Living in Sangju-si

In Sangju-si, tenants pay an average rent of €316 a month (2026) and unemployment is 1.3% (2025).

The unemployment rate was 1.3% at the end of 2025. In March 2026, the foreign population was 2,111. In June 2026, 상주시 had a population of 89,228. The city covered 1,254.6 km² in 2020. The housing-vacancy rate was 13.6% at the end of 2024.

Last checked 2026-10-0220 sources

Population89,228people30 Jun 2026Official source · MOIS resident registration population by si/gun/gu, June 2026

Average rent316EUR/month31 Aug 2026Official source · (월) 평균월세가격_아파트 (Korea Real Estate Board / R-ONE)

Unemployment rate1.3%country median 2.7% — 52% belowOfficial source · 2025 H2 Local Area Labour Force Survey — municipal key employment indicators

Recorded crime2,870incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2024Regional figureOfficial source · KOSIS e-Regional Indicators; population-adjusted crime rate by city/province (Table DT_1YL3001)

PM2.5, annual mean17µg/m³country median 16.0 — 6% aboveOfficial source · 2024 Air Environment Annual Report — Appendix 1.3 city annual concentrations

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

Housing and cost

No city-level rent figure is published for Sangju-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 internet¹⁰Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	28.91 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	KT mobile data plan¹¹Official · national market
Dwellings	44,578 dwellings	31 Dec 2024	DT_1JU1501 2024 housing units by municipality⁴Official
Housing vacancy rate	13.62 %	31 Dec 2024	DT_1JU1512 2024 vacant housing units by municipality⁵Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	316 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	(월) 평균월세가격_아파트 (Korea Real Estate Board / R-ONE)¹Official

Is Sangju-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 worker58%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 48–68%

Skilled employee76%strong on work, weak on safety · range 67–85%

Student50%strong on education, weak on work · range 41–59%

Family65%strong on family, weak on cost · range 55–75%

Retirement44%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 33–55%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in 상주시?

The unemployment rate is 1.3 % (2025). Source: 2025 H2 Local Area Labour Force Survey — municipal key employment indicators³

Unemployment across cities in South KoreaUnemployment in Sangju-si is 1.3%. 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

Sangju-si 1.3%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Unemployment rate	1.3 %country median 2.7%	31 Dec 2025	2025 H2 Local Area Labour Force Survey — municipal key employment indicators³Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Sangju-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 Sangju-si. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Schools	66 schools	21 Jul 2026	Schoolinfo official open-data callback response¹⁸Official

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Doctors per 1,000 residents	2 per 1,000	31 Dec 2024	KOSIS e-RegionIndex doctors per 1000⁸Official
Hospital beds per 100,000 residents	1,530 beds per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	KOSIS e-RegionIndex hospital beds per 100k⁹Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Sangju-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 residents2 per 1,000Verified 2026-07-21

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	2,870 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	KOSIS e-Regional Indicators; population-adjusted crime rate by city/province (Table DT_1YL3001)⁷Official · regional context

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Sangju-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 Sangju-si.

Find courses near Sangju-si

Climate and air quality

The annual mean temperature estimate was 13°C at the end of 2024. The annual precipitation estimate was 1,224.2 mm at the end of 2024. Annual PM2.5 was 17 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Is the air quality good in 상주시?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 17 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 concentrations²

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°

4°-5°

7°-3°

13°1°

20°7°

25°12°

28°17°

29°21°

30°22°

26°16°

21°8°

13°2°

5°-4°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

115

279

254

139

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

184

178

214

215

242

198

143

162

149

187

161

174

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

PM2.517WHO 5 · EU 25

PM1026WHO 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 Sangju-si is 17.0 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

Sangju-si 17.0

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM10 — annual mean	26 µg/m³country median 30.0	31 Dec 2024	2024 Air Environment Annual Report — Appendix 1.3 city annual concentrations²Official
PM2.5 — annual mean	17 µg/m³country median 16.0	31 Dec 2024	2024 Air Environment Annual Report — Appendix 1.3 city annual concentrations²Official
Average daytime high by month	Jan 3.9 · Feb 7.1 · Mar 13.2 · Apr 19.6 · May 25.3 · Jun 28.5 · Jul 29.5 · Aug 30.4 · Sep 25.9 · Oct 20.8 · Nov 13.1 · Dec 5.4 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Sangju_47137.csv²⁰Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan -5.2 · Feb -3.5 · Mar 1 · Apr 6.5 · May 12.4 · Jun 17.4 · Jul 21.3 · Aug 21.6 · Sep 15.8 · Oct 8.3 · Nov 2.1 · Dec -3.9 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Sangju_47137.csv²⁰Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan -0.9 · Feb 1.4 · Mar 6.8 · Apr 12.9 · May 18.6 · Jun 22.5 · Jul 24.9 · Aug 25.3 · Sep 20.1 · Oct 13.8 · Nov 7.2 · Dec 0.4 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Sangju_47137.csv²⁰Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 21.7 · Feb 33.3 · Mar 46.9 · Apr 86.6 · May 87.6 · Jun 115.2 · Jul 279.3 · Aug 253.9 · Sep 138.5 · Oct 57.1 · Nov 35.2 · Dec 23.3 mm	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Sangju_47137.csv²⁰Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by month	Jan 183.5 · Feb 177.5 · Mar 213.7 · Apr 214.5 · May 241.9 · Jun 198.4 · Jul 143.1 · Aug 162.1 · Sep 148.5 · Oct 187 · Nov 161 · Dec 174.1 hours	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Sangju_47137.csv²⁰Official · nearest-station reading
Annual mean temperature	12.97 °C	31 Dec 2024	NASA POWER 2024 daily point climate observation for South Korea municipalities¹⁴Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context
Annual precipitation	1,224 mm	31 Dec 2024	NASA POWER 2024 daily point climate observation for South Korea municipalities¹⁴Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context

Population and city profile

How many people live in 상주시?

