Best & Affordable Places to Shop in Seoul

By Roni Rosen

One thing Seoul is known for is fashion! Whether it is -10 C outside or 29 C, people dress to impress. Keeping up with the weather is hard enough, let alone the latest trends. Luckily, I have found some amazing spots to shop for affordable, good-quality clothes! 

GoTo Mall

The first place I have to recommend is right inside the Express bus terminal! After coming out of the subway you will notice tons of clothing shops. Here is the Go-To mall 🙂 You can find almost anything for 10,000 won and the quality isn’t bad! They have many cute sweaters, accessories, jackets, jeans, the list goes on. Just be prepared to get a little lost because the mall is huge! 

How to get there: You can use line 3, 7 or 9 and just make your way towards exit 8. On your way to the exit you will start seeing tons of stores

Dongdaemun Market

This is Korea’s biggest wholesale shopping district! There are 26 malls and around 30,000 specialty shops. You can literally get anything you need from this huge market – from shoes to electronics!
I recommended the Hello aPM mall in the market. It has a wide variety of options for affordable prices! 

How to Get There: Use subway line 2, 4, or 5, get off at Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station then take Exit 14. Or subway line 1 or 4, get off at Dongdaemun Station then take Exit 8 or 9.

Hongdae

So, of course, Hongdae is known for its nightlife but there are also many stores you can visit! They are known to carry both trendy clothes and also fashion on the edgier side! My personal favorite store in Hongdae is TroubaDour. It has tons of cute sweaters, pants, skirts, etc. And all for a good price! On your next night out, don’t forget to check out some of the shops and boutiques Hongdae has to offer. 

How to get there: Subway Line 2, Hongik University Station, Exit 5

Myeongdong

Explore Myeongdong if you really want a fun shopping experience! There is a car free zone, so you can walk around and take a look at all the street vendors + stores. This shopping area includes local stores, international brands, and department stores. There are actually six malls in this area!! The Noon Square, M Plaza, Migliore Myeongdong, Lotte Department Store, Lotte Young Plaza, and Shinsegae Department Store. After spending a few hours enjoying the stores, I recommend visiting the Hello Kitty cafe in Myeongdong! 

How to get there: Using line 4, get off at Myeongdong Station and use exit 5, 6, 7, or 8. You can also use line 2 and get off at Euljiro Station, use exit 5 or 6 (It is a 2 minute walk from the exit)

Lotte Department Store

I know most people wouldn’t expect the Lotte department store (in Jamsil) to have cheap clothes when it’s known for carrying a bunch of brand-name items. But it definitely carries some super cute and affordable clothes. Once in the mall, I recommend heading to floor B1! On this floor, I was able to find a bunch of cute clothes for pretty good prices. I recently got a great quality winter sweater for 25,000 won from one of the boutiques here! I also have to mention the aquarium-themed cafe on B1 (definitely check it out!!). Of course there are tons of Lotte department stores all throughout Korea, you will definitely find one near you! The Jamsil branch connects to Lotte World and the Skytower so I recommend checking it out. 

How to get there: Using line 2 or 8, get off at Jamsil station and go to exit 4. The department store is connected directly to the station, but sometimes the entrance there is closed. The main entrance will be right in front of exit 4. 

Uniqlo

I 100% recommend Uniqlo for some winter shopping! This place is known to carry great thermals. I went there recently and got thermal tights for only 9,000 won! There are quite a few Uniqlo’s in Seoul, so you are bound to bump into one. But if you can’t find one, just head to Sadang Station (it is inside the station) 🙂

How to get there: There are Uniqlo’s everywhere! They are featured in quite a few Lotte department stores as well as the Coex mall. 

Ewha Womans University Street

The last place I will mention is Ewha Womans University street! This area is known to have both affordable and high-priced clothes for women. It is super popular for college students because you can get a lot of great deals!! The clothes here are also very trendy 🙂

How to get there: Take Seoul Subway Line 2, get off at Ewha Womans University Station then take exit 2 and walk to the shopping street.