Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Keelung

For one person, living is cheaper in Keelung: $978 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Keelung
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Keelung Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Keelung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$978

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Keelung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $978 in Keelung.

Seoul $1,794
Keelung $978

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,717 in Keelung.

Seoul $2,863
Keelung $1,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $2,457 in Keelung.

Seoul $3,931
Keelung $2,457

Living in Seoul is roughly 84% more expensive than in Keelung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Keelung is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$4.65 NT$151

89.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$31.92 NT$1,035

114.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.85 NT$157

55.46%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.85 NT$92.4

48.42%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$1.03 NT$33.31

58.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.73 NT$23.60

1.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.54 NT$50.1

136.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$2.81 NT$91.1

118.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$3.24 NT$105

-37.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.39 NT$45.01

125.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.12 NT$36.44

285.71%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.22 NT$72.1

62.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$29.36 NT$952

-39.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$5.83 NT$189

79.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$17.08 NT$554

51.05%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$4.35 NT$141

76.09%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.89 NT$61.4

78.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$3.02 NT$98.0

92.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$2.16 NT$70.1

196.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.19 NT$38.69

215.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.90 NT$61.6

33.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$2.42 NT$78.5

17.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.91 NT$29.60

21.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$3.76 NT$122

-10.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$9.24 NT$300

100.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.09 NT$35.21

120.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.56 NT$83.0

31.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.64 NT$20.87

78.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$63.7 NT$2,064

-27.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$2.61 NT$84.7

33.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.96 NT$31.16

-34.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$9.61 NT$311

-7.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.03 NT$33.31

46.60%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$33.3K NT$1.1M

-12.12%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$23.0K NT$744.6K

22.86%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$41.52 NT$1,346

423.89%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$15.14 NT$491

132.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$11.07 NT$359

92.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$34.14 NT$1,107

70.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$32.11 NT$1,041

-49.86%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$7.92 NT$257

42.80%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$336 NT$10.9K

480.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$16.9K NT$546.4K

35.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$73.0 NT$2,368

-21.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$36.15 NT$1,172

-7.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$47.16 NT$1,529

51.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$31.66 NT$1,027

160.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$401 NT$13.0K

124.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$254 NT$8,247

140.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$978 NT$31.7K

158.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$731 NT$23.7K

73.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$3,385 NT$109.8K

769.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$2,352 NT$76.3K

406.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$2,436 NT$79.0K

49.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

2.27

79.74%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Keelung: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Keelung

$254 26% 58.4% $358

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Keelung

$341 34.9% 28.4% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Keelung

$68 6.9% 75.3% $206

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Keelung

$106 10.9% 42.1% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Keelung

$85 8.7% 23.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Keelung

$50 5.1% 38% $31

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Keelung

$74 7.5% 28.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $401 in Keelung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 50% 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: $68.0 in Seoul vs $32.00 in Keelung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $341 per month, with Keelung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇹🇼 Keelung

🕒 Local time

02:29 2:29 AM

01:29 1:29 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

372,100

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 →

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Between locations

Seoul Keelung 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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Keelung

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 Keelung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Keelung differ by about 84% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $978 including rent). Keelung is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 50% 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: $901 in Seoul versus $401 in Keelung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Keelung – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $978 in Keelung versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Keelung but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Keelung 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 Keelung 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 Keelung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 84% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.