Living in Gwacheon-si

In Gwacheon-si, unemployment is 2.3% (2025).

과천시's population was 80,832 in June 2026. The city covered 35.9 km² in 2020. Population density was 2,383.9 people per km² in 2024. The unemployment rate was 2.3% at the end of 2025. The annual mean temperature estimate was 13.2°C at the end of 2024.

Last checked 2026-09-2624 sources

Population80,832people30 Jun 2026Official source · MOIS resident registration population by si/gun/gu, June 2026

Unemployment rate2.3%country median 2.7% — 15% belowOfficial source · 2025 H2 Local Area Labour Force Survey — municipal key employment indicators

Recorded crime3,030incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2024Regional figureOfficial source · KOSIS e-Regional Indicators; population-adjusted crime rate by city/province (Table DT_1YL3001)

PM2.5, annual mean15µg/m³country median 16.0 — 6% belowOfficial source · 2024 Air Environment Annual Report — Appendix 1.3 city annual concentrations

Which South Korea-wide rules apply when you move to Gwacheon-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 Gwacheon-si.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

The housing-vacancy rate was 2.28% at the end of 2024.

No city-level rent figure is published for Gwacheon-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 internet¹³Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	28.91 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	KT mobile data plan¹⁴Official · national market
Dwellings	24,477 dwellings	31 Dec 2024	DT_1JU1501 2024 housing units by municipality⁷Official
Housing vacancy rate	2.28 %	31 Dec 2024	DT_1JU1512 2024 vacant housing units by municipality⁸Official

Is Gwacheon-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 45–65%

Skilled employee64%strong on work, weak on safety · range 55–73%

Student33%strong on legal route, weak on work · range 24–42%

Family47%strong on safety, weak on cost · range 37–57%

Retirement40%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 29–51%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in 과천시?

The unemployment rate is 2.3 % (2025). Source: 2025 H2 Local Area Labour Force Survey — municipal key employment indicators²

Unemployment across cities in South KoreaUnemployment in Gwacheon-si is 2.3%. 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

Gwacheon-si 2.3%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Unemployment rate	2.3 %country median 2.7%	31 Dec 2025	2025 H2 Local Area Labour Force Survey — municipal key employment indicators²Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Gwacheon-si. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

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

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Gwacheon-si. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Schools	13 schools	21 Jul 2026	Schoolinfo official open-data callback response²¹Official

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Doctors per 1,000 residents	1.5 per 1,000	31 Dec 2024	KOSIS e-RegionIndex doctors per 1000¹¹Official
Hospital beds per 100,000 residents	0 beds per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	KOSIS e-RegionIndex hospital beds per 100k¹²Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Gwacheon-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 residents1.5 per 1,000Verified 2026-07-21

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	3,030 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	KOSIS e-Regional Indicators; population-adjusted crime rate by city/province (Table DT_1YL3001)¹⁰Official · regional context

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Gwacheon-si. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

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 Gwacheon-si.

Find courses near Gwacheon-si

Climate and air quality

The annual precipitation estimate was 1,483.7 mm at the end of 2024. Annual PM2.5 was 15 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Is the air quality good in 과천시?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 15 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: 2024 Air Environment Annual Report — Appendix 1.3 city annual concentrations¹

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

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

0°

2°-6°

5°-3°

11°2°

18°8°

24°14°

28°19°

29°22°

30°23°

26°18°

20°11°

12°4°

4°-3°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

104

130

414

348

142

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

170

171

198

206

223

189

124

156

180

207

157

163

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

PM2.515WHO 5 · EU 25

PM1031WHO 15 · EU 40

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 Gwacheon-si is 15.0 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

