Living as a Digital Nomad in Seoul for 6 Months

After finishing five months as a digital nomad in Canada last May, I wanted to put down what the following six months in Seoul looked like.

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Where I Lived

I considered staying in a smaller city in Korea, but housing and living costs weren’t light, so I decided to stay in my original place and put that money toward future overseas nomad life instead. I’d still like to try living in other parts of Seoul someday.

Where I Worked

I already had a monitor and standing desk at home, so until then I’d been working from home plus a nearby cafe. This time I had less space, so I signed up for "Fivespot." Partly to try a coworking space, partly tempted by the idea of one iced americano a day at a cafe near home, I went for a six-month plan.

Early on, the weather was nice for autumn, so I had fun exploring different coworking spots by Seoul’s bike share. But I came to value routine, and once winter hit, I went back to home + nearby cafe. I’m glad I used several offices in a cost-effective way, though I do regret being tied to Korea for half a year. The six-month plan allowed a 30-day pause, but I wanted to stay abroad longer as a digital nomad, so I chose to stay in Korea.

Still, I got to work from a nice office in the fall with the leaves turning.

Daily Rhythm

The first month was very irregular—backlogged plans and the Chuseok holiday got in the way. To get back to a healthier work–rest balance, I made a weekly rhythm tracker in Notion and aimed for a routine of working five days and resting two. I also kept going to the gym with a friend on weekday evenings around 7:30 while watching volleyball.

Lately I’ve been sleeping in more, so it might be time to change where I live and reset my timezone. 😎

Food

One of the biggest reasons I didn’t want to work from a coworking space on weekdays was lunch. I went solo to work freely—going back to an office and a hectic lunch rush didn’t appeal. I tried exploring restaurants after 2 p.m., but when my routine slipped, my health did too, so I switched to working at home in the morning, having lunch, then working outside in the afternoon.

The downside of working from home is stocking way too much snacks. It’s funny how wherever you work, it starts to look like an office—you optimize for getting work done.

Culture & Life

I tried to see at least one film a month at an indie cinema. I ended up watching seven—mission accomplished. I used to read at night to avoid the phone, but these days I’m staying up with the laptop trying to squeeze in more. I need to bring back the reading routine. I also visited the National Museum of Korea on a weekday and took a five-day trip to Gwangju.

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I used to find Seoul’s routine dull and just wanted to go abroad and live as a nomad again. I tried to shift my perspective and enjoy the stability and ease that come from a repeating daily life. I’m leaving for Ottawa, Canada in ten days—this time I want to enjoy more than just being stuck in front of the laptop.