Living in Wonju-si

In Wonju-si, tenants pay an average rent of €397 a month (2026) and unemployment is 3.2% (2025).

Car density was 562.5 vehicles per 1,000 residents in 2024. For 원주시, the unemployment rate was 3.2% at the end of 2025. Its population was 364,811 in June 2026. There were 3 doctors per 1,000 people in 2024.

Last checked 2026-10-0221 sources

Population364,811people30 Jun 2026Official source · MOIS resident registration population by si/gun/gu, June 2026

Average rent397.2EUR/month31 Aug 2026Official source · (월) 평균월세가격_아파트 (Korea Real Estate Board / R-ONE)

Unemployment rate3.2%country median 2.7% — 19% aboveOfficial source · KOSIS Local Area Labour Force Survey — si/gun/gu unemployment rate

Recorded crime3,132incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2024Official source · KR-Police-regional-crime-2024

PM2.5, annual mean18.27µg/m³country median 16.0 — 14% aboveOfficial source · Air Pollution Level Confirmation Data — 2024 PM2.5 station observations

Higher unemployment than 61% of South Korean cities that publish it and dirtier air than 88% of South Korean cities that publish it.

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

Housing and cost

The housing-vacancy rate was 9.39% at the end of 2024.

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

What recurs every month5 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€218

Utilities, 85 m² flat€73

Fitness club€58

Mobile plan, 10 GB€29

Internet, 60 Mbps€20

Supplemental estimate lane, not official statistics: Utilities, 85 m² flat, Private kindergarten, Fitness club, Internet, 60 Mbps. The others are published prices.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Fitness club membership, monthly	58.04 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2²¹Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	20.07 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2²¹Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly	217.7 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2²¹Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant	5.08 EUR	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2²¹Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB	28.91 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	KT mobile data plan¹¹Official · national market
Basic utilities, 85 m² home	72.55 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2²¹Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Dwellings	151,987 dwellings	31 Dec 2024	DT_1JU1501 2024 housing units by municipality³Official
Housing vacancy rate	9.39 %	31 Dec 2024	DT_1JU1512 2024 vacant housing units by municipality⁴Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	397.2 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	(월) 평균월세가격_아파트 (Korea Real Estate Board / R-ONE)¹Official

Is Wonju-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 worker53%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 44–62%

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

Student55%strong on education, weak on work · range 47–63%

Family68%strong on family, weak on cost · range 60–76%

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

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in 원주시?

The unemployment rate is 3.2 % (2025). Source: KOSIS Local Area Labour Force Survey — si/gun/gu unemployment rate⁹

Unemployment across cities in South KoreaUnemployment in Wonju-si is 3.2%. 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

Wonju-si 3.2%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Public employment offices	1 count	15 Sept 2026	Work24 — 고용복지+센터 institution finder²⁰Official
Unemployment rate	3.2 %country median 2.7%	31 Dec 2025	KOSIS Local Area Labour Force Survey — si/gun/gu unemployment rate⁹Official

Public employment offices in Wonju-si

Work24 lists 1 public employment office in Wonju-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	4 count	30 Sept 2026	National KIIP operating-institution register¹⁴Official
Schools	96 schools	21 Jul 2026	Schoolinfo official open-data callback response¹⁸Official

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Doctors per 1,000 residents	3 per 1,000	31 Dec 2024	KOSIS e-RegionIndex doctors per 1000⁷Official
Hospital beds per 100,000 residents	1,510 beds per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	KOSIS e-RegionIndex hospital beds per 100k⁸Official
Hospitals	31 count	30 Jun 2026	HIRA 전국 병의원 및 약국 현황 2026.6 — 시설정보⁵Official
Pharmacies	191 count	30 Jun 2026	HIRA 전국 병의원 및 약국 현황 2026.6 — 약국정보서비스⁵Official
Physicians per 100,000 residents	300 per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	KOSIS e-RegionIndex doctors per 1000⁷Official

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

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

How safe is 원주시?

Police recorded about 3,132 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	3,132 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	KR-Police-regional-crime-2024¹⁰Official
Violent crime per 100,000 residents	42.76 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	KR-Police-regional-crime-2024¹⁰Official

Language courses and integration in Wonju-si

National KIIP operating-institution register lists 4 publicly funded course providers in Wonju-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 Wonju-si.

Find courses near Wonju-si

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 18.3 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Is the air quality good in 원주시?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 18.3 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: 18.27 µg/m³ · Air Pollution Level Confirmation Data — 2024 PM2.5 station observations²

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

PM2.518.3WHO 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 Wonju-si is 18.3 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

Wonju-si 18.3

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	18.27 µg/m³country median 16.0	31 Dec 2024	Air Pollution Level Confirmation Data — 2024 PM2.5 station observations²Official

Population and city profile

The city covered 868.2 km² in 2020. Population density was 417.1 people per km² in 2024.

How many people live in 원주시?