Gwacheon-si 15.0

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM10 — annual mean	31 µg/m³country median 30.0	31 Dec 2024	2024 Air Environment Annual Report — Appendix 1.3 city annual concentrations¹Official
PM2.5 — annual mean	15 µg/m³country median 16.0	31 Dec 2024	2024 Air Environment Annual Report — Appendix 1.3 city annual concentrations¹Official
Average daytime high by month	Jan 2.1 · Feb 5.1 · Mar 11 · Apr 17.9 · May 23.6 · Jun 27.6 · Jul 29 · Aug 30 · Sep 26.2 · Oct 20.2 · Nov 11.9 · Dec 4.2 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Seoul_47108.csv²³Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan -5.5 · Feb -3.2 · Mar 1.9 · Apr 8 · May 13.5 · Jun 18.7 · Jul 22.3 · Aug 22.9 · Sep 17.7 · Oct 10.6 · Nov 3.5 · Dec -3.4 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Seoul_47108.csv²³Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan -2 · Feb 0.7 · Mar 6.1 · Apr 12.6 · May 18.3 · Jun 22.7 · Jul 25.3 · Aug 26.1 · Sep 21.7 · Oct 15 · Nov 7.5 · Dec 0.2 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Seoul_47108.csv²³Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 16.8 · Feb 28.2 · Mar 36.9 · Apr 72.9 · May 103.6 · Jun 129.5 · Jul 414.4 · Aug 348.2 · Sep 141.5 · Oct 52.2 · Nov 51.1 · Dec 22.6 mm	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Seoul_47108.csv²³Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by month	Jan 169.6 · Feb 170.8 · Mar 198.2 · Apr 206.3 · May 223 · Jun 189.1 · Jul 123.6 · Aug 156.1 · Sep 179.7 · Oct 206.5 · Nov 157.3 · Dec 162.9 hours	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Seoul_47108.csv²³Official · nearest-station reading
Annual mean temperature	13.18 °C	31 Dec 2024	NASA POWER 2024 daily point climate observation for South Korea municipalities¹⁷Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context
Annual precipitation	1,484 mm	31 Dec 2024	NASA POWER 2024 daily point climate observation for South Korea municipalities¹⁷Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context

Population and city profile

How many people live in 과천시?

The published population was 80,832 people in June 2026. Source: MOIS resident registration population by si/gun/gu, June 2026¹⁵

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport99.7%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Cars per 1,000 residents	396.5 cars/1000 residents	31 Dec 2024	Registered motor vehicles by si, gun and gu²⁰Official
City area	35.87 km²	2020	Official KOSIS visual statistics, Korea City Statistics, regional area; joined to the archived MOIS/KOSIS si-gun-gu code and name.¹⁸Official
Foreign-resident share	0.294 %	31 Dec 2025	Korea Immigration Service registered foreigners by si/gun/gu and nationality, 2025-12-31⁹Official
Foreign residents	239 people	31 Mar 2026	Registered foreigners by local government, March 2026¹⁹Official
Population density	2,384 people/km²	31 Dec 2024	Exact si-gun-gu density derived from archived official MOIS/KOSIS resident population and exact official KOSIS area row.¹⁸Official
Female residents	41,480 people	30 Jun 2026	MOIS resident-registration population, sex and household counts by administrative area, June 2026¹⁶Official
Male residents	39,352 people	30 Jun 2026	MOIS resident-registration population, sex and household counts by administrative area, June 2026¹⁶Official
Population	80,832 people	30 Jun 2026	MOIS resident registration population by si/gun/gu, June 2026¹⁵Official

International community in Gwacheon-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	235	100.0%
중국	43	18.3%
일본	32	13.6%
미국	15	6.4%
한국계중국인	14	6.0%
베트남	14	6.0%
네팔	11	4.7%
타이완(대만)	11	4.7%
필리핀	9	3.8%
미얀마	9	3.8%

Show 28 more groups

Published group	People	Share
프랑스	8	3.4%
캐나다	7	3.0%
영국	5	2.1%
튀르키예	5	2.1%
캄보디아	4	1.7%
몽골	4	1.7%
러시아(연방)	4	1.7%
오스트레일리아	4	1.7%
남아프리카공화국	4	1.7%
인도네시아	3	1.3%
우크라이나	3	1.3%
홍콩	3	1.3%
네덜란드	3	1.3%
말레이시아	2	0.9%
멕시코	2	0.9%
스웨덴	2	0.9%
이라크	2	0.9%
벨라루스	2	0.9%
우즈베키스탄	1	0.4%
타이(태국)	1	0.4%
카자흐스탄	1	0.4%
뉴질랜드	1	0.4%
브라질	1	0.4%
스페인	1	0.4%
케냐	1	0.4%
벨기에	1	0.4%
스위스	1	0.4%
칠레	1	0.4%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source²²

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Households	29,465 households	30 Jun 2026	MOIS resident-registration population, sex and household counts by administrative area, June 2026¹⁶Official

Alternatives for people set on Gwacheon-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.

