Where to Study in Korea (Singapore Students) 2026: Use the Official Regions Guide to Pick a City
TL;DR
A Singapore-friendly, source-first way to pick a study location in South Korea: how to use the official Study in Korea “Introduction to Korean Regions” page (with municipality links and a university info download tool), then sanity-check…
22 Jan 2026, 00:00 Z
Reviewed by
Marcus Pang·Managing Director (Maths)
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> **Q:** Korea is more than “Seoul or nothing” — how do I pick a city that actually fits my budget and daily life?
> \
> **A:** Start with the Korean government’s official regions page to shortlist a few cities, then cross-check costs and housing on the official Study in Korea pages. You’re trying to avoid one mistake: picking a city first, then discovering your housing and cost reality later.
> **TL;DR (fast route)**
> - Official regions map + city intros: https://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/life/regionsIntro.do
> - Official living expense baseline: https://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/life/livingExpense.do
> - Official housing starting points: https://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/life/livingAndHousing.do
> - If you want the Singapore-friendly budgeting workflow: https://eclatinstitute.sg/blog/scholarships/Korea-Cost-Planning-Singapore-Students-Abroad-Expenses-Living-Expense-Guide-2026
> - If you want to export university info into a shortlist sheet (portal tool): https://eclatinstitute.sg/blog/scholarships/How-to-Use-Study-in-Korea-Download-University-Information-Singapore-Shortlisting-Guide-2026
> - If you’re still deciding Japan vs Korea overall: https://eclatinstitute.sg/blog/Study-Abroad-Japan-vs-South-Korea-Checklist
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alt="Students planning study abroad together, comparing Korea city options with costs and housing in mind."
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*Status:* Last reviewed 2026-01-22. City-level details and links can change. Treat official pages as your baseline, then verify with your target university’s admissions and housing pages.
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## 1) Use the official regions page first (it’s more structured than random lists)
Open:
* https://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/life/regionsIntro.do
This page is useful because it:
* shows a Korea regions map with major cities/areas,
* includes “intro” sections for key cities (e.g., Seoul and major metropolitan cities),
* links to municipality pages (useful when you want official city-level information),
* and includes a **“Download University Information”** tool (Singapore guide: https://eclatinstitute.sg/blog/scholarships/How-to-Use-Study-in-Korea-Download-University-Information-Singapore-Shortlisting-Guide-2026).
If you’re picking a city from Singapore, structure beats vibes.
---
## 2) A simple “3-city shortlist” workflow (Singapore-friendly)
Here’s a workflow that keeps parents and students aligned:
1. Pick **3 candidate cities/regions** from the official regions page.
2. For each, list **2 universities** you would realistically apply to.
3. Then check:
- cost baseline (official)
- housing basics (official)
- programme language requirements (university page)
If you pick just one city too early, you’ll get stuck if that city’s housing or programme fit doesn’t work out.
---
## 3) Sanity-check costs using the official living expense page
Official page:
* https://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/life/livingExpense.do
Use it to build a baseline for:
* what categories to budget for (not just rent)
* the reality that “monthly cost” usually hides one-time fees and timing issues
Then replace averages with your own plan:
* your actual tuition
* your actual housing plan (dorm vs off-campus)
* your actual lifestyle constraints (commute, food habits, etc.)
Singapore-friendly execution guide:
* https://eclatinstitute.sg/blog/scholarships/Korea-Cost-Planning-Singapore-Students-Abroad-Expenses-Living-Expense-Guide-2026
---
## 4) Sanity-check housing using the official housing page
Official page:
* https://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/life/livingAndHousing.do
Use it as your baseline for:
* the kinds of housing arrangements international students use
* common housing-related questions and admin considerations
If you want a Japan vs Korea housing questions checklist:
* https://eclatinstitute.sg/blog/scholarships/Housing-in-Japan-vs-Korea-Singapore-Students-Dorms-Deposits-Questions-Guide-2026
---
## 5) Next action (today)
Do one:
* Build a 3-city shortlist using the official regions page:
- https://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/life/regionsIntro.do
* For each city, write 2 bullets:
- “Which 2 universities would I apply to?”
- “Dorm-first-year: yes/no — what do I need to verify?”
* Then do your official cost/housing sanity check:
- https://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/life/livingExpense.do
- https://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/life/livingAndHousing.do
