Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Tainan

For one person, living is cheaper in Tainan: $1,068 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Tainan
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Tainan Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Tainan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,068

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Tainan

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $1,068 in Tainan, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Tainan $1,068

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,837 in Tainan, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Tainan $1,837

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $2,606 in Tainan, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Tainan $2,606

Seoul costs about 68% more than Tainan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Tainan is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.74 NT$121

135.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$24.62 NT$799

177.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.79 NT$155

57.41%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$3.27 NT$106

29.36%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.95 NT$30.66

71.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.63 NT$20.54

17.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$2.86 NT$92.6

27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$3.49 NT$113

76.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$3.09 NT$100

-34.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.77 NT$57.5

76.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$3.15 NT$102

37.14%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.75 NT$89.3

31.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$19.50 NT$632

-8.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$9.88 NT$320

5.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$21.04 NT$682

22.62%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$4.96 NT$161

54.44%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$2.86 NT$92.7

18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$3.00 NT$97.4

93.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$4.48 NT$145

43.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$2.66 NT$86.4

40.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$2.27 NT$73.6

11.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.71 NT$55.3

66.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$1.15 NT$37.31

-3.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$3.81 NT$124

-12.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$13.94 NT$452

32.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.65 NT$53.4

45.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.17 NT$70.3

55.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.61 NT$19.68

86.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$33.89 NT$1,099

36.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$2.53 NT$82.2

37.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.77 NT$24.92

-18.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$5.74 NT$186

54.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.01 NT$32.90

49.50%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$32.8K NT$1.1M

-10.76%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$24.1K NT$780.6K

17.20%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$87.2 NT$2,828

149.42%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$17.51 NT$568

100.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$21.30 NT$691

-0.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$45.65 NT$1,480

27.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$9.60 NT$311

17.81%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$433 NT$14.1K

349.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$5,413 NT$175.5K

322.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$63.2 NT$2,050

-9.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$39.20 NT$1,271

-14.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$83.7 NT$2,716

-14.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$103 NT$3,353

-20.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$297 NT$9,624

203.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$200 NT$6,470

206.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$845 NT$27.4K

199.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$696 NT$22.6K

81.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$4,123 NT$133.7K

613.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$3,022 NT$98.0K

293.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$1,376 NT$44.6K

165.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

2.4

70.00%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tainan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Tainan

$200 18.7% 67.4% $412

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Tainan

$393 36.9% 17.5% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Tainan

$126 11.8% 54% $148

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Tainan

$111 10.4% 39.6% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Tainan

$130 12.2% 18.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Tainan

$65 6.1% 19.6% $16

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Tainan

$43 4% 25.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $297 in Tainan. 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 165% 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 $25.00 in Tainan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $393 – making Tainan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇹🇼 Tainan

🕒 Local time

10:24 10:24 AM

09:24 9:24 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

1,886,033

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Tainan 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Tainan

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 Tainan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 68% more than Tainan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,602 in Tainan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 36% less in Tainan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $433 in Tainan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tainan, where all-in costs run around $1,068, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Tainan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tainan – 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 Tainan. 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.