Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Taitung

For one person, living is cheaper in Taitung: $1,035 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Taitung
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Taitung Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Taitung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Taitung

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $1,035 in Taitung, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Taitung $1,035

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,802 in Taitung, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Taitung $1,802

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $2,569 in Taitung, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Taitung $2,569

Seoul costs about 73% more than Taitung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Taitung is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.82 NT$124

130.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$48.18 NT$1,562

41.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$5.56 NT$180

35.61%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$3.45 NT$112

22.61%

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

$0.68 NT$22.00

8.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$2.88 NT$93.3

26.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$3.76 NT$122

63.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$3.09 NT$100

-34.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.87 NT$60.7

67.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$3.12 NT$101

38.46%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.33 NT$75.4

54.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$19.49 NT$632

-8.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.89 NT$126

168.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$21.88 NT$709

17.92%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$1.92 NT$62.1

298.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$2.92 NT$94.6

15.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$1.93 NT$62.5

201.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$4.50 NT$146

42.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$2.73 NT$88.4

37.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$2.36 NT$76.5

7.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.78 NT$57.7

59.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$1.11 NT$35.94

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$4.00 NT$130

-16.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$14.07 NT$456

31.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.64 NT$53.3

46.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.28 NT$73.8

47.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.65 NT$20.95

75.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$36.43 NT$1,181

26.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$2.72 NT$88.3

28.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.78 NT$25.14

-19.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$9.18 NT$298

-3.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.90 NT$29.33

67.78%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$33.2K NT$1.1M

-11.95%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$24.1K NT$781.5K

17.06%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$85.6 NT$2,777

153.99%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$17.66 NT$573

99.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$27.09 NT$878

-21.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$36.70 NT$1,190

58.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$9.25 NT$300

22.27%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$677 NT$21.9K

187.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$17.0K NT$550.6K

34.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$28.52 NT$925

100.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$15.68 NT$508

112.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$49.43 NT$1,603

44.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$105 NT$3,410

-21.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$412 NT$13.4K

118.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$251 NT$8,133

143.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$983 NT$31.9K

156.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$747 NT$24.2K

69.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$7,734 NT$250.8K

280.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$5,021 NT$162.8K

137.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$637 NT$20.7K

472.93%

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 Taitung: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Taitung

$251 24.2% 59% $361

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Taitung

$346 33.5% 27.4% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Taitung

$130 12.6% 52.4% $144

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Taitung

$117 11.3% 36.3% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Taitung

$89 8.6% 18.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Taitung

$55 5.3% 31.6% $25

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Taitung

$46 4.4% 20.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $412 in Taitung. 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 473% 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 $48.00 in Taitung. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $346 – making Taitung the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇹🇼 Taitung

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

03:09 3:09 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

106,368

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Seoul Taitung 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Taitung

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 Taitung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 73% more than Taitung, 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 $1,552 in Taitung. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 27% less in Taitung. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $677 in Taitung. 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 Taitung, where all-in costs run around $1,035, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Taitung it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taitung – 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 Taitung. 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.