The published population was 364,811 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 passport98.4%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Cars per 1,000 residents	562.5 cars/1000 residents	31 Dec 2024	Registered motor vehicles by si, gun and gu¹⁷Official
City area	868.2 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	1.57 %	31 Dec 2025	Korea Immigration Service registered foreigners by si/gun/gu and nationality, 2025-12-31⁶Official
Foreign residents	5,736 people	31 Mar 2026	Registered foreigners by local government, March 2026¹⁶Official
Population density	417.1 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	184,119 people	30 Jun 2026	MOIS resident-registration population, sex and household counts by administrative area, June 2026¹³Official
Male residents	180,692 people	30 Jun 2026	MOIS resident-registration population, sex and household counts by administrative area, June 2026¹³Official
Population	364,811 people	30 Jun 2026	MOIS resident registration population by si/gun/gu, June 2026¹²Official

International community in Wonju-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	5,709	100.0%
중국	1,352	23.7%
베트남	1,046	18.3%
우즈베키스탄	384	6.7%
네팔	381	6.7%
타이(태국)	366	6.4%
한국계중국인	292	5.1%
캄보디아	274	4.8%
필리핀	201	3.5%
인도네시아	159	2.8%

Show 66 more groups

Published group	People	Share
러시아(연방)	154	2.7%
몽골	126	2.2%
미국	117	2.0%
타이완(대만)	115	2.0%
일본	113	2.0%
스리랑카	95	1.7%
미얀마	75	1.3%
남아프리카공화국	48	0.8%
방글라데시	36	0.6%
키르기즈	36	0.6%
카자흐스탄	32	0.6%
라오스	25	0.4%
파키스탄	23	0.4%
영국	23	0.4%
시리아	22	0.4%
말레이시아	19	0.3%
캐나다	18	0.3%
인도	17	0.3%
튀르키예	13	0.2%
가나	11	0.2%
타지키스탄	11	0.2%
에티오피아	8	0.1%
모로코	8	0.1%
프랑스	6	0.1%
홍콩	5	0.1%
한국계러시아인	5	0.1%
멕시코	5	0.1%
우간다	5	0.1%
요르단	5	0.1%
오스트레일리아	4	0.1%
독일	4	0.1%
이집트	4	0.1%
우크라이나	4	0.1%
탄자니아	4	0.1%
레바논	4	0.1%
나이지리아	3	0.1%
이란	3	0.1%
아일랜드	3	0.1%
브라질	3	0.1%
스페인	3	0.1%
콜롬비아	3	0.1%
투르크메니스탄	3	0.1%
티모르민주공화국(동티모르)	2	0.0%
이탈리아	2	0.0%
폴란드	2	0.0%
케냐	2	0.0%
르완다	2	0.0%
헝가리	2	0.0%
베네수엘라	2	0.0%
칠레	2	0.0%
파라과이	2	0.0%
노르웨이	1	0.0%
뉴질랜드	1	0.0%
싱가포르	1	0.0%
네덜란드	1	0.0%
덴마크	1	0.0%
페루	1	0.0%
예멘공화국	1	0.0%
핀란드	1	0.0%
벨라루스	1	0.0%
불가리아	1	0.0%
체코	1	0.0%
아르헨티나	1	0.0%
과테말라	1	0.0%
세네갈	1	0.0%
부룬디	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	178,430 households	30 Jun 2026	MOIS resident-registration population, sex and household counts by administrative area, June 2026¹³Official

Alternatives for people set on Wonju-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.

Yangsan-si as a Wonju-si alternative in the same country

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

Foreign residents: 2.6% Yangsan-si vs 1.6% Wonju-si+67%
Hospital beds, per 100k: 2,110.0 Yangsan-si vs 1,510.0 Wonju-si+40%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,750 Yangsan-si vs 3,132 Wonju-si−12%
Empty flats: 10.5% Yangsan-si vs 9.4% Wonju-si+12%
Residents: 361,389 Yangsan-si vs 364,811 Wonju-si−1%

Full comparison More about Yangsan-si

Alternative cities in South Korea

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

All South Korea cities

Busanjin-gu364,912 residents Asan-si363,678 residents Yondtong-gu362,099 residents Yangsan-si361,389 residents Suji-gu369,230 residents Gwonseon-gu360,286 residents

How does Wonju-si compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Wonju-si in rankings

#25 of 30 in South Korean cities with the largest housing stock

Common questions

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

How many people live in 원주시?

The published population was 364,811 people in June 2026. Source: MOIS resident registration population by si/gun/gu, June 2026.

Is the air quality good in 원주시?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 18.3 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 원주시?

Police recorded about 3,132 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 원주시?

The unemployment rate is 3.2 % (2025). Source: KOSIS Local Area Labour Force Survey — si/gun/gu unemployment rate.

How many foreign residents live in Wonju-si?

5,736 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Registered foreigners by local government, March 2026.

Is Wonju-si a good place to live?

Wonju-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 Wonju-si?

The official citizenship distribution records 5,709 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). Wonju-si, South Korea: population, rent, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 6a3a98fb603fdc5a0a9059ca0804c4a6]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/kr/wonjusi/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_wonju-si-south-korea-population-rent-cost-of-living_703065e3d87c,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Wonju-si, South Korea: population, rent, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {6a3a98fb603fdc5a0a9059ca0804c4a6},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/kr/wonjusi/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Wonju-si, South Korea: population, rent, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/kr/wonjusi/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 6a3a98fb603fdc5a0a9059ca0804c4a6; 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 11 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
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
Work24 — 고용복지+센터 institution finder Work24 · work24.go.kr · checked 2026-09-15
Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Global Cost of Living · kaggle.com · checked 2026-07-27

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.