Miryang-si as a Gwacheon-si alternative in the same country

Better on 4 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0.

Foreign residents: 5.9% Miryang-si vs 0.3% Gwacheon-si+1895%
Empty flats: 14.1% Miryang-si vs 2.3% Gwacheon-si+517%
Unemployment: 1.2% Miryang-si vs 2.3% Gwacheon-si−48%
Annual PM2.5: 13.0 µg/m³ Miryang-si vs 15.0 µg/m³ Gwacheon-si−13%
Residents: 98,591 Miryang-si vs 80,832 Gwacheon-si+22%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,940 Miryang-si vs 3,030 Gwacheon-sisame level

Full comparison More about Miryang-si

Alternative cities in South Korea

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

All South Korea cities

Gimje-si81,631 residents Sokcho-si78,893 residents Dong-gu, Busan83,354 residents Yesan-gun78,318 residents Jincheon-gun85,569 residents Donghae-si85,589 residents

How does Gwacheon-si compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Is Gwacheon-si part of Seoul?

Gwacheon-si is near Seoul, but the collected evidence does not establish that it is administratively part of the hub or an official satellite. It is about 14.1 km away by straight-line distance. Seoul city profile

Relationship type: Nearby Independent Place. Source²⁴

Which comparable places record less crime than Gwacheon-si?

1 place has a lower recorded total crime rate than Gwacheon-si in this strictly source-matched cohort.

Gwacheon-si: 2,064.9 recorded crime occurrences/100k residents (2024).

Nowon-gu — 2,056.8 recorded crime occurrences/100k residents2024

Only the same source family, offence definition, period, grain and denominator method are compared. This is recorded crime, not a claim about personal safety. Official source⁵

Common questions

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

How many people live in 과천시?

The published population was 80,832 people in June 2026. Source: MOIS resident registration population by si/gun/gu, June 2026.

Is the air quality good in 과천시?

What is the unemployment rate in 과천시?

The unemployment rate is 2.3 % (2025). Source: 2025 H2 Local Area Labour Force Survey — municipal key employment indicators.

How many foreign residents live in Gwacheon-si?

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

Is Gwacheon-si a good place to live?

Gwacheon-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.

Is Gwacheon-si part of Seoul?

Gwacheon-si is near Seoul, but the collected evidence does not establish that it is administratively part of the hub or an official satellite. It is about 14.1 km away by straight-line distance.

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

The official citizenship distribution records 235 people (100.0%) in the source-defined population for 2025. This is a citizenship measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Which comparable places record less crime than Gwacheon-si?

1 place has a lower recorded total crime rate than Gwacheon-si in this strictly source-matched cohort. The comparison uses Korean National Police Agency regional crime occurrence CSV 2024 + 2024 Registered Census population, period 2024, and does not compare across incompatible police definitions.

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). Gwacheon-si, South Korea: population, rent, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 88c2663051e760511d778f5065b5f025]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/kr/gwacheonsi/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_gwacheon-si-south-korea-population-rent-cost-of-living_8e621d17382d,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Gwacheon-si, South Korea: population, rent, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {88c2663051e760511d778f5065b5f025},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/kr/gwacheonsi/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Gwacheon-si, South Korea: population, rent, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/kr/gwacheonsi/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 88c2663051e760511d778f5065b5f025; 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

2024 Air Environment Annual Report — Appendix 1.3 city annual concentrations 2024 Air Environment Annual Report · airkorea.or.kr · checked 2026-07-22
2025 H2 Local Area Labour Force Survey — municipal key employment indicators 2025 H2 Local Area Labour Force Survey · korea.kr · checked 2026-07-22
census.go.kr recorded crime data census.go.kr · checked 2026-08-28
census.go.kr recorded crime data census.go.kr · checked 2026-08-28
data.go.kr recorded crime data data.go.kr · checked 2026-08-28
data.go.kr recorded crime data data.go.kr · checked 2026-08-28
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
Korea Immigration Service registered foreigners by si/gun/gu and nationality, 2025-12-31 immigration.go.kr · checked 2026-07-22
KOSIS e-Regional Indicators; population-adjusted crime rate by city/province (Table DT_1YL3001) kosis.kr · checked 2026-09-25

Show 14 more sources

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
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
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 Seoul_47108.csv WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
wikidata.org place coordinates wikidata.org · checked 2026-08-28

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