Utility Bills in Korea: Electricity, Gas, Water, Maintenance Fees, and How to Pay Them

Disclaimer: This guide is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Utility rates are set by KEPCO, regional gas companies and local governments, and they change; the figures below were checked in October 2026 and apply to Seoul unless stated otherwise. For electricity, call KEPCO on 123. For water and other Seoul city services, call the Dasan Call Center on 120. For interpretation in English at any hour, call 1330. For a dispute with a landlord over fees, the Korea Legal Aid Corporation can be reached on 132.

This guide covers: which bills arrive and who sends them, how to tell from the lease who pays what, how Korea's three-tier electricity pricing works with a worked example, why winter and summer bills jump, how city gas is priced and why the bill is in megajoules, what water and sewer cost in Seoul in 2026, what goes into an apartment or officetel maintenance fee and the rules that now force landlords to itemize it, the TV license fee that returned to the electricity bill, garbage bags, every way to pay, what happens when a bill is late, how to settle bills when moving in and out, and what academies providing housing should put in writing.

Which bills arrive, and who sends them

Short answer: A typical home in Korea has four or five charges: electricity from KEPCO (한국전력), city gas from a regional gas company, water and sewer from the local government, a maintenance fee (관리비) from the building's management, and a TV license fee collected with electricity. In many apartments and officetels, several of these are combined into the single maintenance fee bill, so the first task is to find out which bills come separately.

In academy-provided housing, bills may go to the academy, the landlord or the teacher, which is why it pays to ask on day one where each charge goes.

The usual bills

Internet and mobile phone bills are separate private contracts and are not covered here; for mobile plans, see the Hagwon Hub guide to phone plans.

Practical tip: On the first day in a new home, photograph the electricity, gas and water meters with their readings, and ask the landlord or academy contact which bills come separately and which are inside the maintenance fee. Those photos settle most later disputes about who used what.

Who pays what: read the lease first

Short answer: In ordinary rentals, the tenant pays for what the household uses (electricity, gas, water and the usage parts of the maintenance fee), and the owner pays for the building itself, including the long-term repair reserve (장기수선충당금). Korean law requires an apartment owner to repay that reserve if a tenant paid it. Fixed monthly maintenance fees in small buildings are set by the landlord and must now be itemized when they are ₩100,000 or more.

A lease that says only "utilities included" leaves the important questions open: which utilities, up to what amount, and who settles the final month.

The usual split

For academy-provided housing, the employment contract or a housing addendum should say the same things a lease would: which utilities the teacher pays, whether the academy pays the maintenance fee, and how the final month is settled.

Electricity: how the three tiers work

Short answer: Residential electricity, including residential officetels, is priced in three tiers. Outside July and August, the first 200 kWh costs ₩120.0 per kWh, 201 to 400 kWh ₩214.6, and anything above 400 kWh ₩307.3. In July and August the tiers widen to 300 and 450 kWh. Each tier also has a monthly base charge, ₩910, ₩1,600 or ₩7,300, set by the tier the month's total falls into.

The tiers are progressive (누진제): only the kilowatt-hours inside each band are charged at that band's rate, but crossing into a higher band also moves the whole bill to that band's base charge. These rates have applied since May 16, 2023, and KEPCO's published tariff still showed them in October 2026.

KEPCO residential low-voltage tariff (주택용 저압), 2026

What else is on the bill

A worked example

Take a one-bedroom apartment that uses 350 kWh in October. Using the published rates, and ignoring the rounding KEPCO applies:

The same 350 kWh in July or August stays inside tier 1 and part of tier 2 under the summer bands, and the base and energy charges fall from ₩57,790 to ₩48,330.

Practical tip: Check the usage figure on the first two bills and compare it with 200 and 400 kWh. A household that sits just above a tier boundary saves the most by trimming usage, because the higher base charge and rate apply only once the boundary is crossed.

Why winter and summer bills jump

Short answer: Bills rise when heating or cooling is electric. Air conditioners in summer and electric heaters, heated mats and electric water heaters in winter push monthly usage past 400 kWh, where every extra kilowatt-hour costs ₩307.3, and in December to February or July to August usage above 1,000 kWh costs ₩736.2. In homes heated by gas or district heating, the winter jump shows up on the gas bill or the maintenance fee instead.

The key question for any new home is how it is heated, because that decides which bill carries the winter cost.

How a home is heated, and where the cost appears

Apartments with heat meters must charge heating by the metered amount, under the Enforcement Decree of the Multi-Family Housing Management Act.

Practical tip: Ask before signing a lease or accepting academy housing whether heating is gas, district or electric, and ask to see a winter maintenance fee statement or gas bill from the previous year. One January bill says more about the real cost of a home than the monthly rent does.

