Using KAMIS wholesale prices from the October 2, 2026 survey and last year’s kimjang cost survey, an estimate of this year’s kimchi-making ingredient cost, when to buy, and what to prepare.
Every October Korean households start the same calculation: how many cabbages this year, when to buy chili powder, whether to buy salted cabbage or salt it at home, and above all whether it will cost more than last year.
Bottom line: applying the year-on-year change in KAMIS wholesale prices (October 2, 2026 survey) to last year’s kimjang basket puts the main ingredients for a family of four (20 cabbages) at about KRW 315,000, roughly 3% below last year. Cabbage and ginger are cheaper, radish, green onions and garlic dearer. The cabbage on the market now is highland crop, so check autumn cabbage prices again in November.
Try it yourself: the produce market sales calculator shows today’s cabbage and radish wholesale prices in five cities.
1. What kimjang cost last year.
Korea Price Information’s November 2025 survey put a four-person kimjang at KRW 338,500 in traditional markets and KRW 404,280 in large supermarkets. aT, applying government and retailer discounts, reported KRW 201,151. We use the Korea Price Information basket because quantities and item prices are published.
| Item | Quantity | 2025 traditional market |
|---|---|---|
| Napa cabbage | 20 heads | KRW 120,000 |
| Radish | 10 | KRW 20,000 |
| Red chili powder | 3 kg | KRW 95,000 |
| Peeled garlic | 2.4 kg | KRW 24,000 |
| Green onion | 2 bunches | KRW 5,000 |
| Scallion (jjokpa) | 2 bunches | KRW 24,000 |
| Ginger | 800 g | KRW 8,000 |
| Salted shrimp | 1 kg | KRW 15,000 |
| Anchovy sauce | 1 kg | KRW 6,500 |
| Sea salt | 5 kg | KRW 6,000 |
| Total of these 10 | KRW 323,500 |
Cabbage and chili powder alone make up two thirds of the cost.
2. Wholesale prices now.
KAMIS Seoul wholesale intermediary prices, top grade, October 2 vs a year earlier:
| Item | Unit | 2026-10-02 | 2025-10-02 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabbage (highland) | 10 kg, 3 heads | 21,200 | 28,000 | −24.3% |
| Radish (highland) | 20 kg | 23,300 | 16,000 | +45.6% |
| Dried red pepper | 30 kg | 675,000 | 657,000 | +2.7% |
| Peeled garlic | 20 kg | 164,000 | 146,000 | +12.3% |
| Green onion | 1 kg | 2,300 | 2,040 | +12.7% |
| Scallion | 1 kg | 9,500 | 7,370 | +28.9% |
| Ginger (domestic) | 10 kg | 61,600 | 75,600 | −18.5% |
Retail prices are higher than these, so use the table for direction rather than amounts. Daily data: cabbage, radish, dried red pepper, garlic, scallion, ginger.
3. 2026 estimate: about KRW 315,000.
Multiplying last year’s item prices by these changes (salted shrimp, anchovy sauce and salt held flat) gives cabbage about 90,900, radish 29,100, chili powder 97,600, garlic 27,000, green onion 5,600, scallion 30,900 and ginger 6,500, for a total of about KRW 315,100, 2.6% below last year.
The limits are real. Cabbage and radish on the market now come from highland fields; kimjang uses autumn crops arriving from November. The Korea Rural Economic Institute’s Agricultural Outlook 2026 expects autumn cabbage output up 20.4% and autumn radish up 14.2%, so cabbage may fall further and radish may ease. Dried pepper area is expected to shrink, so chili powder has little reason to get cheaper.
4. When to buy.
- Chili powder: buy new-crop powder in September–October and freeze it.
- Garlic and ginger: garlic is dearer; buying whole bulbs and peeling them saves money. Ginger is cheaper.
- Salted seafood and salt: stable; buy early.
- Cabbage, radish, scallions: buy last, timed to your kimjang day.
The Korea Meteorological Administration considers kimjang timely when the daily mean stays below 4°C and the low drops below 0°C: late November to early December in Seoul and central inland areas, early to mid December in the south and east/west coasts, and late December or later on the south coast. Last year Korea Price Information suggested waiting about two weeks, to early December, for better cabbage.
5. Buy salted cabbage or salt your own.
First-timers, households with two or fewer helpers and apartment dwellers are better off buying salted cabbage; salting mistakes are the most common failure. Homes with a yard and plenty of hands, or growers with their own cabbage, can salt themselves.
6. Checklist.
- Last year: KRW 338,500 (traditional markets), KRW 404,280 (supermarkets).
- This year’s main ingredients look slightly cheaper at about KRW 315,000.
- Buy chili powder, seafood and salt in October; vegetables just before kimjang.
- Set the date by 4°C mean and 0°C low.
- Prepare a large kimjang mat, kimchi containers sized for your fridge and long rubber gloves.
References
- aT KAMIS, wholesale intermediary prices (Seoul, top grade), October 2, 2026 and October 2, 2025 (data.go.kr API).
- Joongdo Ilbo, report on Korea Price Information’s 2025 kimjang cost survey, November 16, 2025.
- Aju Business Daily, aT 2025 kimjang cost (KRW 201,151), November 18, 2025.
- Nongmin Shinmun, Agricultural Outlook 2026 (Korea Rural Economic Institute), January 24, 2026.
- Korea Meteorological Administration press release on kimjang timing.
- Actual costs vary by region, store, quality, quantity and discounts.