Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Miaoli and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Miaoli: $794 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Miaoli
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Miaoli Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Miaoli

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$794

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $794 in Miaoli versus $1,822 in Seoul.

Miaoli $794
Seoul $1,822

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,109 in Miaoli versus $2,847 in Seoul.

Miaoli $1,109
Seoul $2,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,425 in Miaoli versus $3,872 in Seoul.

Miaoli $1,425
Seoul $3,872

Living in Miaoli costs roughly 56% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Miaoli is 41% below, Seoul is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.46 NT$78.6

$9.10 ₩12.2K

-72.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.69 NT$756

$67.0 ₩89.9K

-64.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 NT$150

$7.42 ₩9,947

-36.79%

Cappuccino

$3.01 NT$96.1

$4.08 ₩5,473

-26.23%

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

$0.86 NT$27.34

$1.60 ₩2,142

-46.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 NT$16.97

$0.80 ₩1,079

-33.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 NT$39.23

$3.65 ₩4,890

-66.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 NT$43.37

$5.94 ₩7,961

-77.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.69 NT$86.0

$2.05 ₩2,744

31.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 NT$39.80

$3.08 ₩4,132

-59.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.72 NT$86.7

$4.21 ₩5,650

-35.39%

Eggs

$2.21 NT$70.5

$3.57 ₩4,787

-38.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.25 NT$295

$17.95 ₩24.1K

-48.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.54 NT$241

$10.64 ₩14.3K

-29.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.84 NT$697

$26.44 ₩35.4K

-17.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 NT$119

$7.42 ₩9,953

-49.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 NT$63.2

$3.53 ₩4,736

-43.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 NT$97.3

$5.87 ₩7,871

-48.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 NT$98.5

$6.37 ₩8,540

-51.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 NT$78.9

$3.75 ₩5,031

-34.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 NT$65.2

$2.49 ₩3,339

-18.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NT$73.5

$2.92 ₩3,914

-21.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 NT$27.79

$1.15 ₩1,543

-24.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 NT$130

$3.29 ₩4,411

23.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.99 NT$351

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-40.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 NT$47.40

$2.28 ₩3,059

-34.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 NT$66.5

$3.28 ₩4,400

-36.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,527

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩61.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 NT$92.6

$3.48 ₩4,666

-16.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$23.97

$0.60 ₩804

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.05 NT$225

$8.70 ₩11.7K

-18.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$32.93

$1.50 ₩2,005

-31.33%

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

$33.3K NT$1.1M

$29.1K ₩39.0M

14.28%

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

$23.8K NT$758.6K

$28.2K ₩37.8M

-15.70%

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

$69.0 NT$2,201

$209 ₩280.1K

-66.98%

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

$18.41 NT$587

$35.13 ₩47.1K

-47.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.34 NT$713

$21.18 ₩28.4K

5.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

Cinema Ticket

$10.97 NT$350

$11.33 ₩15.2K

-3.18%

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

$517 NT$16.5K

$1,902 ₩2.6M

-72.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.7K NT$1.0M

$22.5K ₩30.2M

40.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.55 NT$400

$58.9 ₩79.0K

-78.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.14 NT$802

$32.12 ₩43.1K

-21.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.8 NT$2,036

$70.1 ₩94.1K

-9.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 NT$3,172

$82.5 ₩110.6K

20.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$217 NT$6,919

$885 ₩1.2M

-75.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 NT$5,031

$624 ₩836.1K

-74.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,500 NT$79.8K

$3,649 ₩4.9M

-31.47%

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 Miaoli: October 6, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Miaoli

$313 39.9%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 53.1% $166

Accommodation & Living

Miaoli

$158 20.1%

Seoul

$624 34.7% 296% $466

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Miaoli

$110 14%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 142% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Miaoli

$90 11.5%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 21.3% $19

Eating Out

Miaoli

$84 10.8%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 118% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Miaoli

$22 * 2.8%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 265% $58

Getting Around

Miaoli

$6.7 * 0.9%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 748% $50

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $217 in Miaoli and $885 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 46% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $24.00 in Miaoli vs $67.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $479 per month, with Miaoli cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Miaoli

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

06:32 6:32 AM

1 h ahead of Miaoli

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,892

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 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 11, 2026: 1 USD = 31.92 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.76 TWD (100 TWD = 2.8 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Miaoli Seoul 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Miaoli
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

Miaoli vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Miaoli and Seoul differ by about 130% in total monthly costs ($794 vs $1,822 including rent). Miaoli is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 46% lower in Seoul. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $217 in Miaoli versus $885 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $794 per month in Miaoli versus $1,822 in Seoul – a 130% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $794 in Miaoli versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Miaoli but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Miaoli the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Miaoli and Seoul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Miaoli gentler on the wallet – expenses run 130% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.