May 11, 2026
SEOUL – More Seoul residents are moving to neighboring Gyeonggi Province, as housing costs in the capital remain high, with the number of those leaving the capital reaching its highest level in nearly four years in the first quarter.
According to domestic migration data released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Wednesday, 83,984 people moved from Seoul to Gyeonggi Province between January and March.
The figure was up 30.9 percent from the previous quarter and 11.7 percent from a year earlier, marking the highest quarterly level since the fourth quarter of 2021, when 85,481 people relocated from Seoul to Gyeonggi Province.
The data, based on resident registration transfer reports, tracks population movements across administrative districts.
The trend, often called the “Seoul exodus,” reflects mounting pressure from the capital’s housing market. Even after periods of correction, apartment prices in Seoul remain among the highest in the country, and the city’s jeonse rental market — Korea’s lump-sum deposit rental system — has tightened significantly in recent years.
As jeonse listings declined and prices rebounded, many households have found it difficult to secure housing within Seoul without taking on heavy debt burdens.
Those leaving Seoul have largely moved to major cities in Gyeonggi Province with relatively strong transportation links and housing infrastructure. The broader inflow trend was also visible across the province.
Among those cities, Suwon recorded the largest total inflow from other regions in the first quarter, with 13,712 new residents. It was followed by Goyang with 13,317, Yongin with 13,005 and Seongnam with 12,088. Hwaseong and Pyeongtaek each recorded more than 10,000 inbound residents.
Gwangmyeong posted the highest net population gain within Gyeonggi Province, increasing by 8,203 residents during the quarter.
Housing demand from Seoul residents has also become increasingly visible in the property market.
According to data from the Supreme Court’s registry information system, Seoul residents accounted for 15.69 percent of apartment buyers in Gyeonggi Province in March, the highest level since June 2022.
The outward shift is similarly reflected in prices.
Data from the Korea Real Estate Board showed that apartment prices in Yongin’s Suji-gu rose 7.24 percent this year as of the fourth week of April. Prices in Seongnam’s Bundang-gu climbed 4.59 percent, while Suwon’s Yeongtong-gu and Hwaseong’s Dongtan-gu rose 3.67 percent and 2.88 percent, respectively. Seoul’s average increase during the same period was 2.65 percent.
Experts say many households prioritize affordability and transport access over living in Seoul itself.
“Seoul housing prices have become extremely expensive, pushing existing residents toward outer areas,” said Seo Jin-hyung, a professor of real estate law at Kwangwoon University.
“At the same time, people moving into the capital region from regional areas are increasingly choosing Gyeonggi or Incheon instead of attempting to settle directly in Seoul.”
This is particularly evident among young adults. According to Statistics Korea data released in September, Seoul recorded a net outflow of 10,000 young people aged 19 to 34 to other parts of the capital region in 2024, five times higher than the previous year’s figure of 2,000.
Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon recorded net inflows of 6,000 and 4,000 young residents, respectively.
Experts say many young Koreans initially move to Seoul for work or education opportunities but later relocate to surrounding regions due to housing costs.
“Incheon and many Gyeonggi cities remain highly dependent on commuting into Seoul,” said Seo. “After housing prices briefly declined in 2022 and early 2023, they began rising again, and the burden of housing costs appears to have intensified last year.”
Analysts warn that the growing outflow from Seoul could lead to longer commuting times and increased transportation burdens for younger workers, while reinforcing the Seoul-centered structure of jobs and commuting across the wider Seoul metropolitan area.