Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Douliu and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Douliu: $1,138 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Douliu
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Douliu Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Douliu

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,138

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Douliu 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 Douliu and in Seoul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,138 per month in Douliu vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

Douliu $1,138
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $1,894 per month in Douliu vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

Douliu $1,894
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $2,650 per month in Douliu vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

Douliu $2,650
Seoul $3,931

Douliu is about 37% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Douliu sits 16% below the global median, while Seoul is 33% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.85 NT$125

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-56.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.40 NT$726

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-67.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.81 NT$189

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-22.94%

Cappuccino

$3.40 NT$110

$4.23 ₩5,624

-19.62%

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

$0.94 NT$30.58

$1.63 ₩2,167

-42.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.86

$0.74 ₩985

-9.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$3.64 ₩4,843

-23.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 NT$121

$6.15 ₩8,175

-39.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 NT$100

$2.01 ₩2,679

53.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 NT$65.1

$3.13 ₩4,164

-35.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 NT$103

$4.32 ₩5,744

-26.62%

Eggs

$2.76 NT$89.4

$3.61 ₩4,794

-23.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.44 NT$631

$17.83 ₩23.7K

9.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.97 NT$323

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-4.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.44 NT$695

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-16.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 NT$155

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-37.47%

Banana (1kg)

$3.29 NT$107

$3.38 ₩4,499

-2.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NT$99.9

$5.81 ₩7,723

-46.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 NT$141

$6.41 ₩8,520

-32.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 NT$91.3

$3.75 ₩4,983

-24.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$2.54 ₩3,375

-7.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 NT$55.6

$2.84 ₩3,782

-39.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.65

$1.11 ₩1,472

-0.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 NT$125

$3.35 ₩4,455

14.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.46 NT$469

$18.49 ₩24.6K

-21.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$52.9

$2.40 ₩3,185

-32.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 NT$75.0

$3.37 ₩4,480

-31.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.89

$1.14 ₩1,521

-46.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.53 NT$1,152

$46.11 ₩61.3K

-22.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 NT$86.3

$3.49 ₩4,643

-23.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 NT$24.82

$0.63 ₩840

22.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.46 NT$307

$8.86 ₩11.8K

6.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$33.56

$1.51 ₩2,005

-31.79%

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

$34.0K NT$1.1M

$29.3K ₩38.9M

16.13%

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

$24.0K NT$777.6K

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-14.99%

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

$86.6 NT$2,807

$218 ₩289.2K

-60.21%

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

$17.15 NT$556

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-51.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.79 NT$901

$21.29 ₩28.3K

30.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.37 NT$1,179

$58.1 ₩77.2K

-37.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$9.54 NT$309

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-15.65%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-65.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K NT$550.7K

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-25.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 NT$2,091

$57.0 ₩75.8K

13.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.75 NT$1,321

$33.39 ₩44.4K

22.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 NT$2,756

$71.5 ₩95.0K

18.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 NT$3,408

$82.5 ₩109.7K

27.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 NT$13.1K

$901 ₩1.2M

-55.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$257 NT$8,334

$612 ₩813.5K

-57.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$982 NT$31.8K

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-61.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$730 NT$23.7K

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-42.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 NT$254.1K

$29.4K ₩39.1M

-73.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,924 NT$159.7K

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-58.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,544 NT$82.5K

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-30.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

4.08

-41.18%

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

Last update for Douliu: 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

Douliu

$400 35.1%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 19.3% $77

Accommodation & Living

Douliu

$257 22.6%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 138% $355

Clothing & Footwear

Douliu

$133 11.7%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 17.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Douliu

$132 11.6%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 108% $142

Eating Out

Douliu

$117 10.3%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 57.3% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Douliu

$55 4.9%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 45.5% $25

Getting Around

Douliu

$44 3.9%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 28.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $404 in Douliu 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 43% 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 $22.00 in Douliu versus $68.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $477 – making Douliu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Douliu

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

09:24 9:24 AM

10:24 10:24 AM

1 h ahead of Douliu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,401

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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Between locations

Douliu Seoul 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Douliu
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

Douliu vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 58% more than Douliu, 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 $1,707 per month in Douliu 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 Douliu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Douliu and $68.0 in Seoul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,138 in Douliu and $1,794 in Seoul. That's a gap of about 58%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Douliu, where all-in costs run around $1,138, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Douliu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Douliu – 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 Douliu. 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.