Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kinmen and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kinmen: $1,103 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Kinmen
Learn more

Kinmen Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index

Jump to prices

Kinmen

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,103

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,103 per month in Kinmen vs $1,822 in Seoul, rent included.

Kinmen $1,103
Seoul $1,822

A couple spends around $1,846 per month in Kinmen vs $2,847 in Seoul, rent included.

Kinmen $1,846
Seoul $2,847

A family of three spends $2,588 per month in Kinmen vs $3,872 in Seoul, rent included.

Kinmen $2,588
Seoul $3,872

Kinmen is about 39% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kinmen sits 18% below the global median, while Seoul is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 NT$148

$9.10 ₩12.2K

-49.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.89 NT$986

$67.0 ₩89.8K

-53.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.62 NT$147

$7.42 ₩9,941

-37.74%

Cappuccino

$2.93 NT$93.4

$4.08 ₩5,470

-28.19%

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

$0.91 NT$29.15

$1.60 ₩2,141

-43.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 NT$20.42

$0.80 ₩1,078

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 NT$49.41

$3.65 ₩4,886

-57.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 NT$81.0

$5.94 ₩7,956

-57.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.03 NT$96.5

$2.05 ₩2,742

47.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 NT$60.8

$3.08 ₩4,130

-38.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 NT$105

$4.21 ₩5,646

-22.09%

Eggs

$2.66 NT$84.9

$3.57 ₩4,784

-25.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.16 NT$548

$17.95 ₩24.1K

-4.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 NT$253

$10.64 ₩14.3K

-25.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.08 NT$705

$26.44 ₩35.4K

-16.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.20 NT$134

$7.42 ₩9,946

-43.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 NT$68.0

$3.53 ₩4,732

-39.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 NT$96.4

$5.87 ₩7,866

-48.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 NT$108

$6.37 ₩8,534

-46.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 NT$90.1

$3.75 ₩5,028

-24.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 NT$70.2

$2.49 ₩3,337

-11.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 NT$66.6

$2.92 ₩3,911

-28.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 NT$33.16

$1.15 ₩1,542

-9.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 NT$108

$3.29 ₩4,408

2.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.50 NT$399

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-32.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$52.2

$2.28 ₩3,057

-28.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 NT$73.4

$3.28 ₩4,398

-29.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 NT$22.54

$1.14 ₩1,526

-37.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.25 NT$1,029

$45.47 ₩60.9K

-29.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 NT$83.3

$3.48 ₩4,663

-25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 NT$28.74

$0.60 ₩803

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.69 NT$309

$8.70 ₩11.7K

11.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 NT$34.15

$1.50 ₩2,004

-28.67%

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

$36.4K NT$1.2M

$29.1K ₩39.0M

25.10%

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

$25.8K NT$823.9K

$28.2K ₩37.8M

-8.42%

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

$87.2 NT$2,783

$209 ₩279.9K

-58.24%

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

$16.22 NT$518

$35.13 ₩47.1K

-53.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.12 NT$706

$21.18 ₩28.4K

4.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.94 NT$1,306

$57.3 ₩76.8K

-28.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

Cinema Ticket

$8.63 NT$275

$11.33 ₩15.2K

-23.83%

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

$585 NT$18.7K

$1,902 ₩2.5M

-69.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K NT$510.0K

$22.5K ₩30.2M

-29.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 NT$2,305

$58.9 ₩78.9K

22.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.56 NT$880

$32.12 ₩43.0K

-14.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 NT$2,908

$70.1 ₩94.0K

29.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.4 NT$2,852

$82.5 ₩110.5K

8.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 NT$13.1K

$885 ₩1.2M

-53.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 NT$8,118

$624 ₩835.5K

-59.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 NT$31.5K

$2,494 ₩3.3M

-60.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 NT$23.7K

$1,275 ₩1.7M

-41.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,945 NT$253.5K

$29.8K ₩40.0M

-73.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,645 NT$148.2K

$11.8K ₩15.9M

-60.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.38

4.08

-41.67%

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

Last update for Kinmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kinmen

$365 33.9%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 31.4% $114

Accommodation & Living

Kinmen

$254 23.6%

Seoul

$624 34.7% 145% $369

Clothing & Footwear

Kinmen

$126 11.7%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 13.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kinmen

$126 11.7%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 111% $140

Eating Out

Kinmen

$105 9.8%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 74.9% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Kinmen

$58 5.4%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 37.4% $22

Getting Around

Kinmen

$42 3.9%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 33.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $409 in Kinmen versus $885 in Seoul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Kinmen versus $67.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $365 vs $479 – making Kinmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kinmen

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

11:42 11:42 AM

12:42 12:42 PM

1 h ahead of Kinmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,568

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.79 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.79 TWD (100 TWD = 2.79 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kinmen Seoul 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kinmen
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

Kinmen vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,654 per month in Kinmen and $2,733 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $585 per month in Kinmen and $1,902 in Seoul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Seoul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kinmen, where all-in costs run around $1,103, than in Seoul at $1,822. In Kinmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kinmen – 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 Kinmen. 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.