Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,368 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Taipei

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $1,368 in Taipei, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Taipei $1,368

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $2,202 in Taipei, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Taipei $2,202

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $3,036 in Taipei, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Taipei $3,036

Seoul costs about 31% more than Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seoul and Taipei sit above the global median – Seoul by 33%, Taipei by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$4.60 NT$149

91.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$47.13 NT$1,528

45.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$5.58 NT$181

35.13%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$3.45 NT$112

22.61%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.94 NT$30.61

73.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.67 NT$21.73

10.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$2.86 NT$92.7

27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$3.70 NT$120

66.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$3.12 NT$101

-35.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.97 NT$64.0

58.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$3.16 NT$103

36.71%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.68 NT$86.9

34.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$19.90 NT$645

-10.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$9.85 NT$319

6.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$21.51 NT$698

19.94%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$4.85 NT$157

57.94%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$3.25 NT$105

4.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$3.03 NT$98.2

91.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$4.53 NT$147

41.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$2.79 NT$90.4

34.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$2.34 NT$75.9

8.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.68 NT$54.5

69.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$1.10 NT$35.62

0.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$3.80 NT$123

-11.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$14.17 NT$460

30.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.63 NT$53.0

47.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.29 NT$74.3

47.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.65 NT$21.04

75.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$37.88 NT$1,228

21.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$2.68 NT$86.8

30.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.82 NT$26.55

-23.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$9.17 NT$297

-3.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.02 NT$32.93

48.04%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$32.8K NT$1.1M

-10.80%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$24.5K NT$795.1K

15.05%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$87.7 NT$2,843

148.08%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$17.28 NT$560

103.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$27.38 NT$888

-22.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$40.32 NT$1,308

44.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$15.94 NT$517

1.00%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$9.83 NT$319

15.06%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$663 NT$21.5K

193.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$16.6K NT$538.4K

37.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$62.4 NT$2,025

-8.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$39.51 NT$1,281

-15.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$84.5 NT$2,740

-15.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$106 NT$3,424

-21.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$999 NT$32.4K

-9.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$473 NT$15.3K

29.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$1,565 NT$50.8K

61.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$948 NT$30.7K

33.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$11.9K NT$385.6K

147.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$7,306 NT$236.9K

62.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$1,760 NT$57.1K

107.39%

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 Taipei: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Taipei

$473 34.6% 22.6% $139

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Taipei

$400 29.3% 16% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Taipei

$132 9.7% 51.7% $142

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Taipei

$123 9% 33% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Taipei

$131 9.6% 19.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Taipei

$60 4.4% 25.6% $21

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Taipei

$47 3.5% 17.6% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $999 in Taipei. 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 107% 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 $47.00 in Taipei. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $400 – making Taipei the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

08:53 8:53 AM

07:53 7:53 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

2,635,286 Capital

💱 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 Taipei 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Taipei

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 Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 31% more than Taipei, 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 $2,052 in Taipei. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 22% less in Taipei. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $663 in Taipei. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Taipei, where all-in costs run around $1,368, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Taipei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taipei – 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 Taipei. 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.