Why I think Sinchon 신촌 is the best area to live in Seoul

I have been living in Korea for more than 10 years. I have lived all over Seoul in my attempt to finding the perfect balance of affordable housing, cheap eats, good transportation and vibrant neighborhood. Sinchon are A+ in all those categories.

Let me break down each category.

1. Housing: The Sinchon area is catered towards students so housing costs are considerably lower here compared to nearby Hongdae which is another popular student area. You can expect to save at least 50,000/month for a comparable home compared to Hongdae, Itaewon or Gangnam area.

2. Food: Although it once was famous for chicken and meat barbecue places, in the past few years there has been an influx of international restaurants to cater to the students. There are plenty of Vietnamese, Italian, Western restaurants and a few French, Mexican and Indonesian restaurants that popped up in the recent years.

Cafes: are a whole another level. I can reach over 10 cafes in 5 minutes from my apartment and I live in a quiet residential side of Sinchon.

Groceries: with the closure of grand mart in the heart of sinchon. There was a rise of small markets and mom and pop shops that sold cheap fruits and vegetables. Steps away are either 711, CU and GS25 stores open 24 hours!

3. Transportation: The mass fleet of buses and the green Line 2 can pretty much take you anywhere in less than 30 minutes. Unless you go South of the river which can take an hour. (gangnam) There’s also the Sinchon Railway station and Sogang university station (Gyeongui-Jungang Line) which gives you more options to get to your destination.

Bikes and Scooters: Bikes and electric scooters can conveniently and quickly take you to anywhere nearby. You can find one of those modes of transportation nearby the station or sometimes right outside your home!

4. Neighborhood: The area is very walkable with a nice park that stretches from Gongdeok to Hongdae (45 minute walk end to end) Great for a casual stroll or to ride a bike or scooter.

Every weekend one of main streets turns into a “walking only street” which holds weekend concerts and festivals. The most popular ones are the watergun and the beer festival!

Hope this helped in getting familiar with the Sinchon Area. Let me know if you have questions!

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