Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Kaohsiung

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaohsiung: $1,108 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.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,108

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Kaohsiung

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 Kaohsiung actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,822 in Seoul versus $1,108 in Kaohsiung.

Seoul $1,822
Kaohsiung $1,108

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,847 in Seoul versus $1,821 in Kaohsiung.

Seoul $2,847
Kaohsiung $1,821

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,872 in Seoul versus $2,535 in Kaohsiung.

Seoul $3,872
Kaohsiung $2,535

Living in Seoul is roughly 64% more expensive than in Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 36% above, Kaohsiung is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$5.46 NT$174

66.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$31.96 NT$1,020

109.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$4.87 NT$155

52.36%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$2.83 NT$90.4

44.17%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$1.14 NT$36.40

40.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$0.71 NT$22.76

12.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$1.53 NT$48.85

138.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$2.55 NT$81.5

132.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$3.25 NT$104

-36.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$2.19 NT$69.7

40.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$3.07 NT$98.1

37.13%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$2.67 NT$85.2

33.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$16.13 NT$515

11.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$8.08 NT$258

31.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$15.24 NT$486

73.49%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$6.80 NT$217

9.12%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$2.82 NT$90.1

25.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$2.57 NT$82.0

128.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$3.08 NT$98.4

106.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$2.84 NT$90.7

32.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$2.06 NT$65.8

20.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$2.45 NT$78.2

19.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$1.04 NT$33.18

10.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$4.54 NT$145

-27.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$15.72 NT$502

17.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$1.67 NT$53.4

36.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$2.25 NT$71.7

45.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$0.68 NT$21.68

67.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

$12.67 NT$404

258.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$2.76 NT$88.0

26.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$0.75 NT$23.98

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$5.51 NT$176

57.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$1.02 NT$32.50

47.06%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$33.6K NT$1.1M

-13.45%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$23.0K NT$735.3K

22.35%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$84.8 NT$2,705

146.37%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$17.34 NT$553

102.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$25.77 NT$822

-17.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$41.21 NT$1,315

39.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$10.41 NT$332

52.64%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$10.96 NT$350

3.38%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$462 NT$14.7K

311.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$14.1K NT$449.2K

59.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$93.5 NT$2,982

-36.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$31.88 NT$1,017

0.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$85.9 NT$2,740

-18.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$104 NT$3,314

-20.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$415 NT$13.2K

113.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$276 NT$8,808

125.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$979 NT$31.2K

154.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$668 NT$21.3K

90.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$4,588 NT$146.4K

550.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$3,154 NT$100.7K

275.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$1,462 NT$46.7K

149.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

2.56

59.38%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Kaohsiung

$276 24.9% 55.7% $347

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Kaohsiung

$368 33.1% 23.2% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Kaohsiung

$128 11.5% 51.8% $137

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Kaohsiung

$112 10.1% 38.8% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Kaohsiung

$142 12.8% 29.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Kaohsiung

$63 5.7% 21.1% $17

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Kaohsiung

$22 2% 61.2% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $885 in Seoul and $415 in Kaohsiung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 150% 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: $67.0 in Seoul vs $32.00 in Kaohsiung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $479 vs $368 per month, with Kaohsiung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🕒 Local time

22:46 10:46 PM

21:46 9:46 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

2,777,873

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.76 TWD (100 TWD = 2.8 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Kaohsiung 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
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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 Kaohsiung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Kaohsiung differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($1,822 vs $1,108 including rent). Kaohsiung is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 150% higher in Seoul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $885 in Seoul versus $415 in Kaohsiung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,902 in Seoul versus $462 in Kaohsiung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,108 in Kaohsiung versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kaohsiung but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Kaohsiung 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, Seoul and Kaohsiung 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 Kaohsiung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.