Living in Sokcho-si

In Sokcho-si, tenants pay an average rent of €407 a month (2026) and unemployment is 1.3% (2025).

The unemployment rate was 1.3% at the end of 2025. The annual mean temperature estimate was 13.5°C at the end of 2024. In June 2026, 속초시 had a population of 78,893. The city covered 105.8 km² in 2020. Population density was 765.2 people per km² in 2024.

Last checked 2026-10-0220 sources

Population78,893people30 Jun 2026Official source · MOIS resident registration population by si/gun/gu, June 2026

Average rent407EUR/month31 Aug 2026Official source · (월) 평균월세가격_아파트 (Korea Real Estate Board / R-ONE)

Unemployment rate1.3%country median 2.7% — 52% belowOfficial source · KOSIS Local Area Labour Force Survey — si/gun/gu unemployment rate

Recorded crime2,990incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2024Regional figureOfficial source · KOSIS e-Regional Indicators; population-adjusted crime rate by city/province (Table DT_1YL3001)

PM2.5, annual mean15.37µg/m³country median 16.0 — 4% belowOfficial source · Air Pollution Level Confirmation Data — 2024 PM2.5 station observations

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

Housing and cost

The housing-vacancy rate was 16.1% at the end of 2024.

No city-level rent figure is published for Sokcho-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	40,833 dwellings	31 Dec 2024	DT_1JU1501 2024 housing units by municipality³Official
Housing vacancy rate	16.07 %	31 Dec 2024	DT_1JU1512 2024 vacant housing units by municipality⁴Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	407 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	(월) 평균월세가격_아파트 (Korea Real Estate Board / R-ONE)¹Official

Is Sokcho-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 employee69%strong on work, weak on safety · range 60–78%

Student36%strong on cost, weak on work · range 27–45%

Family52%strong on family, weak on cost · range 42–62%

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

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in 속초시?

The unemployment rate is 1.3 % (2025). Source: KOSIS Local Area Labour Force Survey — si/gun/gu unemployment rate⁹

Unemployment across cities in South KoreaUnemployment in Sokcho-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

Sokcho-si 1.3%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Unemployment rate	1.3 %country median 2.7%	31 Dec 2025	KOSIS Local Area Labour Force Survey — si/gun/gu unemployment rate⁹Official

Public employment service

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

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Schools	20 schools	21 Jul 2026	Schoolinfo official open-data callback response¹⁸Official

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Doctors per 1,000 residents	2.4 per 1,000	31 Dec 2024	KOSIS e-RegionIndex doctors per 1000⁷Official
Hospital beds per 100,000 residents	990 beds per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	KOSIS e-RegionIndex hospital beds per 100k⁸Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Sokcho-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 residents2.4 per 1,000Verified 2026-07-21

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	2,990 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	KOSIS e-Regional Indicators; population-adjusted crime rate by city/province (Table DT_1YL3001)⁶Official · regional context

Language courses and integration

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

Find courses near Sokcho-si

Climate and air quality

The annual precipitation estimate was 1,771.5 mm at the end of 2024. Annual PM2.5 was 15.4 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Is the air quality good in 속초시?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 15.4 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: 15.37 µg/m³ · Air Pollution Level Confirmation Data — 2024 PM2.5 station observations²

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

0°

4°-4°

6°-2°

11°2°

16°7°

21°12°

24°16°

27°21°

28°21°

24°16°

20°11°

13°5°

7°-2°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

120

266

298

201

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

185

177

195

212

216

172

146

152

167

190

169

184

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

PM2.515.4WHO 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 Sokcho-si is 15.4 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

Sokcho-si 15.4

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	15.37 µg/m³country median 16.0	31 Dec 2024	Air Pollution Level Confirmation Data — 2024 PM2.5 station observations²Official
Average daytime high by month	Jan 4.2 · Feb 6 · Mar 10.6 · Apr 16.5 · May 20.9 · Jun 23.5 · Jul 26.7 · Aug 27.5 · Sep 24 · Oct 19.5 · Nov 13.1 · Dec 6.6 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Sokcho_47090.csv²⁰Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan -3.8 · Feb -2.2 · Mar 1.8 · Apr 7.3 · May 12.1 · Jun 16.5 · Jul 20.6 · Aug 21.2 · Sep 16.5 · Oct 10.8 · Nov 4.7 · Dec -1.5 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Sokcho_47090.csv²⁰Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 0.1 · Feb 1.9 · Mar 6.2 · Apr 11.9 · May 16.3 · Jun 19.8 · Jul 23.4 · Aug 24.1 · Sep 20.1 · Oct 15.1 · Nov 8.8 · Dec 2.5 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Sokcho_47090.csv²⁰Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 43.5 · Feb 45.9 · Mar 52.3 · Apr 73.3 · May 88.5 · Jun 119.5 · Jul 265.6 · Aug 298 · Sep 200.6 · Oct 87.9 · Nov 92 · Dec 40.1 mm	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Sokcho_47090.csv²⁰Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by month	Jan 185.4 · Feb 176.9 · Mar 194.9 · Apr 211.9 · May 216.3 · Jun 172.4 · Jul 146.3 · Aug 152.4 · Sep 166.8 · Oct 189.8 · Nov 169 · Dec 184.3 hours	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Sokcho_47090.csv²⁰Official · nearest-station reading
Annual mean temperature	13.51 °C	31 Dec 2024	NASA POWER 2024 daily point climate observation for South Korea municipalities¹⁴Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context
Annual precipitation	1,771 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 속초시?

