How to Compare Rental Studio Prices in Seoul: Work Out the Total for Your Group, Not the Hourly Rate
When you shop for a rental photo studio, the first number you see is the hourly rate. It is also the number most likely to mislead you. We found two studios in our neighborhood with exactly the same hourly rate. For a group of ten booking three hours, one would cost 30,000 won and the other 129,000 won, more than four times as much.
We run Botonglee Studio, a small vintage-house studio near Hansung University Station in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. On September 30, 2026, while reviewing our own pricing, we took the public listings of 20 photo studios within about three kilometers of us (around Hansung Univ., Sungshin Women's Univ., Hyehwa, Changsin in Dongdaemun, and Seongbuk) on SpaceCloud, the platform most Korean studios use for bookings, and calculated what each would cost for the same set of scenarios. This post is a research-and-comparison piece based on that exercise. We do not name the studios. All figures use each studio's weekday daytime base price as listed that day, and prices may have changed since.
The short version: compare rental studios by the total you would pay for your group, for the hours you will actually use. Hourly-rate rankings and total-cost rankings disagree far more often than you would expect.
Hourly rankings flip as your group gets bigger
Two pairs from the 20 studios show how this happens.
Pair one: same hourly rate
For two people over two hours, both cost 20,000 won. For six people over two hours, Studio A still costs 20,000 won while Studio B costs 42,000 won. For ten people over three hours, Studio A costs 30,000 won and Studio B costs 129,000 won.
Pair two: the pricier hourly rate turns out cheaper
For two people over two hours, Studio D (60,000 won) is 18,000 won cheaper than Studio C (78,000 won). For ten people over three hours, Studio C (117,000 won) is 63,000 won cheaper than Studio D (180,000 won). The studio that charges 9,000 won more per hour is the better deal for a group.
The overall spread is wide, too. For two people over two hours, the 20 studios ranged from 20,000 to 99,600 won, with a median of 50,000 won. For ten people over three hours, among the 15 studios that could take a group that size, totals ran from 30,000 to 180,000 won, with a median of 79,500 won. We also looked separately at 14 vintage, retro and house-style concept studios across Seoul. Their median for two people over two hours was 70,000 won, noticeably higher than the neighborhood studios.
Three ways studios charge for group size
The totals split so sharply because studios count people in different ways.
Some studios also offer a full-day or overnight package for large crews and long shoots. We will come back to that below.
One formula for the total
Run every studio on your shortlist through this:
Total = hourly base rate × hours + (your headcount − base headcount) × extra-person fee × hours
Taking Studio B above with six people for two hours: 10,000 × 2 + (6 − 4) × 5,500 × 2 = 20,000 + 22,000 = 42,000 won.
Five things to check before you calculate
1. Minimum booking time
Of the 20 studios, 13 required at least two hours and 5 allowed one-hour bookings. If your shoot only needs an hour, a one-hour minimum is worth a lot. Some concept studios required three or four hours: one charging 44,000 won an hour with a four-hour minimum comes to 176,000 won even if you only need two hours.
2. Maximum capacity
When we calculated six people for two hours, 2 of the 20 studios dropped out because they could not take that many. For ten people, 5 dropped out. Count everyone who will be in the room, not just the people in front of the camera: photographer, crew, stylists, parents or friends. Studios may define headcount differently, so ask if it is unclear.
3. Discounted or opening prices
Four of the 20 listed event or opening-special prices. If you plan to come back, ask what the regular rate is and use that in your comparison.
4. Day of the week and time of day
Our figures use weekday daytime base prices. Some studios charge more on weekends, holidays or at night, so open the price table for the exact date and time slot you want before you calculate.
5. What equipment is included
Check whether lights, backdrops and props are part of the booking or rented separately. If you will need to pay extra for equipment, add it to the total, or the comparison will not be fair.
For big crews and long shoots, price the full-day option too
For short films, music videos and large group shoots, a full-day package often beats hourly pricing sooner than people expect. The check is simple:
Full-day package price ÷ your hourly total at your headcount = the number of hours after which the package is cheaper
Say your group works out to 40,000 won per hour at a studio, and its ten-hour day rate is 200,000 won. Once you need more than five hours, the day rate wins. Because setup, lighting, changes and cleanup all count as booked time, group shoots cross that line easily. Day packages may come with their own base headcount, extra-person fee or deposit, so include those as well.
Three numbers to write down before you message anyone
Once you have three or four candidates, note these and run each studio through the same calculation:
With those three numbers fixed, you can line up studios fairly no matter how differently they write their price lists. If two totals come out close, choose on the things that shape your results and your day: natural light, room layout, access and parking.
Where Botonglee Studio fits
We ran ourselves through the same calculation. There are two ways to book us: by the hour, or by the day.
Because our hourly rate rises with headcount, it suits small groups on short bookings: two people for two hours is 30,000 won. Larger crews should run both options through the formula above. With ten people our hourly rate works out to 55,000 won an hour, so just five hours comes to 275,000 won, more than the 250,000 won all-day package that gives you ten. With fifteen people it is 80,000 won an hour, and from four hours on the all-day package is cheaper. Fifteen people on the all-day package pay about 16,700 won each.
Our full price list is public on the studio page (in Korean), so you can put our numbers into the formula and compare us side by side with anywhere else.
If you are planning to shoot alone or as a pair, our two-hour self-portrait plan will help you use the time well. If you need a photographer as well as the space, see renting a studio versus booking a photographer. For short films and music videos, read how to rent a whole Seoul house for a day.
Booking information
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a two-hour studio rental cost in Seoul?
Among the 20 studios we calculated around Seongbuk, Hyehwa and Dongdaemun, two people for two hours ranged from 20,000 to 99,600 won, with a median of 50,000 won. Vintage and house-style concept studios had a higher median of 70,000 won. The gaps widen as your group grows.
How much is the extra-person fee?
At the six studios that charge one, it ran from 3,000 to 10,000 won per extra person per hour above the base headcount, with 5,000 won the most common. Twelve of the 20 studios, however, charged a flat rate regardless of group size.
What is the usual minimum booking?
Two hours at 13 of the 20 studios, one hour at 5. Some concept studios required three or four hours.
Is a day package cheaper than hourly pricing for a group?
Divide the day package price by your hourly total at your headcount. If you will use the studio for longer than that, the package is cheaper. The bigger the group, the sooner that point comes.
Are these figures still current?
They are weekday daytime base prices from SpaceCloud's public listings on September 30, 2026. Prices change often, so recalculate with each studio's current price list before you book. The method matters more than the numbers.
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