Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pingtung city and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Pingtung city: $909 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Pingtung city
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Pingtung city Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Pingtung city

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$909

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $909 per month in Pingtung city vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

Pingtung city $909
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $1,474 per month in Pingtung city vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

Pingtung city $1,474
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $2,038 per month in Pingtung city vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

Pingtung city $2,038
Seoul $3,931

Pingtung city is about 49% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.52 NT$179

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-37.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.64 NT$1,026

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-53.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.71 NT$153

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-37.53%

Cappuccino

$2.87 NT$93.1

$4.23 ₩5,624

-32.15%

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

$0.98 NT$31.82

$1.63 ₩2,167

-39.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 NT$21.92

$0.74 ₩985

-8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.54 NT$49.83

$3.64 ₩4,843

-57.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 NT$81.6

$6.15 ₩8,175

-59.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.22 NT$104

$2.01 ₩2,679

60.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 NT$62.0

$3.13 ₩4,164

-38.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 NT$84.2

$4.32 ₩5,744

-39.81%

Eggs

$2.65 NT$86.0

$3.61 ₩4,794

-26.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.60 NT$506

$17.83 ₩23.7K

-12.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.06 NT$261

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-22.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.09 NT$489

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-41.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 NT$140

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-43.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 NT$60.7

$3.38 ₩4,499

-44.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 NT$80.8

$5.81 ₩7,723

-57.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 NT$104

$6.41 ₩8,520

-50.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 NT$38.37

$3.75 ₩4,983

-68.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 NT$62.7

$2.54 ₩3,375

-24.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 NT$75.6

$2.84 ₩3,782

-17.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 NT$27.60

$1.11 ₩1,472

-23.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 NT$123

$3.35 ₩4,455

13.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.42 NT$500

$18.49 ₩24.6K

-16.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 NT$50.2

$2.40 ₩3,185

-35.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 NT$72.5

$3.37 ₩4,480

-33.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 NT$15.89

$1.14 ₩1,521

-57.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 NT$87.5

$3.49 ₩4,643

-22.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 NT$24.04

$0.63 ₩840

17.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.40 NT$207

$8.86 ₩11.8K

-27.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$33.32

$1.51 ₩2,005

-31.79%

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

$34.1K NT$1.1M

$29.3K ₩38.9M

16.38%

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

$23.0K NT$746.1K

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-18.44%

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

$111 NT$3,590

$218 ₩289.2K

-49.11%

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

$15.11 NT$490

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-57.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 NT$833

$21.29 ₩28.3K

20.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 NT$311

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-15.30%

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

$344 NT$11.2K

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-82.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K NT$453.1K

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-38.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 NT$2,297

$57.0 ₩75.8K

24.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.23 NT$1,013

$33.39 ₩44.4K

-6.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 NT$2,670

$71.5 ₩95.0K

15.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,359

$82.5 ₩109.7K

25.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$247 NT$8,018

$901 ₩1.2M

-72.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$155 NT$5,023

$612 ₩813.5K

-74.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 NT$24.2K

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-70.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 NT$12.2K

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-70.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,912 NT$62.0K

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-47.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

4.08

-44.36%

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

Last update for Pingtung city: October 13, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pingtung city

$334 36.7%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 43% $143

Accommodation & Living

Pingtung city

$155 17%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 295% $457

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pingtung city

$152 16.7%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 80.8% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Pingtung city

$130 14.3%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 15.1% $20

Eating Out

Pingtung city

$112 12.3%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 64% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Pingtung city

$19 * 2.1%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 321% $62

Getting Around

Pingtung city

$8.4 * 0.9%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 586% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $247 in Pingtung city 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 91% 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 $32.00 in Pingtung city versus $68.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $477 – making Pingtung city the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Pingtung city

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

08:57 8:57 AM

1 h ahead of Pingtung city

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

201,644

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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pingtung city Seoul 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Pingtung city
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

Pingtung city vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $909 in Pingtung city, $1,794 in Seoul – roughly 97% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,364 per month in Pingtung city 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 Pingtung city, 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 $909 in Pingtung city and $1,794 in Seoul. That's a gap of about 97%.

Kindergarten costs $344 per month in Pingtung city and $1,948 in Seoul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pingtung city, where all-in costs run around $909, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Pingtung city it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pingtung city – 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 Pingtung city. 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.