Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chang-hua and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Chang-hua: $864 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Chang-hua
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Chang-hua Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Chang-hua

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$864

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chang-hua and in Seoul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chang-hua and in Seoul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $864 per month in Chang-hua vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

Chang-hua $864
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $1,343 per month in Chang-hua vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

Chang-hua $1,343
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $1,822 per month in Chang-hua vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

Chang-hua $1,822
Seoul $3,931

Chang-hua is about 52% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chang-hua sits 36% below the global median, while Seoul is 33% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.83 NT$124

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-56.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.76 NT$1,062

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-52.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 NT$179

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-26.66%

Cappuccino

$1.63 NT$52.7

$4.23 ₩5,624

-61.47%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 NT$30.99

$1.63 ₩2,167

-41.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 NT$18.01

$0.74 ₩985

-24.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.36 NT$44.21

$3.64 ₩4,843

-62.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 NT$70.3

$6.15 ₩8,175

-64.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 NT$77.1

$2.01 ₩2,679

18.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 NT$67.2

$3.13 ₩4,164

-33.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 NT$95.5

$4.32 ₩5,744

-31.94%

Eggs

$2.76 NT$89.5

$3.61 ₩4,794

-23.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.19 NT$525

$17.83 ₩23.7K

-9.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 NT$308

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-9.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.23 NT$688

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-17.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.82 NT$156

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-37.08%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 NT$110

$3.38 ₩4,499

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 NT$95.1

$5.81 ₩7,723

-49.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 NT$103

$6.41 ₩8,520

-50.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 NT$89.8

$3.75 ₩4,983

-26.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 NT$68.4

$2.54 ₩3,375

-16.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 NT$54.9

$2.84 ₩3,782

-40.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 NT$24.97

$1.11 ₩1,472

-30.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 NT$128

$3.35 ₩4,455

18.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.43 NT$306

$18.49 ₩24.6K

-49.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 NT$44.70

$2.40 ₩3,185

-42.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.4

$3.37 ₩4,480

-32.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 NT$50.4

$1.14 ₩1,521

35.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.80 NT$1,129

$46.11 ₩61.3K

-24.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 NT$85.9

$3.49 ₩4,643

-24.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 NT$24.71

$0.63 ₩840

20.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.29 NT$301

$8.86 ₩11.8K

4.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 NT$34.39

$1.51 ₩2,005

-29.80%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$33.1K NT$1.1M

$29.3K ₩38.9M

13.21%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.3K NT$787.5K

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-13.92%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$31.62 NT$1,025

$218 ₩289.2K

-85.46%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$16.99 NT$551

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-51.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.71 NT$607

$21.29 ₩28.3K

-12.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.75 NT$1,029

$58.1 ₩77.2K

-45.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$9.38 NT$304

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-17.06%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$636 NT$20.6K

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-67.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,946 NT$257.7K

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-65.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.35 NT$1,600

$57.0 ₩75.8K

-13.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.47 NT$502

$33.39 ₩44.4K

-53.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 NT$2,534

$71.5 ₩95.0K

9.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.57 NT$1,607

$82.5 ₩109.7K

-39.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 NT$8,160

$901 ₩1.2M

-72.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 NT$5,528

$612 ₩813.5K

-72.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 NT$16.5K

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-79.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$169 NT$5,480

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-86.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,959 NT$96.0K

$29.4K ₩39.1M

-89.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,631 NT$52.9K

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-86.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,011 NT$65.2K

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-44.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.2

4.08

-46.08%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chang-hua: October 12, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Chang-hua

$358 41.4%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 33.2% $119

Accommodation & Living

Chang-hua

$170 19.7%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 259% $441

Clothing & Footwear

Chang-hua

$87 10%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 27% $23

Eating Out

Chang-hua

$84 9.7%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 119% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chang-hua

$67 7.8%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 307% $207

Sport & Entertainment

Chang-hua

$51 5.8%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 59.8% $30

Getting Around

Chang-hua

$47 5.5%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 20.7% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $252 in Chang-hua versus $901 in Seoul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 82% higher in Seoul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Chang-hua versus $68.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $477 – making Chang-hua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Chang-hua

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

08:53 8:53 AM

09:53 9:53 AM

1 h ahead of Chang-hua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

226,564

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chang-hua Seoul 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chang-hua
Seoul

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Chang-hua vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 108% more than Chang-hua, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,296 per month in Chang-hua and $2,692 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chang-hua, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $864 in Chang-hua and $1,794 in Seoul. That's a gap of about 108%.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Chang-hua. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chang-hua, where all-in costs run around $864, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Chang-hua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chang-hua – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chang-hua. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.