Gas: why the bill is in megajoules

Short answer: City gas (도시가스) is supplied by a regional company assigned to each district, and residential gas is priced per megajoule (MJ) of energy, not per cubic meter. In Seoul, the residential consumer rate has been ₩22.5268 per MJ since the adjustment of September 1, 2026, which left it unchanged. The bill converts the cubic meters on the meter into megajoules, then adds a base charge and 10 percent VAT.

Because the meter shows cubic meters and the bill shows megajoules, many first-time readers think the bill is wrong. The conversion is standard.

How a residential gas bill is calculated

One gas supplier, Daeryun E&S, publishes the residential formula as: usage in cubic meters × a correction factor × the average heat value (MJ per cubic meter) × the unit rate, plus the base charge and a meter replacement charge, plus 10 percent VAT. The average heat value is the monthly weighted average of the gas supplied. The wholesale part of the rate is approved by the national government and moves with fuel prices; the supplier's margin needs local government approval.

Seoul city gas rates from September 1, 2026

Safety inspections

Gas companies are required to inspect household gas installations. Seoul City Gas inspects homes that use gas only for cooking once a year and homes that use it for cooking and heating twice a year, with a staff member or safety manager visiting to check for leaks and faulty fittings. Inspections are usually announced by text message, and a household that misses one can call the local service center to rebook.

The capital area is served by several suppliers, including Seoul City Gas, Yesco, Kowon Energy Service, Daeryun E&S, Kiturami Energy, Samchully and Incheon City Gas. The supplier's name and customer number are printed on the bill.

Practical tip: Let the inspector in, or rebook a missed visit. The inspection is the supplier's legal safety check, and the inspector is the person most likely to notice a leak or faulty fitting before it becomes dangerous.

Water and sewer: what Seoul charges in 2026

Short answer: In Seoul, household water costs ₩580 per cubic meter plus a monthly base charge by meter size (₩1,080 for the common 15 mm meter), and sewer use costs ₩480 per cubic meter in 2026. Seoul has approved sewer increases every year until 2030, when the household rate reaches ₩770. A water use charge (물이용부담금) for river-basin management is also added per cubic meter.

The scheduled sewer increases mean the water and sewer bill in Seoul will rise each year until 2030.

Seoul household water and sewer rates

Seoul confirmed the sewer schedule on September 29, 2025, an average increase of 9.5 percent a year, to pay for replacing old sewer pipes and modernizing treatment plants. Other cities set their own rates.

Seoul's water authority runs an online customer center (아리수 요금고객센터) where residents can check and pay bills, enter their own meter readings where self-reading applies, and use a one-stop service to settle water charges when moving.

Maintenance fees: what is inside them

Short answer: For apartments, the law lists what a maintenance fee (관리비) may include: general management, cleaning, security, disinfection, elevator upkeep, home network equipment, heating, hot water, repairs and the management company's commission. Usage charges such as electricity, water, gas, district heating, septic tank and waste fees, and building insurance may be collected with it but must be shown separately. Larger apartment complexes must publish their fees on the government's K-apt system.

Officetels, one-room buildings and villas are governed by looser rules, and that is where government research has found the most problems with opaque fees.

Rules that now protect tenants of small buildings

These rules require disclosure, not proof. A landlord still does not have to show receipts for a fixed fee in a small building, and a government research institute has documented listings where the maintenance fee was larger than the rent. A low rent with a high fixed fee is a pattern to question before signing.

The long-term repair reserve

Apartment management offices collect a long-term repair reserve (장기수선충당금) for future major repairs, separately from the maintenance fee. The Enforcement Decree of the Multi-Family Housing Management Act makes this the owner's cost: when a tenant has paid it, the owner must repay it, and the management office must issue a confirmation of the amount paid on request.

Practical tip: Before moving out of an apartment, ask the management office for a confirmation of the long-term repair reserve paid during the tenancy (장기수선충당금 납부확인서) and ask the landlord to repay it with the deposit. Over a one- or two-year contract it can add up to a meaningful sum.

The TV license fee is back on the electricity bill

Short answer: Under the Broadcasting Act, a household that owns a TV set must register it and pay a license fee of ₩2,500 a month. From July 2023 the fee was billed separately, but an amendment passed in April 2025 restored combined billing, and since October 23, 2025 it has again been collected with the electricity bill.

The fee has been ₩2,500 since 1981. Of it, ₩2,261 goes to KBS, ₩70 to EBS and ₩169 to KEPCO as a collection fee.

The obligation attaches to owning a TV set. A household with no TV can contact KEPCO, or the apartment management office where electricity is billed through the complex, about removing the charge.