The published population was 89,228 people in June 2026. Source: MOIS resident registration population by si/gun/gu, June 2026¹²

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport97.6%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Cars per 1,000 residents	644.2 cars/1000 residents	31 Dec 2024	Registered motor vehicles by si, gun and gu¹⁷Official
City area	1,255 km²	2020	Official KOSIS visual statistics, Korea City Statistics, regional area; joined to the archived MOIS/KOSIS si-gun-gu code and name.¹⁵Official
Foreign-resident share	2.55 %	31 Dec 2025	Korea Immigration Service registered foreigners by si/gun/gu and nationality, 2025-12-31⁶Official
Foreign residents	2,111 people	31 Mar 2026	Registered foreigners by local government, March 2026¹⁶Official
Population density	73.21 people/km²	31 Dec 2024	Exact si-gun-gu density derived from archived official MOIS/KOSIS resident population and exact official KOSIS area row.¹⁵Official
Female residents	45,079 people	30 Jun 2026	MOIS resident-registration population, sex and household counts by administrative area, June 2026¹³Official
Male residents	44,149 people	30 Jun 2026	MOIS resident-registration population, sex and household counts by administrative area, June 2026¹³Official
Population	89,228 people	30 Jun 2026	MOIS resident registration population by si/gun/gu, June 2026¹²Official

International community in Sangju-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	2,295	100.0%
베트남	854	37.2%
라오스	267	11.6%
캄보디아	198	8.6%
필리핀	175	7.6%
네팔	142	6.2%
중국	134	5.8%
타이(태국)	89	3.9%
인도네시아	78	3.4%
한국계중국인	77	3.4%

Show 28 more groups

Published group	People	Share
우즈베키스탄	60	2.6%
미얀마	35	1.5%
스리랑카	25	1.1%
몽골	25	1.1%
파키스탄	22	1.0%
미국	21	0.9%
말레이시아	19	0.8%
일본	16	0.7%
타이완(대만)	10	0.4%
나이지리아	6	0.3%
콩고민주공화국	6	0.3%
방글라데시	5	0.2%
러시아(연방)	4	0.2%
남아프리카공화국	4	0.2%
예멘공화국	3	0.1%
르완다	3	0.1%
캐나다	2	0.1%
브라질	2	0.1%
스페인	2	0.1%
에티오피아	2	0.1%
오스트리아	2	0.1%
인도	1	0.0%
영국	1	0.0%
오스트레일리아	1	0.0%
독일	1	0.0%
아일랜드	1	0.0%
우간다	1	0.0%
크로아티아	1	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁹

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Households	48,934 households	30 Jun 2026	MOIS resident-registration population, sex and household counts by administrative area, June 2026¹³Official

Alternatives for people set on Sangju-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 Sangju-si alternative in the same country

Better on 5 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0.

Foreign residents: 5.9% Miryang-si vs 2.6% Sangju-si+130%
Hospital beds, per 100k: 2,010.0 Miryang-si vs 1,530.0 Sangju-si+31%
Annual PM2.5: 13.0 µg/m³ Miryang-si vs 17.0 µg/m³ Sangju-si−24%
Unemployment: 1.2% Miryang-si vs 1.3% Sangju-si−8%
Residents: 98,591 Miryang-si vs 89,228 Sangju-si+10%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,940 Miryang-si vs 2,870 Sangju-sisame level
Empty flats: 14.1% Miryang-si vs 13.6% Sangju-si+3%

Full comparison More about Miryang-si

Alternative cities in South Korea

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

All South Korea cities

Boryeong-si91,260 residents Dongducheon-si86,265 residents Donghae-si85,589 residents Jincheon-gun85,569 residents Yeongcheon-si94,107 residents Dong-gu, Busan83,354 residents

How does Sangju-si compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Sangju-si in rankings

#12 of 30 in South Korean cities with the lowest published unemployment

Common questions

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

How many people live in 상주시?

The published population was 89,228 people in June 2026. Source: MOIS resident registration population by si/gun/gu, June 2026.

Is the air quality good in 상주시?

What is the unemployment rate in 상주시?

The unemployment rate is 1.3 % (2025). Source: 2025 H2 Local Area Labour Force Survey — municipal key employment indicators.

How many foreign residents live in Sangju-si?

2,111 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Registered foreigners by local government, March 2026.

Is Sangju-si a good place to live?

Sangju-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 Sangju-si?

The official citizenship distribution records 2,295 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). Sangju-si, South Korea: population, rent, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 2aade69b27c69402b7acf6fbda16afd0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/kr/sangjusi/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_sangju-si-south-korea-population-rent-cost-of-living_97a6958d7522,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Sangju-si, South Korea: population, rent, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {2aade69b27c69402b7acf6fbda16afd0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/kr/sangjusi/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Sangju-si, South Korea: population, rent, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/kr/sangjusi/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 2aade69b27c69402b7acf6fbda16afd0; 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
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
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
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

Show 10 more sources

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 Sangju_47137.csv WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31

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.