	KR-Police-regional-crime-2024¹⁰Official

Language courses and integration in Gangneung-si

National KIIP operating-institution register lists 3 publicly funded course providers in Gangneung-si (checked 2026-09-16). Their individual addresses are not listed here yet; the national programme below explains who can enrol and how.

Provider count verified

Early Adaptation Program — Newcomer Adaptation

Ministry of Justice / Korea Immigration Service

For newly arrived foreign residents, international students, workers, marriage migrants.

KoreanIn Person

Open official information

Social Integration Program (KIIP) — Integration course

Ministry of Justice / Korea Immigration Service

For foreign residents in Korea, people within three years of naturalization.

KoreanIn Person, Online

Open official information

Open the full South Korea section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Gangneung-si.

Find courses near Gangneung-si

Climate and air quality

The annual mean temperature estimate was 13.5°C at the end of 2024. The annual precipitation estimate was 1,771.5 mm at the end of 2024. Annual PM2.5 was 12.9 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Is the air quality good in 강릉시?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 12.9 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

PM2.5 — annual mean: 12.88 µg/m³ · Air Pollution Level Confirmation Data — 2024 PM2.5 station observations²

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

0°

5°-3°

7°-1°

12°3°

18°8°

23°13°

25°18°

28°22°

29°22°

25°17°

20°12°

14°6°

8°0°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

119

250

293

229

114

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

190

182

199

210

219

177

149

151

162

193

175

190

JFMAMJJASOND

hours

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.512.9WHO 5 · EU 25

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in South KoreaAnnual PM2.5 in Gangneung-si is 12.9 µg/m³. Of 235 cities with data, 47 have annual PM2.5 of 17 to under 18 µg/m³.

9–1010–1111–1212–1313–1414–1515–1616–1717–1818–1919–2020–2121–2222–23

Gangneung-si 12.9

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	12.88 µg/m³country median 16.0	31 Dec 2024	Air Pollution Level Confirmation Data — 2024 PM2.5 station observations²Official
Average daytime high by month	Jan 5.3 · Feb 7.1 · Mar 11.7 · Apr 17.9 · May 22.7 · Jun 25.4 · Jul 28.1 · Aug 28.6 · Sep 24.6 · Oct 20.3 · Nov 14 · Dec 7.7 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Gangneung_47105.csv²²Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan -2.7 · Feb -1.3 · Mar 2.6 · Apr 8.2 · May 13.3 · Jun 17.5 · Jul 21.6 · Aug 21.9 · Sep 17 · Oct 11.5 · Nov 5.6 · Dec -0.5 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Gangneung_47105.csv²²Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 0.9 · Feb 2.6 · Mar 7 · Apr 13.1 · May 18 · Jun 21.4 · Jul 24.7 · Aug 25 · Sep 20.5 · Oct 15.6 · Nov 9.5 · Dec 3.3 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Gangneung_47105.csv²²Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 47.9 · Feb 48 · Mar 65.1 · Apr 81.9 · May 79.2 · Jun 118.5 · Jul 250.2 · Aug 292.9 · Sep 229.3 · Oct 113.9 · Nov 81.1 · Dec 36.9 mm	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Gangneung_47105.csv²²Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by month	Jan 190.2 · Feb 182.2 · Mar 199.3 · Apr 209.6 · May 218.7 · Jun 176.9 · Jul 148.9 · Aug 151.3 · Sep 162.1 · Oct 192.5 · Nov 175.2 · Dec 189.7 hours	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Gangneung_47105.csv²²Official · nearest-station reading
Annual mean temperature	13.51 °C	31 Dec 2024	NASA POWER 2024 daily point climate observation for South Korea municipalities¹⁵Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context
Annual precipitation	1,771 mm	31 Dec 2024	NASA POWER 2024 daily point climate observation for South Korea municipalities¹⁵Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context

Population and city profile

The city covered 1,040.8 km² in 2020. Population density was 199.6 people per km² in 2024.

How many people live in 강릉시?

