Ms. Kim, a 48-year-old homemaker living in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, set out with her family for a meal, deciding on samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly), a favorite among her children.

The extreme heat made it impossible to cook meat at home with the windows open as usual. However, upon entering a restaurant and seeing the menu, she quickly turned away. A single serving (200 grams) cost over 20,000 won, and a rough calculation suggested the meal would exceed 100,000 won.

“In the past, 70,000 to 80,000 won would have been enough, but prices have skyrocketed,” she sighed.

As the heatwave continues to grip Korea, dining-out prices are climbing as well. Not only the country’s representative dish, samgyeopsal, but also popular summer dishes like naengmyeon (cold noodles) and samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) have seen price increases.

According to the Korea Consumer Agency’s price information website Chamgagyeok, prices for eight popular dining-out menus continued to rise last month.

In Seoul, the average price of a 200-gram serving of samgyeopsal increased by 192 won, from 20,447 won in June to 20,639 won last month.

The Seoul average has remained on an upward trend since surpassing 19,000 won in 2023 and exceeding 20,000 won in May last year.

Naengmyeon prices have also risen. A bowl went from 12,269 won in June to 12,423 won last month, an increase of 154 won, while samgyetang rose from 17,654 won to 17,923 won, up 269 won. Five years ago, in July 2020, naengmyeon was priced at 9,000 won and samgyetang at 14,462 won.

High-end restaurants charge even more for naengmyeon and samgyetang.

Eulmildae, Wooraeok, Bongpiyang, and Pyeonggaok charge 16,000 won per bowl. Eulji Myeonok and Pildong Myeonok charge 15,000 won. Some places set Pyongyang-style naengmyeon at 17,000 to 18,000 won. Samgyetang specialty restaurants like Tosokchon, Goryeo Samgyetang, and Nonhyeon Samgyetang sell a basic bowl for 20,000 won, exceeding 20,000 won when additional toppings are added.

Outside Seoul, dining prices are rising even faster in some regions. For example, as of July, a kimchi-jjigae set meal averaged 11,750 won in Daejeon, surpassing Seoul’s 8,577 won, the highest nationwide.

Other regions with higher kimchi-jjigae prices than Seoul include Jeju Island (9,625 won), North Jeolla Province (9,400 won), South Chungcheong Province (8,950 won), North Chungcheong Province (8,857 won), Gangwon Province (8,667 won), North Gyeongsang Province (8,615 won), and Ulsan (8,600 won). Bibimbap was most expensive in North Jeolla Province (11,750 won), and Jeju Island’s kalguksu surpassed 10,000 won, ahead of Seoul’s 9,692 won.

Some cities are close to matching Seoul’s dining prices. For naengmyeon, Busan (11,286 won) and Daegu (11,250 won) were similar to Seoul’s average of 12,423 won.

In July, the lowest dining prices were generally found in North Chungcheong Province. Samgyeopsal (14,641 won for 200 grams), samgyetang (15,143 won), and naengmyeon (9,286 won) were cheapest there. In South Jeolla Province, a kimchi-jjigae set meal (7,889 won) and gimbap (2,778 won) were the most affordable nationwide.

Professor Lee Eun-hee of Inha University’s Department of Consumer Studies said, “Abnormal weather has driven up the cost of ingredients, pushing dining prices higher. With small businesses facing a surge in closures, the government should provide support for operating costs, such as electricity, to curb dining price inflation.”