Korea: The Budget

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Here's the Korea Budget for 5 days/4 nights trip.
All expenses and conversion rates are for April 2012.
1 KRW = 0.040 PHP
1,000 KRW = 40.00 PHP
Group Won
Individual Won
PHP

Rountrip 5J tickets booked in September 2011

    5,240.31





Day 0




22:00
Checkin NAIA



Terminal Fee

1,620.00

Travel Tax

      550.00

Airport snacks

    100.00





Day 1




Pick up service from airport
   75,000.00
   15,000.00


Accomodation - Zaza Backpackers – 2pax/4N
260,000.00
  130,000.00


T-Money
    10,000.00


Card
     3,000.00


Breakfast
      4,200.00


Gyeongbokgung Palace

     3,000.00


Ice Cream
      3,000.00


Souvenirs - Nailcutters bought in Insadong
    9,000.00


Lunch
     7,000.00


Dinner
     10,500.00


Bottled Water
           700.00


Namsan Tower + Teddy Bear Museum
     14,000.00


Noodles in 7-11 (for breakfast)
      1,050.00






Day 2




Breakfast
         800.00


Load T-Money
      5,000.00


Everland (discount coupon in website)
     37,000.00


Lunch
       6,800.00


Water
             700.00


Cotton Candy
       2,000.00


Ministop - snacks
             800.00






Day 3




Load T-Money
       5,000.00


Cab Fare (total roundtrip cost)
7,000
         3,500.00


Nami Island Ticket with ferry
      8,000.00


Lunch (Ramen + Topponyaki)
     7,000.00


Waffle
      3,000.00


Family Mart
       2,400.00


Dinner
        7,000.00


Souvenirs
      7,000.00






Day 4




DMZ Tour
    41,000.00


Lunch at Lottle World
     4,000.00






Day 5




Free Day - walked around and got lost



Lunch at Lotteria
       6,400.00







Travel to Airport
   75,000.00
      15,000.00

18:00
Check in Airport


21:35
Depart Korea







Day X



0:35
Back to reality



Total WON

372,850.00


PHP (use 1 KRW=0.040 rate)

   14,914
  7,510.31

TOTAL PHP


 21,678.61

The published exchange rate during that time was 1KRW = Php 0.038. However, since I got my won via ATM withdrawal, I charged with a minimal fee of KRW 3,000. Not bad, really. I have to consider that - so my exchange rate becomes 0.040. 

When converting the value to PHP, always consider the forex rate you got in buying the currency- not the prevailing exchange rate. You can be traveling for an extended period of time and the forex rate may change. But if you got your currency at just one rate at the start of your trip, the swing in the forex rates won't matter.

Looking at all those zeroes in the price tags can be quite dizzying. For simplicity, we pegged KRW 1,000 = approximately USD 1 = PHP 40.

We saved money because we scored two free dinners. My friend has a contact in Korea who took us out to dinner for two nights. Yay! More money for shopping then.

My attempt at creating a wonderful Korean BBQ bite

What's not in the table: my personal shopping expenditures. Teeeeheeee! I've come to love the H&M clothes that I bought from my Europe trip. As of April 2012, H&M has not reach Philippine shores. So I shopped in H&M Myeongdong. :D


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