Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Incheon and Tainan

For one person, living is cheaper in Tainan: $1,068 a month against $1,373 in Incheon, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Incheon
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Incheon Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Tainan
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Tainan Living Index

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Incheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,373

/mo nomad

Tainan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,068

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Incheon and in Tainan

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

A single person spends $1,373 per month in Incheon vs $1,068 in Tainan, rent included.

Incheon $1,373
Tainan $1,068

A couple spends around $2,106 per month in Incheon vs $1,837 in Tainan, rent included.

Incheon $2,106
Tainan $1,837

A family of three spends $2,839 per month in Incheon vs $2,606 in Tainan, rent included.

Incheon $2,839
Tainan $2,606

Incheon costs about 29% more than Tainan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Incheon sits 2% above the global median, while Tainan is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.92 ₩7,874

$3.74 NT$121

58.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.73 ₩46.2K

$24.62 NT$799

41.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.55 ₩8,703

$4.79 NT$155

36.74%

Cappuccino

$3.75 ₩4,988

$3.27 NT$106

14.68%

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

$1.61 ₩2,147

$0.95 NT$30.66

69.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ₩851

$0.63 NT$20.54

1.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 ₩4,544

$2.86 NT$92.6

19.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 ₩6,162

$3.49 NT$113

32.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,715

$3.09 NT$100

-33.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,160

$1.77 NT$57.5

76.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 ₩3,109

$3.15 NT$102

-25.71%

Eggs

$3.33 ₩4,427

$2.75 NT$89.3

21.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.51 ₩20.6K

$19.50 NT$632

-20.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.88 ₩10.5K

$9.88 NT$320

-20.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.06 ₩14.7K

$21.04 NT$682

-47.43%

Apples (1kg)

$7.84 ₩10.4K

$4.96 NT$161

58.06%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 ₩4,206

$2.86 NT$92.7

10.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.66 ₩7,529

$3.00 NT$97.4

88.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.38 ₩8,481

$4.48 NT$145

42.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.45 ₩4,585

$2.66 NT$86.4

29.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 ₩3,213

$2.27 NT$73.6

6.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 ₩2,768

$1.71 NT$55.3

21.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,528

$1.15 NT$37.31

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.47 ₩4,609

$3.81 NT$124

-8.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.82 ₩25.0K

$13.94 NT$452

35.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 ₩2,931

$1.65 NT$53.4

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 ₩4,306

$2.17 NT$70.3

49.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 ₩1,412

$0.61 NT$19.68

73.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.53 ₩32.6K

$33.89 NT$1,099

-27.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 ₩4,752

$2.53 NT$82.2

41.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩852

$0.77 NT$24.92

-16.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.24 ₩12.3K

$5.74 NT$186

60.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₩1,860

$1.01 NT$32.90

38.61%

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

$29.0K ₩38.6M

$32.8K NT$1.1M

-11.57%

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

$28.6K ₩38.0M

$24.1K NT$780.6K

18.63%

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

$209 ₩277.2K

$87.2 NT$2,828

139.08%

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

$35.24 ₩46.9K

$17.51 NT$568

101.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.80 ₩27.7K

$21.30 NT$691

-2.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.40 ₩44.4K

$45.65 NT$1,480

-26.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.21 ₩50.8K

Cinema Ticket

$11.26 ₩15.0K

$9.60 NT$311

17.29%

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

$295 ₩392.8K

$433 NT$14.1K

-31.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K ₩24.1M

$5,413 NT$175.5K

235.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.1 ₩76.0K

$63.2 NT$2,050

-9.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.82 ₩43.6K

$39.20 NT$1,271

-16.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.5 ₩92.4K

$83.7 NT$2,716

-17.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.1K

$103 NT$3,353

-18.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 ₩812.1K

$297 NT$9,624

105.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 ₩480.1K

$200 NT$6,470

80.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$845 NT$27.4K

50.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$693 ₩921.3K

$696 NT$22.6K

-0.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,723 ₩8.9M

$4,123 NT$133.7K

63.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,498 ₩7.3M

$3,022 NT$98.0K

81.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,411 ₩3.2M

$1,376 NT$44.6K

75.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

2.4

70.00%

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

Last update for Incheon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tainan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Incheon

$399 29%

Tainan

$393 36.9% 1.3% $5.4

Accommodation & Living

Incheon

$361 26.3%

Tainan

$200 18.7% 44.7% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Incheon

$265 19.3%

Tainan

$126 11.8% 52.4% $139

Eating Out

Incheon

$147 10.7%

Tainan

$111 10.4% 24.6% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Incheon

$110 8%

Tainan

$130 12.2% 18.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Incheon

$56 4.1%

Tainan

$65 6.1% 16% $8.9

Getting Around

Incheon

$36 2.6%

Tainan

$43 4% 20.1% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $611 in Incheon versus $297 in Tainan. 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 75% higher in Incheon, 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 $35.00 in Incheon versus $25.00 in Tainan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $393 – making Tainan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Incheon

🇹🇼 Tainan

🕒 Local time

09:15 9:15 AM

08:15 8:15 AM

1 h behind Incheon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,870,545

1,886,033

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

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).

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).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Incheon Tainan 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Incheon
Tainan

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

Incheon vs Tainan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Incheon is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,059 per month in Incheon and $1,602 in Tainan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tainan, 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 $35.00 in Incheon and $25.00 in Tainan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,373 in Incheon and $1,068 in Tainan. That's a gap of about 29%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tainan, where all-in costs run around $1,068, than in Incheon at $1,373. In Tainan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Incheon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tainan – 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 Tainan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Incheon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.