Garbage: paying by the bag

Short answer: Household waste in Korea is paid for by buying official volume-based garbage bags (종량제 봉투) for the district where the home is. In all 25 Seoul districts, a 20-liter household bag cost ₩490 in October 2026. Recyclables and food waste follow separate local rules.

Bags are designated by each district, so a bag from one district should not be used in another. The building's posted notice or the management office explains where and when to put out general waste, recycling and food waste.

How to pay

Short answer: Utilities generally offer automatic bank transfer (자동이체), which is the simplest option once a Korean bank account is open. KEPCO also accepts payment online, by designated virtual account, at convenience stores, at banks and through KakaoPay, and gas bills can typically be paid through the national GIRO system or a customer-specific virtual account.

Automatic payment also removes the risk of missing a paper bill that went to an old address or an unchecked mailbox.

Payment methods

Practical tip: Sign up for e-billing or app notices in addition to automatic transfer. A paper bill addressed to a previous tenant is easy to miss, and an app notice gives a few days' warning if an automatic payment fails.

Late payment: what happens and when

Short answer: KEPCO adds a late fee of 1.5 percent of the unpaid amount for each of the first two months, 3 percent at most. If a bill remains unpaid two months after the due date, KEPCO may end the supply contract after seven days' notice, but for homes it can instead fit a current limiter that keeps a reduced supply on. Gas suppliers charge their own late fees and can suspend supply after repeated reminders.

The penalties are modest at first, but losing heat in January is not, and in Gyeonggi, restoring a suspended gas supply also carries a ₩2,200 fee.

If a bill looks wrong, KEPCO's terms allow a customer to dispute it and request a test of the meter. KEPCO refunds overcharges caused by its own errors with interest.

Moving in and moving out

Short answer: Each utility has to be settled at the move date. Read and photograph every meter, book the gas company two or three days ahead for disconnection when leaving and connection when arriving, ask KEPCO and the water authority for a final reading or a change of name, and settle the last maintenance fee with the management office before the deposit is returned.

Utility settlements happen in the same days as the deposit return, so the paperwork here protects the deposit too.

What each utility needs

Practical tip: On moving in, check the gas meter and bill for any unpaid amount left by the previous resident. The gas supplier's own guidance tells new residents to confirm arrears and settle usage with the outgoing household at the meter reading.

Step by step: setting up utilities in a new home

1. Day one: photograph every meter with its reading and the date.
2. Day one: ask the landlord or academy contact which bills come separately and which are inside the maintenance fee, and get a copy of the last statement.
3. First week: find out how the home is heated: gas boiler, district heating, central heating or electric.
4. First week: book gas connection if it is not already on; let the installer run the safety check.
5. After the bank account opens: set up automatic transfer for each separate bill, and turn on app or e-mail notices.
6. First two bills: check electricity usage against the 200 and 400 kWh boundaries.
7. Every inspection notice: be home for the gas safety inspection or rebook it.
8. Before winter: ask for last year's January bill or maintenance fee statement to budget for heating.
9. Before moving out: book final readings, settle every bill, and ask for the long-term repair reserve confirmation.

For academies

When an academy provides housing, utility misunderstandings become workplace disputes. Operators can avoid most of them:

• State in the contract or housing addendum exactly which costs the teacher pays (electricity, gas, water, maintenance fee, internet, TV fee) and which the academy pays.
• Give the teacher the previous winter's gas bill or maintenance fee statement, so the heating cost is not a surprise.
• Photograph meter readings with the teacher at move-in and move-out, and keep the photos with the housing file.
• Set up automatic payment or explain how each bill is paid, in English if possible, during the first week.
• If the teacher's payments include the long-term repair reserve, arrange for the owner to repay it at the end of the tenancy, as the law requires.
• Settle the final month's bills promptly when a teacher leaves, and deduct only what the contract and the actual bills support.

Common problems and what causes them

Frequently asked questions

How much is electricity in Korea per kWh in 2026?
For homes, ₩120.0 for the first 200 kWh, ₩214.6 up to 400 kWh, and ₩307.3 above that, outside July and August, plus base charges, a ₩9.0 climate charge, a ₩5 fuel adjustment, 10 percent VAT and a 2.7 percent fund levy.

Why is my Korean electricity bill so high in summer or winter?
Air conditioning or electric heating pushes usage into the third tier, and above 1,000 kWh in peak months a much higher super-user rate applies.

What is 관리비 in Korea?
The monthly maintenance fee for a building's shared costs, such as cleaning, security and elevators, often bundled with the household's electricity, water and heating charges.

Do tenants pay the long-term repair reserve?
They often pay it with the maintenance fee, but it is the owner's cost, and the owner must repay a tenant who paid it.

