Korea’s college kids spend $324 every month

The average university student in Korea spends around 366,000 won ($324) monthly in living costs, and their spending is on the rise, a survey from Job Korea showed.

The poll, which surveyed a total of 581 students attending universities nationwide, said those living away from home spent 480,000 won on average.

More than one-third of the respondents, 36.9 percent, said their parents support part of their living costs and they earn the rest by themselves. Another 33 percent said parents pay all their costs, and the remaining 30.1 percent said they pay for all of the living costs themselves.

Dependence on parents for living costs was the highest for freshmen, while seniors were the most independent, with 35.4 percent of them earning their own living costs.

More than half the respondents, 54.7 percent, said they spent a similar amount of money for living as in the previous term, but 31 percent said they spent more, citing inflation.