The published population was 78,893 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	521.2 cars/1000 residents	31 Dec 2024	Registered motor vehicles by si, gun and gu¹⁷Official
City area	105.8 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	2.35 %	31 Dec 2025	Korea Immigration Service registered foreigners by si/gun/gu and nationality, 2025-12-31⁵Official
Foreign residents	1,916 people	31 Mar 2026	Registered foreigners by local government, March 2026¹⁶Official
Population density	765.2 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	39,917 people	30 Jun 2026	MOIS resident-registration population, sex and household counts by administrative area, June 2026¹³Official
Male residents	38,976 people	30 Jun 2026	MOIS resident-registration population, sex and household counts by administrative area, June 2026¹³Official
Population	78,893 people	30 Jun 2026	MOIS resident registration population by si/gun/gu, June 2026¹²Official

International community in Sokcho-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	1,873	100.0%
베트남	390	20.8%
네팔	279	14.9%
인도네시아	257	13.7%
타이(태국)	94	5.0%
중국	88	4.7%
방글라데시	85	4.5%
한국계중국인	81	4.3%
필리핀	81	4.3%
러시아(연방)	74	4.0%

Show 50 more groups

Published group	People	Share
캄보디아	58	3.1%
파키스탄	43	2.3%
일본	37	2.0%
우즈베키스탄	35	1.9%
타이완(대만)	33	1.8%
몽골	30	1.6%
타지키스탄	24	1.3%
미국	21	1.1%
카자흐스탄	18	1.0%
르완다	13	0.7%
스리랑카	12	0.6%
미얀마	9	0.5%
남아프리카공화국	9	0.5%
나이지리아	9	0.5%
예멘공화국	8	0.4%
부룬디	8	0.4%
라오스	7	0.4%
케냐	7	0.4%
캐나다	6	0.3%
남수단공화국	6	0.3%
인도	4	0.2%
말레이시아	4	0.2%
독일	3	0.2%
카메룬	3	0.2%
콜롬비아	3	0.2%
영국	2	0.1%
우크라이나	2	0.1%
티모르민주공화국(동티모르)	2	0.1%
뉴질랜드	2	0.1%
싱가포르	2	0.1%
아일랜드	2	0.1%
브라질	2	0.1%
모로코	2	0.1%
탄자니아	2	0.1%
프랑스	1	0.1%
키르기즈	1	0.1%
오스트레일리아	1	0.1%
이집트	1	0.1%
시리아	1	0.1%
튀르키예	1	0.1%
네덜란드	1	0.1%
멕시코	1	0.1%
우간다	1	0.1%
폴란드	1	0.1%
이라크	1	0.1%
라이베리아	1	0.1%
벨라루스	1	0.1%
튀니지	1	0.1%
아제르바이잔	1	0.1%
라트비아	1	0.1%

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	41,110 households	30 Jun 2026	MOIS resident-registration population, sex and household counts by administrative area, June 2026¹³Official

Alternatives for people set on Sokcho-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.

Donghae-si as a Sokcho-si alternative in the same country

Better on 3 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2.

Unemployment: 0.7% Donghae-si vs 1.3% Sokcho-si−46%
Foreign residents: 1.1% Donghae-si vs 2.4% Sokcho-si−52%
Hospital beds, per 100k: 1,430.0 Donghae-si vs 990.0 Sokcho-si+44%
Annual PM2.5: 10.5 µg/m³ Donghae-si vs 15.4 µg/m³ Sokcho-si−32%
Residents: 85,589 Donghae-si vs 78,893 Sokcho-si+8%
Empty flats: 15.4% Donghae-si vs 16.1% Sokcho-si−4%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,990 Donghae-si vs 2,990 Sokcho-sisame level

Full comparison More about Donghae-si

Alternative cities in South Korea

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

All South Korea cities

Yesan-gun78,318 residents Gwacheon-si80,832 residents Gimje-si81,631 residents Dong-gu, Busan83,354 residents Namwon-si73,812 residents Jincheon-gun85,569 residents

How does Sokcho-si compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Sokcho-si in rankings

#13 of 30 in South Korean cities with the lowest published unemployment #24 of 30 in South Korean cities with the highest housing vacancy

Common questions

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

How many people live in 속초시?

The published population was 78,893 people in June 2026. Source: MOIS resident registration population by si/gun/gu, June 2026.

Is the air quality good in 속초시?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 15.4 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.

What is the unemployment rate in 속초시?

The unemployment rate is 1.3 % (2025). Source: KOSIS Local Area Labour Force Survey — si/gun/gu unemployment rate.

How many foreign residents live in Sokcho-si?

1,916 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Registered foreigners by local government, March 2026.

Is Sokcho-si a good place to live?

Sokcho-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 Sokcho-si?

The official citizenship distribution records 1,873 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). Sokcho-si, South Korea: population, rent, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version c4d7cbf680a8fd81bf2a88d9489983a4]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/kr/sogchosi/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_sokcho-si-south-korea-population-rent-cost-of-living_96fbbe1fcaa2,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Sokcho-si, South Korea: population, rent, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {c4d7cbf680a8fd81bf2a88d9489983a4},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/kr/sogchosi/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Sokcho-si, South Korea: population, rent, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/kr/sogchosi/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version c4d7cbf680a8fd81bf2a88d9489983a4; 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
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
KOSIS Local Area Labour Force Survey — si/gun/gu unemployment rate KOSIS Local Area Labour Force Survey · kosis.kr · checked 2026-07-26
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 Sokcho_47090.csv WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31

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