Do foreigners have to pay the TV license fee in Korea?
The fee applies to any household with a TV set, regardless of nationality: ₩2,500 a month, collected with the electricity bill since October 2025.

How are gas bills calculated in Korea?
Cubic meters on the meter are converted into megajoules using a correction factor and the average heat value, then multiplied by the rate (₩22.5268 per MJ for Seoul homes), with a base charge and VAT added.

How often is the gas safety inspection?
For Seoul City Gas customers, once a year for cooking-only homes and twice a year for homes that also heat with gas.

What happens if a utility bill is not paid?
KEPCO charges 1.5 percent a month for two months and can restrict supply after two months; gas companies can suspend supply after repeated reminders.

How do I pay utility bills in Korea without a Korean bank account?
At a bank counter or convenience store with the paper bill, or through the building's maintenance fee, until an account allows automatic transfer.

What do I need to do with utilities when moving out?
Book final readings, settle each bill, have the gas line capped, and collect the long-term repair reserve confirmation before the deposit is returned.

The short version

Most homes in Korea receive electricity, gas, water and maintenance fee charges, and in apartments several of them come together on one statement. Finding out on the first day which bills are separate, and photographing every meter, prevents most problems.

Electricity is priced in tiers, ₩120.0, ₩214.6 and ₩307.3 per kWh, with the boundaries at 200 and 400 kWh for most of the year. Heating decides the winter cost, and it lands on whichever bill matches the home's heating type.

Small buildings must now itemize fixed maintenance fees of ₩100,000 or more, and agents must explain shared costs separately. The long-term repair reserve is the owner's cost, and a tenant who paid it can ask for it back.

The single most useful action is to set up automatic payment with app notices for every separate bill as soon as the bank account opens.

Sources

• KEPCO residential tariff (주택용 저압/고압): tiers, base charges, energy charges and super-user rate, in effect since May 16, 2023 (Korean)
• KEPCO Basic Supply Terms and detailed rules: late fees (Article 75), termination and current limiters (Article 15), tenant termination on moving (Article 13), billing of the fund levy and TV fee (Article 82), climate charge of ₩9.0 per kWh (Annex 7) (Korean, PDF)
• News1, September 21, 2026: fourth-quarter 2026 fuel cost adjustment kept at +₩5 per kWh for the 18th quarter (Korean)
• eToday, May 2024: Electric Power Industry Base Fund levy cut by one percentage point in steps from July 2024 (Korean)
• Vegan News, 2026: how the progressive tiers add up, worked examples and the 2.7 percent fund levy (Korean)
• Seoul Metropolitan Government price information: city gas rates from September 1, 2026 (Korean)
• Daeryun E&S: residential gas bill formula, payment methods, late fees and moving-day procedures (Korean)
• Seoul City Gas: safety inspection frequency and process (Korean)
• Seoul Metropolitan Government price information: water rates and meter base charges (Korean)
• Seoul Metropolitan Government price information: sewer rates 2026–2030 (Korean)
• Seoul Metropolitan Government press release, September 29, 2025: sewer rate increases confirmed (Korean)
• K-water: the water use charge in the four major river basins (Korean)
• Seoul Waterworks (Arisu) customer center: bills, self-reading and moving settlement (Korean)
• National Law Information Center, Enforcement Decree of the Multi-Family Housing Management Act, Articles 23 (maintenance fee items and usage charges) and 31 (long-term repair reserve repaid by the owner) (Korean)
• National Law Information Center, Multi-Family Housing Management Act, Article 23: disclosure of maintenance fees on K-apt (Korean)
• Kookje Shinmun, September 21, 2023: itemized maintenance fees required in listings for fixed fees of ₩100,000 or more (Korean)
• The Biz, August 11, 2026: agents must explain shared maintenance costs from August 28, 2026; July 2024 rule; research institute findings (Korean)
• National Law Information Center, Civil Act, Article 623: the landlord's duty to keep the leased home fit for use (Korean)
• National Law Information Center, Broadcasting Act, Article 64: TV set registration and license fee (Korean)
• Digital Daily, October 23, 2025: TV license fee billed with electricity again; how the ₩2,500 is divided (Korean)
• Seoul Metropolitan Government price information: volume-based garbage bag prices by district (Korean)
• KEPCO: 123 · Seoul Dasan Call Center (including water): 120 · Interpretation: 1330 · Korea Legal Aid Corporation: 132

For deposits and what can be deducted from them, see the guide to housing deposits. For reporting a broken boiler or leak in Korean, see the guide to reporting apartment problems. For the bank account that automatic payments need, see the guide to opening a Korean bank account. For paying bills by app, see the guide to Kakao, Naver and Toss apps.