How much is the Incheon subway? Base fare, distance surcharge and transfers to Seoul
Numbers checked against the official source on 2026-10-19
An adult ride on Incheon Subway costs ₩1,550 with a transit card for the first 10 km, or ₩1,650 with a one-time transit card. After 10 km an adult pays ₩100 more for every 5 km, and the same distance-based system applies when you transfer to Seoul subways and buses with a card. Teens pay ₩900 and children ₩550 on a card. A card ride starting before 06:30 gets 20% off the base fare.
Base fare and distance surcharge
| Rider | Transit card, base fare (to 10 km) | One-time transit card, base fare | Extra per 5 km, 10 to 50 km | Extra per 8 km, over 50 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult (19 to under 65) | 1,550 | 1,650 | 100 | 100 |
| Teen (13 to under 19) | 900 | Adult fare applies (1,650) | 80 | 80 |
| Child (6 to under 13) | 550 | 550 | 50 | 50 |
- Who counts as a teen: a student aged 19 to 24 enrolled in a school covered by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is treated as a teen; an elementary student aged 13 or over is treated as a child.
- Beyond the Seoul metropolitan area (Pyeongtaek to Sinchang, Gapyeong to Chuncheon): the metropolitan portion is calculated first, then ₩100 is added for every 4 km outside.
- Wrong direction: if you re-enter the same station with the same card within 5 minutes of the first entry, the base fare or ride count is waived once. It does not apply once you have moved to another station.
One-time transit card
- At the one-time card machine choose your destination, then insert the fare and a ₩500 deposit to get the card.
- Tap it on the T-money reader to the right of the gate when you enter and leave.
- After you exit, put the card into the deposit refund machine to get the ₩500 back.
The one-time card is ₩100 dearer than a transit card for an adult (derived arithmetic: ₩1,650 − ₩1,550), plus the deposit you must remember to reclaim. A rechargeable card such as T-money is the cheaper choice if you ride more than once.
Transferring to Seoul and other metro-area transport
The page describes the "integrated distance-proportional" system for subway and bus transfers. It applies to Incheon, Seoul and Gyeonggi buses and metro-area subways, with a transit card used when getting on and off.
| Rule | What the page says |
|---|---|
| Base fare | Subway to bus or bus to subway: a free transfer for the first 10 km (30 km for Seoul wide-area, Gyeonggi seat and Gyeonggi direct-seat buses); the higher base fare of the modes you use applies |
| Extra fare | ₩100 added for every 5 km beyond 10 km (the page repeats the 30 km exception for those three bus types here) |
| Time limit | Board the next mode within 30 minutes of getting off the previous one |
| Card needed | Only when you tap a transit card on boarding and alighting |
Lines with their own fares (not on the integrated system): the Airport Railroad section from Cheongna International City to Incheon Airport Terminal 2 has an independent fare (see AREX fares); the Shinbundang Line adds a separate ₩700 to ₩2,200 by section; the Uijeongbu light rail (Tapseok to Balgok) adds ₩200.
For the bus side of the same system see Gyeonggi and Incheon city bus fares.
Early-morning discount
Boarding your first vehicle between the first train and 06:30 with a prepaid or postpaid card gives 20% off the base fare (derived arithmetic on an adult card base fare of ₩1,550: 20% is ₩310, so ₩1,240). Only the first vehicle's base fare is discounted, distance surcharges are not, and one-time tickets, passes and group tickets are excluded.
Monthly passes (card type)
A pass is good for up to 60 uses within 30 days of loading.
| Pass | Price (KRW) | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Incheon only | 62,000 | Incheon Lines 1 and 2 and Line 7 in Incheon; load and use only at Incheon stations |
| Seoul only | 68,200 | Seoul subway Lines 1 to 9 inside the city limits plus the connecting railway sections listed on the page |
| Distance-proportional | 68,200 to 129,000 | Whole metropolitan subway network, by step (below), except the independent-fare and separate-fare lines |
| Step | Card fare | Pass | Step | Card fare | Pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | up to 1,750 | 68,200 | 10 | 2,650 | 99,100 |
| 2 | 1,850 | 69,200 | 11 | 2,750 | 102,900 |
| 3 | 1,950 | 72,900 | 12 | 2,850 | 106,600 |
| 4 | 2,050 | 76,700 | 13 | 2,950 | 110,300 |
| 5 | 2,150 | 80,400 | 14 | 3,050 | 114,100 |
| 6 | 2,250 | 84,200 | 15 | 3,150 | 117,800 |
| 7 | 2,350 | 87,900 | 16 | 3,250 | 121,600 |
| 8 | 2,450 | 91,600 | 17 | 3,350 | 125,300 |
| 9 | 2,550 | 95,400 | 18 | 3,450 or more | 129,000 |
Passes are worth it only on heavy commutes: at an adult ₩1,550 fare, 60 rides cost ₩93,000 (derived arithmetic: 60 × ₩1,550), against ₩62,000 for the Incheon-only pass.
Free rides for older residents
Free cards go to people aged 65 and over under the Welfare of Older Persons Act, and also to foreign residents aged 65 or over whose Alien Registration Card shows the F-5 (permanent resident) status; those foreign residents can only get the plain free card, not the credit or debit version. Disabled people and certain merit holders are also covered. Cards are issued at the neighbourhood administrative centre, Shinhan Bank or the veterans' office, as the page lists.
Common questions
How much is the subway in Incheon?
₩1,550 for an adult by card for the first 10 km, ₩1,650 with a one-time transit card, plus ₩100 for every 5 km after 10 km.
Can I transfer between Incheon Subway and Seoul Subway with one card?
Yes. Incheon Line 1 and the Seoul network are on the metropolitan integrated system, and the fare is calculated by total distance, with free bus transfers within the stated distance, but the Airport Railroad Cheongna to Terminal 2 section, the Shinbundang Line and the Uijeongbu light rail charge their own fares.
The pages print no revision date; they were read on 2026-10-19 (Korean pages only). Not covered: group tickets, station-by-station distances, and the detailed zones where passes work.
Official sources
- Incheon Transit Corporation — fare information — base fares, distance surcharges, 5-minute re-entry, integrated transfer rules, early morning discount; no revision date printed (Korean page, read 2026-10-19) (checked 2026-10-19)
- Incheon Transit Corporation — transit card — one-time card steps and deposit, free-ride eligibility, monthly passes and distance-proportional pass table; no revision date printed (Korean page, read 2026-10-19) (checked 2026-10-19)
Prices change. If an official page shows a different number from this page, the official page wins — and please tell us so we can fix it.