"I Spent 1 Million Won in One Night" Deep Regrets... The Heavy Burden of Today’s Housewarming Parties

About 15% of Newlyweds Spend Between 500,000 and 1 Million Won
Many Say They Host Housewarming Parties Due to Tradition and Social Expectations

A recent survey found that newlywed couples spend an average of about 260,000 won to prepare for a single housewarming party. Some couples were reported to have spent close to 1 million won, indicating that housewarmings, along with weddings and setting up a new home, have become another significant financial burden for newlyweds.

The average cost for a newlywed couple's first housewarming party was reported to be around 260,000 KRW. Among respondents, 14.8% said they spent between 500,000 KRW and 1,000,000 KRW on a single housewarming, indicating that a significant number of newlyweds spend considerable amounts to welcome guests. Getty Images

On July 25, multiple media outlets reported these findings, citing a survey conducted by the marriage information company Gayeon through Open Survey.

In the survey of 517 married men and women, the average cost for a newlywed couple’s housewarming preparation was calculated to be around 260,000 won per event. The most common answer was spending between 200,000 and 250,000 won, cited by 26.5% of respondents. This was followed by 300,000 to 350,000 won (22.8%), 100,000 to 150,000 won (19.4%), and 150,000 to 200,000 won (11.2%).

In particular, 14.8% of respondents said they spent between 500,000 and 1 million won on a single housewarming party, indicating that a significant number of newlyweds are spending considerable amounts to host guests.

It was found that newlyweds spend an average of 260,000 won on housewarming parties at once. The photo is a scene from the movie "Perfect Stranger." Naver Movies

The most common reason given for hosting a housewarming was “to introduce our newlywed home to family or friends,” accounting for 36.5% of responses.

However, customs and expectations from people around them were also found to have a significant impact. “Because I thought it was a natural step to go through after marriage” was cited by 25.8%, “To maintain gatherings with family and friends” by 19.6%, and “Because people around us requested or expected it” by 10.7%.

Gayeon explained that the costs associated with housewarming parties have risen as housewarming culture has changed recently. There is a growing trend of preparing not only food, but also drinks such as whiskey or fine wine, which has led to higher spending per gathering compared to the past.

The expenses for housewarming parties are also connected to the steadily increasing costs of wedding preparations. According to the “2026 Wedding Cost Report” released by marriage information company Duo earlier this year, the average cost of wedding preparations, excluding housing expenses, reached 59.12 million won.

In addition, the Korea Consumer Agency’s “Marriage Service Price Trend Survey,” published in February, showed that the nationwide average cost for the package covering the wedding venue, studio photography, wedding dress, and makeup—commonly called the “studio-dress-makeup” package—was tallied at 21.39 million won.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.