Getting Around Seoul: Fares, Cards and Which One You Need

Seoul has one of the best transit systems anywhere, and it is genuinely easy once you know four things: which card to buy, how transfers work, what the last train actually is, and when a taxi is worth it. This page answers those in order, then points you to the detailed guide for each.

Every fare on this page was checked against the city’s own published tariffs in August 2026. Numbers here change every couple of years and we date-stamp them for that reason.

Start here: what do you actually need?

Your situation	Do this	Guide
Landing at Incheon	Buy a T-money card at the airport, then take the AREX all-stop train (₩4,750) unless you want a reserved seat (₩13,000)	Incheon Airport to Seoul
Getting around all week	One T-money card covers subway, every bus, most taxis and the river ferry	Seoul Public Transport Guide
First time on the subway	Tap in, tap out, mind the transfer window	How to Ride the Seoul Subway
Out past midnight	Night buses run when the subway stops; taxis add 20–40%	Seoul Public Transport Guide
Dragging a suitcase	Lockers at Seoul Station from ₩1,000 for two hours	Seoul Station Guide
Heading south from Gangnam	SRT leaves from Suseo, not Seoul Station — and KORAIL PASS is not valid on it	Suseo Station Guide
Want the scenic route	The river ferry is ₩3,000 and takes a transit card	Hangang Bus Guide

2026 fares at a glance

Subway

	Fare
Adult, transit card	₩1,550 (first 10 km)
Adult, single-journey ticket	₩1,650 + ₩500 refundable deposit
Beyond 10 km	+₩100 per 5 km
Before 06:30 on weekdays	₩1,240
Child 6–12 / Youth 13–18 (card)	₩550 / ₩900

Bus

Colour	Fare
Blue (trunk) & Green (local)	₩1,500
Village bus	₩1,200
Yellow (city circular)	₩1,400
Red (Gyeonggi express)	₩3,000
N-Bus (night)	₩2,500

Taxi

	Fare
Standard, first 1.6 km	₩4,800
Then	₩100 per 131 m
22:00–23:00 and 02:00–04:00	+20%
23:00–02:00	+40%
Outside city limits	+20%
Deluxe / Jumbo, first 3 km	₩7,000 (₩8,400 between 22:00 and 04:00)

Transfers are the thing to get right. Subway, bus and Gyeonggi express bus count as one journey if you tap correctly: free within 30 minutes, or 60 minutes between 21:00 and 07:00, up to four transfers. You must tap your card when getting off the bus, or the discount is lost.

Tourist passes: worth it or not?

	Climate Card	Tmoney M-Pass
Type	Unlimited within the period	Up to 20 rides a day
Price	1-day ₩5,000 / 2-day ₩8,000 / 3-day ₩10,000 / 5-day ₩15,000 / 7-day ₩20,000	1-day ₩15,000 / 2-day ₩23,000 / 3-day ₩30,500 / 5-day ₩47,500 / 7-day ₩64,500
Covers	Seoul only — subway, bus, public bikes	Subway and selected buses, wider area
Best for	Staying inside Seoul and riding a lot	Day trips beyond the city

At ₩1,550 a ride, a 1-day Climate Card pays for itself at about four journeys. Most visitors do not hit that on a slow day, so buy the pass only for the days you know will be busy.

The full guides

Guide	What it covers
Seoul Public Transport Guide 2026	Cards, fares, transfers, bus colours, taxis, passes — the complete reference
How to Ride the Seoul Subway	Step by step from ticket machine to exit, with the deposit refund
Incheon Airport to Seoul	AREX express vs all-stop vs taxi, with real timetables and journey times
Seoul Station Guide	Luggage lockers with prices, KTX platforms, the city airport terminal
Suseo Station Guide	SRT booking in English, hospital shuttles from Exit 3, locker prices, the car park that moved
Hangang Bus Guide	The river ferry — eight piers, fares, and whether it beats the subway
Tax Refund in Korea	Not transport, but you will want it at the airport

Sources & last checked

All fares verified in August 2026 against the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s public transport fare guide and official taxi tariff (revised April 2026), AREX’s published fare table, and the Hangang Bus operator. The subway base fare last rose to ₩1,550 on 28 June 2025. Fares and pass prices change with little notice — check before buying a multi-day pass.