The published population was 205,666 people in June 2026. Source: MOIS resident registration population by si/gun/gu, June 2026¹³

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport97.9%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Cars per 1,000 residents	581.3 cars/1000 residents	31 Dec 2024	Registered motor vehicles by si, gun and gu¹⁹Official
City area	1,041 km²	2020	Official KOSIS visual statistics, Korea City Statistics, regional area; joined to the archived MOIS/KOSIS si-gun-gu code and name.¹⁷Official
Foreign-resident share	2.02 %	31 Dec 2025	Korea Immigration Service registered foreigners by si/gun/gu and nationality, 2025-12-31⁶Official
Foreign residents	4,236 people	31 Mar 2026	Registered foreigners by local government, March 2026¹⁸Official
Population density	199.6 people/km²	31 Dec 2024	Exact si-gun-gu density derived from archived official MOIS/KOSIS resident population and exact official KOSIS area row.¹⁷Official
Female residents	103,703 people	30 Jun 2026	MOIS resident-registration population, sex and household counts by administrative area, June 2026¹⁴Official
Male residents	101,963 people	30 Jun 2026	MOIS resident-registration population, sex and household counts by administrative area, June 2026¹⁴Official
Population	205,666 people	30 Jun 2026	MOIS resident registration population by si/gun/gu, June 2026¹³Official

International community in Gangneung-si

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Citizenship

Persons recorded in the official KOSIS registered-foreigner population table; this is not the total resident population and is not interchangeable with resident citizenship. · 2025

Published group	People	Share
계	4,157	100.0%
베트남	1,927	46.4%
러시아(연방)	442	10.6%
중국	231	5.6%
인도네시아	218	5.2%
네팔	199	4.8%
타이(태국)	108	2.6%
필리핀	94	2.3%
키르기즈	92	2.2%
한국계중국인	91	2.2%

Show 53 more groups

Published group	People	Share
카자흐스탄	74	1.8%
우즈베키스탄	72	1.7%
캄보디아	63	1.5%
몽골	60	1.4%
일본	53	1.3%
타이완(대만)	53	1.3%
인도	53	1.3%
스리랑카	48	1.2%
미얀마	45	1.1%
미국	43	1.0%
방글라데시	25	0.6%
남아프리카공화국	25	0.6%
라오스	14	0.3%
타지키스탄	14	0.3%
파키스탄	12	0.3%
캐나다	10	0.2%
브라질	8	0.2%
우크라이나	7	0.2%
르완다	7	0.2%
프랑스	6	0.1%
한국계러시아인	5	0.1%
뉴질랜드	4	0.1%
튀르키예	4	0.1%
멕시코	4	0.1%
영국	3	0.1%
오스트레일리아	3	0.1%
가나	3	0.1%
알제리	3	0.1%
몬테네그로	3	0.1%
이집트	2	0.0%
티모르민주공화국(동티모르)	2	0.0%
시리아	2	0.0%
에티오피아	2	0.0%
모로코	2	0.0%
요르단	2	0.0%
브루나이	2	0.0%
말레이시아	1	0.0%
독일	1	0.0%
나이지리아	1	0.0%
홍콩	1	0.0%
이란	1	0.0%
폴란드	1	0.0%
페루	1	0.0%
콜롬비아	1	0.0%
스위스	1	0.0%
벨라루스	1	0.0%
튀니지	1	0.0%
체코	1	0.0%
포르투갈	1	0.0%
아르헨티나	1	0.0%
크로아티아	1	0.0%
조지아	1	0.0%
키프로스	1	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source²¹

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Households	105,804 households	30 Jun 2026	MOIS resident-registration population, sex and household counts by administrative area, June 2026¹⁴Official

Alternatives for people set on Gangneung-si

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Chungju-si as a Gangneung-si alternative in the same country

Better on 4 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0.

Foreign residents: 3.2% Chungju-si vs 2.0% Gangneung-si+57%
Hospital beds, per 100k: 1,330.0 Chungju-si vs 1,100.0 Gangneung-si+21%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,725 Chungju-si vs 3,040 Gangneung-si−10%
Empty flats: 12.6% Chungju-si vs 12.0% Gangneung-si+5%
Residents: 205,978 Chungju-si vs 205,666 Gangneung-si+0%

Full comparison More about Chungju-si

Alternative cities in South Korea

Other cities in South Korea to compare with Gangneung-si, nearest in population first.

