I'm a 25-year-old South Korean and still live with my parents. I'm ready to move out, but can't afford it.

• Park Su-Ah dreams of having a place of her own where she can have a taste of independence.
• Due to South Korea's skyrocketing real-estate prices, she can't afford to leave her parents' home.
• She said she needs to double her current salary before she can afford to rent with her sister.

This story is part of a series called "Millennial World," which seeks to examine the state of the generation around the globe. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Park Su-Ah, a 25-year-old accounts manager in South Korea.

If money wasn't an issue, I'd live in a house full of movies and books. I'd like to have a walk-in closet to display all my clothes and accessories, and maybe a media room where I can play video games.

But for now, it'll remain a dream: I'm 25 and I still live with my family in the house I grew up in, in Goyang-si, a satellite city of Seoul. 

In South Korea, those who are born between 1980 and 2005 are often lumped together in the category of Generation MZ  — millennials and Gen Z. We make up almost a third of the country's population of about 52 million people. 

And thanks to the country's skyrocketing real-estate prices, I — similarly to many of my peers — can't afford to move out of my parents' home. The average cost of buying a 1,174-square-foot apartment in my city was 789.36 million Korean won, or about $606,570, in 2022. 

Right now, I'm an accounts manager at a publishing house where I make 2.2 million won, or about $1,690, a month. Before this, I worked as an English tutor for a year and a half.

I graduated from Wonkwang University in Iksan in 2020, with a double major in English literature and language and economics. I majored in English literature and language because I love to read, but I also thought I should take on another major that would improve my job prospects.

My initial goal was to move out six months after I started working — it's been over two years

It's not that I don't like living with my parents and my sister — I do. It's nice to be near your loved ones because you can spend more time with them. I feel safe knowing that I have people who care about me. 

Moreover, I can save money if I'm living with them. We usually have breakfast together. The same goes for dinner — we wait for everyone to come home before we eat. 

My mom cooks our meals every day. Sometimes I hope that we can each work out our own meals because it can be stressful for my mom, but I know that arrangement might not work since my parents are already settled in this routine.

We split our household chores. I do the dishes, clean both bathrooms once a week, and clean the refrigerator once a month.

Our house is a comfortable space, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms shared among the four of us. We've been living here since I was 10.

My sister and I each have our own bedrooms, and my parents sleep in the last one. Theirs is the biggest room in the house and has an attached bathroom. My dad is a businessman, and he uses the living room as his study, so he has a big desk there where he works.

Goyang-si has a population of over 1 million, and it's a convenient city to live in. There are shopping malls, schools, and hospitals around. The place reminds me of a Lego village, with many apartments and parks neatly arranged close together.

The only challenge is that my office is in Seoul, and I have to commute every day. My commute takes about an hour and a half each way by public transport. I pay about 80,000 won, or $62, a month to commute.

Being around my parents makes me feel secure, but that's also a bad thing

There are downsides to living together, too. I've only ever invited friends over when my parents aren't home. My parents also often question me when I spend the night out. 

At my age, I should be independent. But whenever I face any difficulties, my parents usually want to help me figure things out. I'm trying to move out to live my own life. 

But I'll have to delay the move until I save enough money to buy an apartment because renting in South Korea can be complicated.

Many landlords operate under a rental system known as "jeonse," in which tenants pay a huge lump-sum deposit instead of monthly rent. Landlords often use this as an interest-free loan for their own investments and usually return the deposit to the tenant at the end of the lease. 

The main catch is that the jeonse amount can go up to 80% of an apartment's sale price in some locations — a steep amount that not everyone can afford up-front, especially if they're just renting. In June 2022, the average jeonse deposit for an apartment in Seoul was 680 million won, or about $522,642.

Honestly, it's a stretch for me to be able to afford a home on my own right now

Housing prices in the country are terrible — how can people say that we can buy our own homes as long as we save money?

I used to chip in with household expenses, but now I don't — my parents would rather let me save money for my future. I only pay for my own expenses and the occasional treats when I bring my family out for movies or concerts.

Instead of moving out alone, I have a more attainable goal — or at least, I hope it's more attainable. I'd like to move out with my 23-year-old sister for a while, and we're hoping to make it happen sometime next year. 

We're looking at renting an apartment with at least two bedrooms. I don't have a concrete goal regarding how much I still need to save yet, but I'll have to earn at least twice my current salary to afford rent comfortably.