Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seongnam and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,330 a month against $1,418 in Seongnam, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Seongnam
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Seongnam Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

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Seongnam

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,418

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seongnam and in Taipei

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

A single person spends $1,418 per month in Seongnam vs $1,330 in Taipei, rent included.

Seongnam $1,418
Taipei $1,330

A couple spends around $2,361 per month in Seongnam vs $2,145 in Taipei, rent included.

Seongnam $2,361
Taipei $2,145

A family of three spends $3,305 per month in Seongnam vs $2,959 in Taipei, rent included.

Seongnam $3,305
Taipei $2,959

Seongnam costs about 7% more than Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seongnam sits 4% above the global median, while Taipei is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.95 ₩9,271

$4.70 NT$153

47.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.62 ₩55.5K

$46.13 NT$1,504

-9.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 ₩9,112

$5.80 NT$189

17.76%

Cappuccino

$4.03 ₩5,372

$3.37 NT$110

19.58%

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

$1.56 ₩2,077

$0.91 NT$29.61

71.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₩1,008

$0.66 NT$21.58

15.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.53 ₩4,709

$2.98 NT$97.2

18.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 ₩5,079

$3.64 NT$119

4.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 ₩3,081

$2.95 NT$96.2

-21.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 ₩4,244

$1.92 NT$62.8

65.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,945

$3.10 NT$101

19.68%

Eggs

$3.67 ₩4,890

$2.62 NT$85.3

40.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 ₩12.2K

$19.04 NT$621

-52.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 ₩10.7K

$9.54 NT$311

-15.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.41 ₩27.2K

$20.87 NT$680

-2.20%

Apples (1kg)

$7.56 ₩10.1K

$4.72 NT$154

60.17%

Banana (1kg)

$3.56 ₩4,747

$3.33 NT$109

6.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.65 ₩7,532

$2.95 NT$96.1

91.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.81 ₩9,088

$4.26 NT$139

59.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,008

$2.75 NT$89.8

36.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 ₩3,498

$2.22 NT$72.5

18.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.93 ₩3,911

$1.66 NT$54.1

76.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₩1,795

$1.08 NT$35.08

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.48 ₩4,638

$3.95 NT$129

-11.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.94 ₩25.3K

$13.89 NT$453

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 ₩2,798

$1.58 NT$51.7

32.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₩2,571

$2.18 NT$71.0

-11.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 ₩1,452

$0.58 NT$18.98

87.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.25 NT$1,182

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 ₩4,864

$2.54 NT$82.7

43.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₩892

$0.75 NT$24.44

-10.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$8.99 NT$293

-2.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₩1,855

$1.00 NT$32.62

39.00%

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

$30.0K ₩40.0M

$34.6K NT$1.1M

-13.47%

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

$28.1K ₩37.4M

$23.0K NT$750.9K

21.84%

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

$215 ₩286.6K

$85.6 NT$2,791

151.09%

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

$36.76 ₩49.0K

$16.94 NT$552

117.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.23 ₩28.3K

$26.94 NT$878

-21.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 ₩73.4K

$39.55 NT$1,290

39.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.12 ₩18.8K

$15.36 NT$501

-8.07%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 ₩15.2K

$9.72 NT$317

17.08%

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

$379 ₩505.6K

$710 NT$23.1K

-46.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K ₩24.1M

$16.3K NT$532.8K

10.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 ₩76.9K

$62.0 NT$2,021

-6.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.54 ₩43.4K

$39.30 NT$1,281

-17.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.4 ₩95.2K

$84.1 NT$2,742

-15.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.4 ₩112.6K

$102 NT$3,316

-17.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$488 ₩650.4K

$961 NT$31.3K

-49.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 ₩480.4K

$456 NT$14.9K

-20.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 ₩1.5M

$1,511 NT$49.3K

-23.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,046 ₩1.4M

$919 NT$30.0K

13.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,247 ₩9.7M

$11.4K NT$372.0K

-36.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,589 ₩7.5M

$6,882 NT$224.4K

-18.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,703 NT$55.5K

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 Seongnam: October 26, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Seongnam

$426 30%

Taipei

$388 29.2% 8.8% $38

Accommodation & Living

Seongnam

$360 25.4%

Taipei

$456 34.3% 26.5% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seongnam

$273 19.3%

Taipei

$129 9.7% 52.6% $143

Eating Out

Seongnam

$159 11.2%

Taipei

$124 9.3% 22.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Seongnam

$111 7.8%

Taipei

$129 9.7% 16.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Seongnam

$78 5.5%

Taipei

$59 4.4% 24.2% $19

Getting Around

Seongnam

$11 * 0.8%

Taipei

$45 3.4% 295% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $488 in Seongnam versus $961 in Taipei. 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 $42 in Seongnam versus $46 in Taipei. Groceries tell a different story – $426 in Seongnam vs $388 in Taipei – so Taipei wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seongnam

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

11:08 11:08 AM

1 h behind Seongnam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

967,510

2,635,286 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,489 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seongnam Taipei 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Seongnam
Taipei

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

Seongnam vs Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,418 in Seongnam, $1,330 in Taipei – Taipei comes out roughly 6% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,127 per month in Seongnam and $1,995 in Taipei. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seongnam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $488 there versus $961 in Taipei.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,418 in Seongnam and $1,330 in Taipei. That makes Taipei about 6% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $379 per month in Seongnam and $710 in Taipei. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Taipei has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,330 in Taipei to $1,418 in Seongnam. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.