Base fare ₩1,550 with a transit card, ₩1,650 on a paper single-journey ticket. Most rides inside central Seoul stay at the base fare; longer trips add ₩100 per 5 km. Every number you will actually meet at the gate, in one place.
Adult, T-money / Cashbee / WOWPASS. Up to 10 km.
Card fare. Village (yellow) ₩1,200, red express ₩3,000.
Bus↔subway↔bus, up to 4 transfers, card only. 60 min after 21:00.
Paper/card from the machine; get the ₩500 back at the refund machine after exit.
| Rider | Transit card | Single-journey ticket | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult (19+) | ₩1,550 | ₩1,650 + ₩500 refundable deposit | The ₩100 card discount is why everyone buys T-money. |
| Youth 13–18 | ₩900 | Adult price | Discount only on a card registered as 청소년 at a convenience store (passport / birth date). |
| Child 6–12 | ₩550 | Child ticket at the machine | Choose 어린이 on the card when the cashier registers it. |
| Under 6 | Free | Free | Up to 3 small children per paying adult. |
| 65+ | Free for registered Korean residents | — | Not available to visitors; tourists pay the adult fare. |
Fares rose from ₩1,400 to ₩1,550 in June 2025 and have held through 2026. Busan, Daegu and other cities run their own systems: Busan is about ₩1,600 for a one-zone card ride.
| Distance | Rule | Example (adult card) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10 km | Base fare | Myeongdong → Hongik Univ (~7 km) = ₩1,550 |
| 10–50 km | +₩100 per 5 km | Hongik Univ → Gangnam (~14 km) = ₩1,650 · Seoul Station → Suwon (~35 km) = ₩2,050 |
| Over 50 km | +₩100 per 8 km | Seoul Station → Cheonan (Line 1, ~85 km) ≈ ₩2,900 |
| Special operators | Extra surcharge on top | Shinbundang (Gangnam ↔ Pangyo/Gwanggyo) adds roughly ₩1,000. AREX all-stop from Incheon Airport is ₩4,150 (T1) / ₩4,750 (T2) to Seoul Station. |
| Bus | Colour / what it does | Card fare | Cash fare* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trunk 간선 | Blue — long cross-city routes | ₩1,500 | ₩1,600 |
| Branch 지선 | Green — feeds subway stations, neighbourhoods | ₩1,500 | ₩1,600 |
| Circular 순환 | Yellow — downtown loops | ₩1,400 | ₩1,500 |
| Village 마을버스 | Small green minibuses up the hills | ₩1,200 | ₩1,300 |
| Wide-area 광역 | Red — Seoul ↔ Gyeonggi commuter express | ₩3,000 | ₩3,100 |
| Owl 올빼미 N-bus | Late-night trunk routes 23:30–04:00 | ₩2,500 | ₩2,600 |
| Airport limousine | ICN/GMP ↔ hotel districts | ₩17,000 (₩18,000 premium) | Card or cash at the counter |
*Most Seoul city buses no longer take cash at all — the fare box has gone and you need a card or the Tmoney app. Where a cash box survives, the fare is ₩100 more and you lose the transfer discount.
| Method | Works at the gate? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| T-money card (plastic) | ✅ | Buy at any CU / GS25 / 7-Eleven or station machine, ₩2,500–₩4,000. Top up with KRW cash. Full T-money guide → |
| Cashbee / Rail+ / Namane | ✅ | Same gates, same fares; T-money is what staff recognise fastest. |
| WOWPASS (T-money wallet) | ✅ | Prepaid tourist card with a separate T-money balance. Compare → |
| Climate Card short-term pass | ✅ Seoul only | 1 / 2 / 3 / 5 / 7-day unlimited Seoul subway + city buses (₩5,000–₩20,000). Not valid on AREX express, Shinbundang, red buses or outside Seoul. |
| Foreign Visa / Mastercard / Apple Pay tap | ❌ at the gate | Unlike London or Tokyo you cannot tap a foreign bank card on Seoul gates in 2026. New machines at ~220 stations do sell single tickets to foreign cards. |
| Mobile T-money | Android only | Needs a Korean-market Android with NFC and the Tmoney app; most visitors keep the plastic card. |
Lines stop between about 23:30 and 00:30 depending on line and direction; a few run later on Fri/Sat. Naver Map shows the exact last train.
N-numbered trunk buses roughly 23:30–04:00 through Hongdae, Gangnam, Jongno, Dongdaemun. Card only.
Seoul base fare for the first 1.6 km, then ₩100 per 131 m / 30 s. Night +20 % 22:00–04:00, +40 % 23:00–02:00. Kakao T shows an estimate before you ride.
The Han River commuter ferry counts as separate transit; check whether your pass covers it before boarding.
| Ride | Fare | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AREX Express, ICN → Seoul Station | ₩13,000 (≈₩11,400 online) | Reserved seat, 43–51 min. T-money does not open the express gate. All airport options compared → |
| AREX all-stop, ICN → Seoul Station | ₩4,150 T1 / ₩4,750 T2 | T-money OK, stops at Hongik Univ; ~60 min. |
| Gimpo Airport → Seoul Station (AREX all-stop) | ₩1,600 | About 22 min. |
| Seoul → Suwon Hwaseong by Line 1 | ₩2,050 | Or ₩1,550 + surcharge on Shinbundang. |
| KTX Seoul → Busan (standard) | ₩59,800 | Not a T-money service — book on Korail Talk. KTX guide → |
| Busan subway, one zone | ≈ ₩1,600 | Own card system; T-money still works. |
✅ Checked 2026-09-04 · Sources: Seoul Metropolitan Government fare notice (June 2025 adjustment) · Seoul Metro / T-money (tmoney.co.kr) · AREX (arex.or.kr) · Seoul taxi fare regulation 2023–2026. Fares and rules change — the gate screen, ticket machine or official notice wins over this page.