Changing KRW to USD in South Korea: the cheapest way, and what the rest cost you
The spread takes 0 KRW at KakaoBank.
Measured against 1363.4300 KRW per USD, the reference these banks price from.
Every figure is read from a bank's own published board, or derived from a margin it discloses — named in the evidence column, never inferred. We do not rank by any commercial relationship; the order below is the rate, and nothing else.
Which method costs least
This is the choice worth the most money, and the one most comparisons skip. Cash desks sit several points above card and transfer rates in every country we measure.
| Method | Cheapest here | Costs you | How we know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buy banknotes at a branch The bank's own banknote board — the widest spread of the three, everywhere we measure. |
KakaoBank | 0 KRW | read from obank.kbstar.com |
| Transfer / account conversion What the bank converts at when the money moves between accounts. |
KakaoBank | 0 KRW | read from obank.kbstar.com |
Cash withdrawals at an ATM are left out on purpose: they carry a per-withdrawal fee we do not collect, so listing them beside the others would flatter them.
Every bank's cash / banknotes rate
If you have to use a branch anyway, this is the order to try them in — 4 banks, cheapest first. The dearest takes 3.3% more than the cheapest.
| Bank | Buys USD | Sells USD | Costs you |
|---|---|---|---|
| KakaoBank own board | 1381.8600 | 1345.0000 | 0 KRW |
| Read from the board this bank publishes at obank.kbstar.com. | |||
| KB Kookmin Bank own board | 1334.3400 | 1381.8600 | 6,668.55 KRW |
| Read from the board this bank publishes at obank.kbstar.com. | |||
| Hana Bank own board | 1334.8300 | 1382.3700 | 6,850.55 KRW |
| Read from the board this bank publishes at www.kebhana.com. | |||
| Busan Bank (BNK) own board | 1341.7500 | 1389.5500 | 9,398.73 KRW |
| Read from the board this bank publishes at www.busanbank.co.kr. | |||
Every bank's transfers rate
If you have to use a branch anyway, this is the order to try them in — 4 banks, cheapest first. The dearest takes 1.6% more than the cheapest.
| Bank | Buys USD | Sells USD | Costs you |
|---|---|---|---|
| KakaoBank own board | 1371.2000 | 1358.1000 | 0 KRW |
| Read from the board this bank publishes at obank.kbstar.com. | |||
| KB Kookmin Bank own board | 1345.0000 | 1371.2000 | 2,833.28 KRW |
| Read from the board this bank publishes at obank.kbstar.com. | |||
| Hana Bank own board | 1345.3000 | 1371.9000 | 3,086.96 KRW |
| Read from the board this bank publishes at www.kebhana.com. | |||
| Busan Bank (BNK) own board | 1351.9900 | 1379.3100 | 5,756.50 KRW |
| Read from the board this bank publishes at www.busanbank.co.kr. | |||
Tell me when this changes
One email when a bank in South Korea moves its rate meaningfully, and a weekly note on who is cheapest. No pricing advice, no sharing your address, unsubscribe in one click.
Rates are KRW per 1 USD; "costs you" is the part of your amount the spread absorbs, against 1363.4300, the reference these banks price from. Collection began 2026-06-24. Indicative information for comparison, not financial advice. What each country's rates are officially anchored to is on the references page. Generated 2026-09-27.