What AI subscriptions really cost in Korea
Most AI tools publish one headline price in US dollars. If you pay from Korea, the amount that leaves your account is almost always higher than that number multiplied by today's exchange rate. Three things make up the gap: value-added tax, the exchange rate your card company uses, and the fees your card adds for paying a foreign merchant. This guide walks through each one and shows how to work out a realistic monthly figure.
Start with the list price, and check what it includes
A pricing page usually shows the monthly price for monthly billing, before tax. Claude Pro, for example, is listed at $20 a month when billed monthly, or $17 a month on an annual plan paid up front. Google AI Pro is listed at $19.99 a month and Cursor's Ultra plan at $200 a month. These are the numbers the Hms price list records, along with the date each one was checked.
Two details on the pricing page change what you end up paying:
- Billing period. Many pages default to the annual toggle and show a lower "per month" figure that you only get by paying for a year in advance. Make sure you are reading the monthly-billing price if you plan to pay monthly.
- Tax wording. Most US-based services say prices exclude tax. A few show a local price that already includes tax. When we checked Perplexity's pricing page from Korea, its $20 Pro price was labelled as including VAT, which is different from most others.
Value-added tax: the 10% most people forget
South Korea charges 10% VAT on electronic services, such as software, apps and online subscriptions, that overseas companies sell to consumers in Korea. Since the rules were introduced in 2015, foreign providers are expected to register and collect the tax themselves. In practice this means that when you subscribe with a Korean billing address, the checkout adds 10% to the list price, or the local price you see already contains it.
For a $20 plan, that turns the charge into $22 before any currency conversion. Across several subscriptions the difference adds up: a set of plans that lists at $70 a month comes to $77 once VAT is included, or $924 over a year instead of $840.
The Hms calculator has a "Tax 10%" switch for exactly this reason. Leave it on if you are billed with a Korean address, and turn it off if a service already shows you a tax-inclusive price.
The exchange rate your card actually uses
When you pay a dollar price with a Korean card, the card network converts the amount to won. The rate used is the network's rate on the day the transaction is processed, which can be a day or two after you subscribe, and it is rarely the same as the rate you see in a news headline or a banking app. Over a year the rate also moves: a plan that cost about ₩28,000 one month can cost noticeably more a few months later without any price change from the service.
Because of this, it helps to set the exchange rate in Hms to something slightly above today's rate rather than exactly at it. The calculator keeps a separate rate for each currency you use, so you can adjust it once and keep it.
Overseas card fees
Paying a merchant abroad usually triggers two extra charges on Korean cards: a brand fee from the international network on the card (such as Visa or Mastercard) and an overseas service fee from the card company itself. The exact percentages differ by card and change over time, so check your card's terms or your monthly statement, where these fees usually appear as separate lines. Some cards aimed at overseas spending waive part of them.
Hms does not add card fees automatically, because they depend on your card. If you want to include them, the simplest way is to raise the exchange rate in the calculator by the same proportion, or to edit each plan's price to the amount on your statement.
When the Korean price is different
Some services show visitors from Korea a separate price in won instead of a dollar price. When we checked on November 7, 2026, ChatGPT's pricing page shown in Korea listed Go at ₩13,000, Plus at ₩29,000 and Pro from ₩159,000 a month, and Suno listed Pro at ₩15,000 and Premier at ₩45,000 a month. Converting the dollar price is not always the same as the local price, so if a service quotes you a won price at checkout, enter that amount directly. In Hms, choose KRW as the currency, set the rate to 1, and type the won price into the plan.
App store purchases are another source of difference. Buying a subscription inside an iPhone or Android app is charged by the app store in won, and the app store sets its own price tiers. The same plan can therefore cost a different amount in the app than on the website.
A worked example
Suppose you pay for three plans each month: Claude Pro ($20), Google AI Pro ($19.99) and GitHub Copilot Pro ($10). That is $49.99 at list price.
- Add 10% VAT: $49.99 × 1.10 = $54.99.
- Convert at a card rate of ₩1,400 per dollar: $54.99 × 1,400 ≈ ₩76,986 a month.
- Over a year: about ₩923,800, before any card fees.
Without the tax and with a lower rate you might have estimated around ₩70,000 a month, so the realistic figure is roughly 10% higher. You can reproduce this in the calculator by picking the three plans, leaving the tax switch on and setting the rate.
Practical checklist
- Read the monthly-billing price, not the annual "per month" figure, unless you pay annually.
- Assume 10% VAT on top of US list prices when you are billed in Korea.
- Use a slightly conservative exchange rate and compare it with your card statement after the first payment.
- Check whether the service or app store quotes you a won price, and use that if it does.
- Note your billing day for each plan so you know when the next charge lands. The calculator can add each one to Google Calendar.
Once you have realistic numbers, the next question is whether you need every plan. See how to cut overlapping AI subscriptions and whether annual billing is worth it.