Ultimate Guide to Affordable Shopping: Quality Workwear and Cosmetics Under 10,000 Won

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‘10,000-won’ workwear is trending — quality that exceeds expectations
Small, low-cost Daiso cosmetics are a hit…10,000 won (≈$7.50) is enough

With inflation still pinching budgets, you can cover a meal with a single 10,000-won note (≈$7.50)—but can you stretch that to fashion or beauty buys? Online platforms occasionally list sub–10,000-won steals, but finding a decent outfit at an offline shop for that price feels unlikely. We visited the bargain hotspots that value-minded shoppers are raving about to see what’s actually possible.

On the 20th at 1 p.m., we stopped by Workup in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, a store known for selling affordable workwear, to test what 10,000 won (≈$7.50) can buy. The Bucheon Sosa branch stocks everything from padded jackets and tees to pants and hats. A staffer told us, “Customers often say the quality at this price is good. Most are in their 30s to 50s, and many come back to buy more.”

Prices at Workup ranged from padded jackets at 30,000–50,000 won (≈$22.50–$37.50), denim jackets at 20,000 won (≈$15.00), and pants priced at 10,000 won (≈$7.50). Items you could pick up for 10,000 won included a brushed long-sleeve tee (6,400 won, ≈$4.80), an angora bucket hat (8,800 won, ≈$6.60), and a padded muffler (5,800 won, ≈$4.35). The brushed tee and angora bucket hat moved quickly thanks to clean, wearable designs and solid quality. Shopper Yoo Seon-wook said, “The fabric’s decent and the price is low, so I drop by often to buy clothes I won’t hesitate to wear.”

A key draw for Workup is size inclusivity: many pieces go up to XL and XXL, giving shoppers more choices. The chain is run by Trading Post, a subsidiary of Daemyung Chemical, and its “10,000-won workwear” reputation has helped it expand to about 70 locations nationwide.

Daiso isn’t just a go-to for household goods anymore—it’s become a beauty destination, too. On the afternoon of the 21st, the cosmetics section at a Daiso near Express Bus Terminal was buzzing with women in their teens through 30s. Plenty of items clustered in the 10,000-won range: single-sheet mask packs ran 1,000–2,000 won (≈$0.75–$1.50), eyeliners, lip tints and essences about 3,000 won (≈$2.25), and moisturizers and foundations around 5,000 won (≈$3.75). We picked three staff-recommended bestsellers—the Prelude Dinto Uncho Blur Matte Liquid Foundation (5,000 won, ≈$3.75), VT Riddle Shot100 Facial Boosting First Ampoule (3,000 won, ≈$2.25) and Boncep Retinol Serum Mask (1,000 won ×2, ≈$0.75 each)—and the total came to exactly 10,000 won (≈$7.50).

Prelude Dinto is a Daiso-exclusive from vegan brand Dinto. The foundation comes in a 25 ml bottle—slightly smaller than the typical 30–35 ml you’ll see elsewhere. The Riddle Shot ampoule is a perennial Daiso sellout: its micro-sized centella (cica) extracts both wake and soothe the skin while helping active ingredients absorb. Boncep is a Daiso-exclusive product from TonyMoly and the mask contains pure retinol plus plant-based retinol (bakuchiol).

The Daiso beauty buys surprised us. The foundation held up in wear and gave a pleasant finish. The Riddle Shot ampoule’s single-use size made it super convenient. The mask pack performed comparably to major-brand alternatives. The one caveat: these are hot sellers at Daiso, so smaller locations often run out of stock.