Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Hsinchu

For one person, living is cheaper in Hsinchu: $1,154 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Hsinchu
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Hsinchu Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Hsinchu

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Hsinchu

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $1,154 in Hsinchu, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Hsinchu $1,154

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,937 in Hsinchu, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Hsinchu $1,937

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $2,719 in Hsinchu, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Hsinchu $2,719

Seoul costs about 56% more than Hsinchu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Hsinchu is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.66 NT$119

140.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$28.02 NT$909

144.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.64 NT$151

62.50%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.95 NT$95.7

43.39%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.97 NT$31.52

68.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.66 NT$21.26

12.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.83 NT$59.2

98.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$2.26 NT$73.2

172.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$2.78 NT$90.1

-27.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.65 NT$53.5

89.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$4.61 NT$150

-6.29%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.75 NT$89.3

31.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$36.03 NT$1,168

-50.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$6.69 NT$217

56.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$21.15 NT$686

21.99%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.60 NT$84.2

194.62%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$2.57 NT$83.4

31.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$3.32 NT$108

75.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$3.00 NT$97.3

113.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$2.30 NT$74.4

63.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$2.29 NT$74.2

10.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$2.02 NT$65.4

40.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$1.36 NT$44.08

-18.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$4.00 NT$130

-16.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$12.55 NT$407

47.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.93 NT$62.5

24.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.40 NT$77.8

40.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.61 NT$19.78

86.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$40.83 NT$1,324

12.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$3.09 NT$100

12.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.30 NT$9.63

110.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$10.04 NT$325

-11.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.00 NT$32.34

51.00%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$33.8K NT$1.1M

-13.40%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$26.4K NT$857.3K

6.70%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$103 NT$3,337

111.39%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$18.95 NT$614

85.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$20.99 NT$681

1.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$50.8 NT$1,649

14.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$10.21 NT$331

10.77%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$750 NT$24.3K

159.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$16.4K NT$533.0K

39.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$56.9 NT$1,846

0.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$35.65 NT$1,156

-6.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$79.5 NT$2,579

-10.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$106 NT$3,449

-22.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$440 NT$14.3K

104.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$257 NT$8,335

138.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$1,141 NT$37.0K

121.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$755 NT$24.5K

67.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$8,071 NT$261.7K

264.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$6,095 NT$197.6K

95.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$2,506 NT$81.3K

45.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

2.13

91.55%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hsinchu: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Hsinchu

$257 22.3% 58% $355

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Hsinchu

$411 35.6% 13.9% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Hsinchu

$143 12.4% 47.9% $131

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Hsinchu

$99 8.6% 46.3% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Hsinchu

$125 10.9% 13.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Hsinchu

$71 6.2% 11.7% $9.4

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Hsinchu

$48 4.2% 16.6% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $440 in Hsinchu. 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 46% 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 $68.0 in Seoul versus $28.00 in Hsinchu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $411 – making Hsinchu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇹🇼 Hsinchu

🕒 Local time

16:24 4:24 PM

15:24 3:24 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

453,120

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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Between locations

Seoul Hsinchu 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Hsinchu

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

Seoul vs Hsinchu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 56% more than Hsinchu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $1,731 in Hsinchu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 13% less in Hsinchu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $750 in Hsinchu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hsinchu, where all-in costs run around $1,154, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Hsinchu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hsinchu – 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 Hsinchu. 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.