Soaring dining costs, wellness culture are reshaping lunch in Korea

Many Seoul office workers are packing homemade or ready-made lunches as restaurant prices rise and health concerns grow. A Seoul worker said lunch outings had become too expensive, with a basic meal and coffee often costing more than 20,000 won. Searches for lunch-related items surged, while prepared lunchbox sales also rose. Official data showed dining-out prices climbed 2.7 percent year-on-year in August.

29CM said searches for insulated cooler bags surged 656 percent year-on-year in August.

Searches for lunchbox cutlery sets and thermal lunchboxes rose 75 percent and 69 percent from the previous month, respectively.

Market Kurly said sales in its prepared lunchbox category climbed about 30 percent year-on-year in August.

The Korea Consumer Agency said the average price of cold noodles in Seoul reached 12,692 won in July, while Wooraeok raised its Pyongyang-style noodles to 18,000 won from 16,000 won earlier this year.

The Ministry of Data and Statistics said dining-out prices rose 2.7 percent year-on-year in August, while personal service prices increased 3.5 percent and overall consumer prices rose 3.1 percent.

Published Sep 9, 2026 7:00 am KST

Searches for 'insulated cooler bags' soar 656% year-over-year

An office worker in Seoul surnamed Lee, 43, started packing her own lunches a month ago, as eating out for lunch had become an unsustainable financial burden. A basic lunch paired with an afternoon coffee routinely cost more than 20,000 won ($15), quietly eating into her monthly budget.

“Tracking down quality, low-cost eateries every single day is not easy,” Lee said. “A standard bowl of pork and rice soup that once cost about 8,000 won now costs nearly 15,000 won. On top of the rising cost, I was also getting tired of the heavy, salty food at restaurants.”

Many white-collar workers in Seoul are turning away from restaurants in favor of homemade and ready-made meals. The shift is being driven by two factors: rising restaurant prices and a growing focus on health and wellness.

Growing demand for lunch boxes is reflected in online product searches.

According to 29CM, a fashion platform operated by Musinsa, searches for "insulated cooler bags" surged 656 percent year-over-year in August.

During the same period, searches for “lunchbox cutlery sets” and “thermal lunchboxes” increased 75 percent and 69 percent from the previous month, respectively.

Some time-pressed workers are turning to ready-to-heat alternatives. Market Kurly, a leading online grocer, saw sales in its prepared lunchbox category climb about 30 percent year-over-year in August. Microwave-ready meals priced under 7,000 won were among the most popular products.

The main driver behind the trend is the sharp rise in restaurant prices.

Data from the Korea Consumer Agency showed that the average price of a bowl of cold noodles, known as "naengmyeon," in Seoul reached 12,692 won in July. High-end restaurants are charging even more, with Wooraeok raising the price of its signature Pyongyang-style noodles to 18,000 won from 16,000 won earlier this year.

Pork belly, a popular staple among Korean diners, was not exempt from the upward trend in prices. A 200-gram serving averaged 21,321 won in Seoul in July.

According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics, the price of dining out rose 2.7 percent year-on-year in August, while personal service prices increased 3.5 percent. Overall consumer prices rose 3.1 percent.

“Lunch is a nonnegotiable daily expense,” said Kim, who runs a startup in Seoul. “If you spend just 2,000 won more on each meal, that adds up to 40,000 won a month based on 20 workdays. Small price increases can add up to a significant amount over the course of a year.”

Beyond the need to save money, personal wellness is also reinforcing the meal-prep trend.

In a recent poll of 1,000 adults by market research firm Embrain Trendmonitor, 43.8 percent of respondents said managing their diet was the most important part of maintaining their health, ahead of regular exercise at 40.8 percent.

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随着餐饮价格上涨和健康问题日益突出，许多首尔上班族选择自带午餐或购买现成的便当。一位首尔上班族表示，外出就餐的成本已经过高，一份简单的午餐加一杯咖啡往往就要花费超过2万韩元。午餐相关商品的搜索量激增，盒饭销量也随之上升。官方数据显示，8月份外出就餐价格同比上涨2.7%。

29CM表示，8月份保温冷藏袋的搜索量同比增长了656%。

与上个月相比，午餐盒餐具套装和保温午餐盒的搜索量分别增长了 75% 和 69%。

Market Kurly 表示，其预制午餐盒品类的销售额在 8 月份同比增长了约 30%。

韩国消费者振兴院表示，7月份首尔冷面的平均价格达到12692韩元，而Wooraeok的平壤风味面条价格从今年早些时候的16000韩元上涨至18000韩元。

韩国数据统计部表示，8月份外出就餐价格同比上涨2.7%，个人服务价格上涨3.5%，整体消费价格上涨3.1%。

发布于2026年9月9日 上午7:00（韩国标准时间）

“保温冷藏袋”的搜索量同比增长656%

首尔一位姓李的43岁上班族，一个月前开始自己带午餐，因为外出吃午饭已经成为她难以承受的经济负担。一份简单的午餐加上一杯下午茶通常就要花费超过2万韩元（约合15美元），这悄悄地蚕食着她每月的预算。

李说：“每天寻找物美价廉的餐馆并不容易。以前一碗普通的猪肉米汤只要8000韩元左右，现在要将近15000韩元。除了物价上涨，我也厌倦了餐馆里那些油腻又咸的食物。”

首尔许多白领不再光顾餐厅，而是选择在家自制或购买速食。这一转变主要受两个因素驱动：一是餐厅价格上涨，二是人们越来越注重健康养生。

午餐盒需求的增长反映在网上产品搜索量上。

据 Musinsa 运营的时尚平台 29CM 称，8 月份“保温冷藏袋”的搜索量同比增长了 656%。

同期，“午餐盒餐具套装”和“保温午餐盒”的搜索量分别比上月增长了 75% 和 69%。

一些时间紧迫的上班族开始选择即食加热食品。领先的在线食品零售商 Market Kurly 的数据显示，8 月份其预制午餐盒的销售额同比增长约 30%。售价低于 7000 韩元的微波炉即食食品是最受欢迎的产品之一。

推动这一趋势的主要因素是餐饮价格的急剧上涨。

韩国消费者振兴院的数据显示，7月份首尔一碗冷面（韩语称“冷面”）的平均价格达到12692韩元。高档餐厅的收费更高，例如，Wooraeok餐厅今年早些时候将其招牌平壤冷面的价格从16000韩元提高到了18000韩元。

五花肉是韩国食客喜爱的主食，也未能幸免于价格上涨的趋势。7月份在首尔，200克五花肉的平均价格为21321韩元。

据统计部数据显示，8月份外出就餐价格同比上涨2.7%，个人服务价格同比上涨3.5%，整体消费价格同比上涨3.1%。

“午餐是每天都不能少的开销，”在首尔经营一家创业公司的金先生说。“如果每顿饭多花2000韩元，按20个工作日算，一个月就要多花4万韩元。价格小幅上涨，一年下来也是一笔不小的数目。”

除了省钱的需要之外，个人健康也推动了餐食准备这一趋势。

市场调研公司 Embrain Trendmonitor 最近对 1000 名成年人进行的一项民意调查显示，43.8% 的受访者表示，管理饮食是保持健康最重要的部分，其次是定期锻炼（40.8%）。

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