Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and New Taipei City

For one person, living is cheaper in New Taipei City: $1,211 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
59

Cost of Living Index in New Taipei City
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New Taipei City Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

New Taipei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,211

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in New Taipei City

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 New Taipei City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $1,211 in New Taipei City.

Seoul $1,794
New Taipei City $1,211

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $2,026 in New Taipei City.

Seoul $2,863
New Taipei City $2,026

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $2,841 in New Taipei City.

Seoul $3,931
New Taipei City $2,841

Living in Seoul is roughly 48% more expensive than in New Taipei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, New Taipei City is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$4.77 NT$155

84.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$31.06 NT$1,007

120.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$5.02 NT$163

50.20%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.27 NT$73.5

86.34%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.88 NT$28.40

85.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.56 NT$18.22

32.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.58 NT$51.3

130.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$2.57 NT$83.4

139.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$3.13 NT$102

-35.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.81 NT$58.6

72.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$2.17 NT$70.5

99.08%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.20 NT$71.3

64.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$24.39 NT$791

-26.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$10.58 NT$343

-1.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$19.26 NT$625

33.96%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.99 NT$129

91.98%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$2.54 NT$82.4

33.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.68 NT$86.8

116.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$3.98 NT$129

61.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$4.06 NT$132

-7.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$2.06 NT$66.7

23.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.61 NT$52.4

76.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$1.08 NT$35.18

2.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$4.33 NT$140

-22.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$9.14 NT$296

102.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.39 NT$45.09

72.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.42 NT$78.4

39.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.82 NT$26.53

39.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$36.86 NT$1,195

25.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$2.82 NT$91.4

23.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.92 NT$29.96

-31.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$9.46 NT$307

-6.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.00 NT$32.44

51.00%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$33.3K NT$1.1M

-11.97%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$24.5K NT$793.2K

15.33%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$114 NT$3,682

91.60%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$16.72 NT$542

110.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$23.01 NT$746

-7.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$38.40 NT$1,245

51.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$8.04 NT$261

100.25%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$12.49 NT$405

-9.45%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$639 NT$20.7K

204.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$21.5K NT$696.7K

6.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$35.61 NT$1,155

60.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$30.90 NT$1,002

8.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$92.5 NT$3,000

-22.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$100 NT$3,247

-17.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$641 NT$20.8K

40.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$348 NT$11.3K

75.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$1,406 NT$45.6K

79.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$927 NT$30.0K

36.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$12.4K NT$402.0K

137.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$7,282 NT$236.1K

63.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$1,418 NT$46.0K

157.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

2.81

45.20%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for New Taipei City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

New Taipei City

$348 28.8% 43.1% $264

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

New Taipei City

$382 31.6% 19.8% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

New Taipei City

$153 12.7% 44.1% $121

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

New Taipei City

$99 8.2% 46% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

New Taipei City

$117 9.6% 6% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

New Taipei City

$63 5.2% 21.4% $17

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

New Taipei City

$48 3.9% 17% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $641 in New Taipei City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 157% 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 $31.00 in New Taipei City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $382 per month, with New Taipei City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇹🇼 New Taipei City

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

07:40 7:40 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

4,004,367

💱 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 New Taipei City 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
New Taipei City

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 New Taipei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and New Taipei City differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $1,211 including rent). New Taipei City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 157% 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 $641 in New Taipei City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,794 per month in Seoul versus $1,211 in New Taipei City – a 48% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in New Taipei City runs roughly 25% less than in Seoul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,211 in New Taipei City versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in New Taipei City but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes New Taipei City 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 New Taipei City 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 New Taipei City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.