I moved to Seoul four years ago without a car, bought a Sonata in year two, and sold it last spring. Here is the honest maths.

**Monthly costs I actually paid:** insurance 95,000 won, parking at home 120,000 won, fuel around 180,000 won, tolls and parking out 60,000 won, maintenance averaged 50,000 won. Roughly 500,000 won a month before depreciation.

**What the car gave me:** weekend trips to Gangwon, Costco runs, and the freedom to leave the city on a Friday night. Inside the city it was slower than the subway for almost everything.

**What changed my mind:** the parking. Finding a spot in Mapo at 10 pm turned every evening out into a chore. A shared car from the app costs me about 150,000 won a month for the same weekend trips.

If you live inside the ring road and work near a subway line, you probably do not need to own. If you have kids, live in Gyeonggi or love weekend trips, buy something small and efficient and enjoy it. Just budget for parking before anything else.