All South Korea cities

Geumjeong-gu205,672 residents Chungju-si205,978 residents Jung-gu, Ulsan203,026 residents Uichang-gu209,377 residents Jungwon-gu200,064 residents Yeonje-gu211,464 residents

How does Gangneung-si compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Gangneung-si's.

Open the full comparison

Gangneung-si in rankings

#19 of 30 in South Korean cities with the most doctors #30 of 30 in South Korean cities with the lowest annual PM2.5

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in 강릉시?

The published population was 205,666 people in June 2026. Source: MOIS resident registration population by si/gun/gu, June 2026.

Is the air quality good in 강릉시?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 12.9 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: Air Pollution Level Confirmation Data — 2024 PM2.5 station observations.

How safe is 강릉시?

Police recorded about 3,040 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: KR-Police-regional-crime-2024.

What is the unemployment rate in 강릉시?

The unemployment rate is 2.2 % (2025). Source: KOSIS Local Area Labour Force Survey — si/gun/gu unemployment rate.

How many foreign residents live in Gangneung-si?

4,236 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Registered foreigners by local government, March 2026.

Is Gangneung-si a good place to live?

Gangneung-si may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

How many people are in the 계 citizenship group in Gangneung-si?

The official citizenship distribution records 4,157 people (100.0%) in the source-defined population for 2025. This is a citizenship measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Gangneung-si, South Korea: population, rent, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 1fc48cdd8a58f6009496b46682546c21]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/kr/gangleungsi/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_gangneung-si-south-korea-population-rent-cost-of-living_843aed329819,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Gangneung-si, South Korea: population, rent, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {1fc48cdd8a58f6009496b46682546c21},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/kr/gangleungsi/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Gangneung-si, South Korea: population, rent, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/kr/gangleungsi/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 1fc48cdd8a58f6009496b46682546c21; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

(월) 평균월세가격_아파트 (Korea Real Estate Board / R-ONE) reb.or.kr · checked 2026-09-28
Air Pollution Level Confirmation Data — 2024 PM2.5 station observations Air Pollution Level Confirmation Data · data.go.kr · checked 2026-07-26
DT_1JU1501 2024 housing units by municipality kosis.kr · checked 2026-07-22
DT_1JU1512 2024 vacant housing units by municipality kosis.kr · checked 2026-07-22
HIRA 전국 병의원 및 약국 현황 2026.6 — 시설정보 HIRA 전국 병의원 및 약국 현황 2026.6 · opendata.hira.or.kr · checked 2026-09-15
Korea Immigration Service registered foreigners by si/gun/gu and nationality, 2025-12-31 immigration.go.kr · checked 2026-07-22
KOSIS e-RegionIndex doctors per 1000 kosis.kr · checked 2026-07-21
KOSIS e-RegionIndex hospital beds per 100k kosis.kr · checked 2026-07-21
KOSIS Local Area Labour Force Survey — si/gun/gu unemployment rate KOSIS Local Area Labour Force Survey · kosis.kr · checked 2026-07-26
KR-Police-regional-crime-2024 data.go.kr · checked 2026-09-15

Show 13 more sources

KT 100 Mbps internet product.kt.com · checked 2026-09-15
KT mobile data plan product.kt.com · checked 2026-09-15
MOIS resident registration population by si/gun/gu, June 2026 jumin.mois.go.kr · checked 2026-07-21
MOIS resident-registration population, sex and household counts by administrative area, June 2026 jumin.mois.go.kr · checked 2026-07-22
NASA POWER 2024 daily point climate observation for South Korea municipalities power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-07-22
National KIIP operating-institution register socinet.go.kr · checked 2026-09-15
Official KOSIS visual statistics, Korea City Statistics, regional area; joined to the archived MOIS/KOSIS si-gun-gu code and name. kosis.kr · checked 2026-07-15
Registered foreigners by local government, March 2026 immigration.go.kr · checked 2026-07-21
Registered motor vehicles by si, gun and gu stat.molit.go.kr · checked 2026-07-21
Schoolinfo official open-data callback response schoolinfo.go.kr · checked 2026-07-21
Statistics Korea / KOSIS citizenship distribution kosis.kr · checked 2026-08-28
WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Gangneung_47105.csv WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
Work24 — 고용복지+센터 institution finder Work24 · work24.go.kr · checked 2026-09-15

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.