Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Miaoli

For one person, living is cheaper in Miaoli: $794 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Miaoli
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Miaoli Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Miaoli

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Miaoli

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,822 in Seoul versus $794 in Miaoli.

Seoul $1,822
Miaoli $794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,847 in Seoul versus $1,109 in Miaoli.

Seoul $2,847
Miaoli $1,109

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,872 in Seoul versus $1,425 in Miaoli.

Seoul $3,872
Miaoli $1,425

Living in Seoul is roughly 130% more expensive than in Miaoli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 36% above, Miaoli is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$2.46 NT$78.6

269.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$23.69 NT$756

182.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$4.69 NT$150

58.21%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$3.01 NT$96.1

35.55%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$0.86 NT$27.33

86.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$0.53 NT$16.97

50.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$1.23 NT$39.22

196.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$1.36 NT$43.36

336.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$2.69 NT$86.0

-23.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$1.25 NT$39.79

146.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$2.72 NT$86.7

54.78%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$2.21 NT$70.5

61.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$9.25 NT$295

94.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$7.54 NT$241

41.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$21.84 NT$697

21.06%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$3.74 NT$119

98.40%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$1.98 NT$63.2

78.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$3.05 NT$97.3

92.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$3.09 NT$98.5

106.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$2.47 NT$78.9

51.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$2.04 NT$65.2

22.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$2.30 NT$73.5

26.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$0.87 NT$27.78

32.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$4.06 NT$129

-18.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$10.99 NT$351

68.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$1.49 NT$47.39

53.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$2.08 NT$66.5

57.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$2.90 NT$92.6

20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$0.75 NT$23.97

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$7.05 NT$225

23.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$1.03 NT$32.92

45.63%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$33.3K NT$1.1M

-12.50%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$23.8K NT$758.4K

18.62%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$69.0 NT$2,201

202.84%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$18.41 NT$587

90.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$22.34 NT$713

-5.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$10.97 NT$350

3.28%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$517 NT$16.5K

267.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$31.7K NT$1.0M

-29.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$12.55 NT$400

369.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$25.14 NT$802

27.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$63.8 NT$2,036

9.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$99.4 NT$3,172

-17.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$217 NT$6,917

308.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$158 NT$5,030

295.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$2,500 NT$79.8K

45.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

2.38

71.43%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Miaoli: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Miaoli

$158 20.1% 74.7% $466

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Miaoli

$313 39.9% 34.7% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Miaoli

$110 14% 58.6% $155

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Miaoli

$84 10.8% 54.1% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Miaoli

$90 11.5% 17.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Miaoli

$22 * 2.8% 72.6% $58

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Miaoli

$6.7 * 0.9% 88.2% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $885 in Seoul and $217 in Miaoli. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 46% 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 $24.00 in Miaoli for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $479 vs $313 per month, with Miaoli cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇹🇼 Miaoli

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

02:15 2:15 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

89,892

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Seoul Miaoli 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Miaoli

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 Miaoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Miaoli differ by about 130% in total monthly costs ($1,822 vs $794 including rent). Miaoli is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 46% 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 $217 in Miaoli. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,822 per month in Seoul versus $794 in Miaoli – a 130% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $794 in Miaoli versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Miaoli but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Miaoli 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 Miaoli 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 Miaoli gentler on the wallet – expenses run 130% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.