Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Taiwan

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiwan: $1,183 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Seoul
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,822
/mo nomad
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$1,183
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Seoul is 28% more expensive than Taiwan without rent, and 54% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Seoul is 31.7% more expensive than Taiwan without rent, and 44.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seoul
Taiwan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.10 ₩12.2K
$4.86 NT$155
87.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.0 ₩89.8K
$31.39 NT$1,002
113.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.42 ₩9,941
$5.48 NT$175
35.40%
Cappuccino
$4.08 ₩5,470
$2.89 NT$92.1
41.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 ₩2,141
$0.99 NT$31.43
61.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.80 ₩1,078
$0.68 NT$21.75
17.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.65 ₩4,886
$1.86 NT$59.3
96.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.94 ₩7,956
$2.45 NT$78.0
142.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seoul
Taiwan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.05 ₩2,742
$3.08 NT$98.2
-33.44%
White Bread (500g)
$3.08 ₩4,130
$1.86 NT$59.3
65.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.21 ₩5,646
$3.00 NT$95.7
40.33%
Eggs
$3.57 ₩4,784
$2.72 NT$86.8
31.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.95 ₩24.1K
$18.38 NT$587
-2.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.64 ₩14.3K
$9.07 NT$289
17.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$26.44 ₩35.4K
$20.49 NT$654
29.04%
Apples (1kg)
$7.42 ₩9,946
$4.69 NT$150
58.21%
Banana (1kg)
$3.53 ₩4,732
$2.72 NT$86.8
29.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.87 ₩7,866
$2.94 NT$93.7
99.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.37 ₩8,534
$3.86 NT$123
65.03%
Potato (1kg)
$3.75 ₩5,028
$2.82 NT$90.1
32.98%
Onion (1kg)
$2.49 ₩3,337
$2.29 NT$73.0
8.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.92 ₩3,911
$2.13 NT$67.9
37.09%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 ₩1,542
$1.19 NT$38.02
-3.36%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.29 ₩4,408
$3.87 NT$124
-14.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.49 ₩24.8K
$12.74 NT$406
45.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.28 ₩3,057
$1.71 NT$54.4
33.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.28 ₩4,398
$2.19 NT$69.8
49.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Seoul
Taiwan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.14 ₩1,526
$0.65 NT$20.69
75.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.47 ₩60.9K
$38.53 NT$1,229
18.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.48 ₩4,663
$2.82 NT$90.0
23.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.60 ₩803
$0.82 NT$26.21
-26.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.70 ₩11.7K
$9.67 NT$309
-10.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.50 ₩2,004
$1.02 NT$32.54
47.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.1K ₩39.0M
$33.3K NT$1.1M
-12.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.2K ₩37.8M
$23.8K NT$760.9K
18.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul
Taiwan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$209 ₩279.9K
$87.6 NT$2,797
138.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.13 ₩47.1K
$17.29 NT$552
103.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.18 ₩28.4K
$23.97 NT$765
-11.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seoul
Taiwan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.3 ₩76.8K
$37.76 NT$1,205
51.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.89 ₩21.3K
$11.77 NT$376
35.00%
Cinema Ticket
$11.33 ₩15.2K
$10.24 NT$327
10.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seoul
Taiwan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,902 ₩2.5M
$562 NT$17.9K
238.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.5K ₩30.2M
$16.2K NT$518.1K
38.72%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seoul
Taiwan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.9 ₩78.9K
$63.0 NT$2,009
-6.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.12 ₩43.0K
$33.32 NT$1,063
-3.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.1 ₩94.0K
$82.8 NT$2,642
-15.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$82.5 ₩110.5K
$104 NT$3,325
-20.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seoul
Taiwan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$885 ₩1.2M
$525 NT$16.7K
68.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$624 ₩835.5K
$318 NT$10.2K
95.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,494 ₩3.3M
$1,126 NT$35.9K
121.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,275 ₩1.7M
$798 NT$25.5K
59.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$29.8K ₩40.0M
$8,113 NT$258.9K
267.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$11.8K ₩15.9M
$5,437 NT$173.5K
117.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seoul
Taiwan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,649 ₩4.9M
$1,752 NT$55.9K
108.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.08
2.45
66.53%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Taiwan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Seoul
$624
Taiwan
$318 49% $305
Groceries & Markets
Seoul
$479
Taiwan
$379 20.8% $100
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul
$265
Taiwan
$129 51.4% $136
Eating Out
Seoul
$184
Taiwan
$111 39.7% $73
Clothing & Footwear
Seoul
$110
Taiwan
$127 16.3% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Seoul
$80
Taiwan
$58 27.2% $22
Getting Around
Seoul
$57
Taiwan
$48 15% $8.5
Good to know
🇰🇷 Seoul
🇹🇼 Taiwan
🕒 Local time
19:14 7:14 PM
18:14 6:14 PM
1 h behind Seoul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,509,458 Capital
23,409,323
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Seoul Taiwan 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Seoul
  • Taiwan

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.
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