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.
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Seoul Living Index87Cost of Living Index in SeoulLearn more -
Taiwan Living Index57Cost of Living Index in TaiwanLearn more
😐 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.
🍽 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.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Seoul $624 34.7%
Taiwan $318 27.2% 49% $305
Groceries & Markets
Seoul $479 26.7%
Taiwan $379 32.4% 20.8% $100
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul $265 14.8%
Taiwan $129 11% 51.4% $136
Eating Out
Seoul $184 10.2%
Taiwan $111 9.5% 39.7% $73
Clothing & Footwear
Seoul $110 6.1%
Taiwan $127 10.9% 16.3% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Seoul $80 4.5%
Taiwan $58 5% 27.2% $22
Getting Around
Seoul $57 3.1%
Taiwan $48 4.1% 15% $8.5
Accommodation & Living
Seoul $1.3K 32.5%
Taiwan $798 29.4% 37.4% $476
Groceries & Markets
Seoul $1.1K 28.4%
Taiwan $887 32.7% 20.5% $229
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul $300 7.7%
Taiwan $146 5.4% 51.3% $154
Eating Out
Seoul $701 17.9%
Taiwan $376 13.8% 46.4% $325
Clothing & Footwear
Seoul $244 6.2%
Taiwan $283 10.4% 16.3% $40
Sport & Entertainment
Seoul $176 4.5%
Taiwan $128 4.7% 27.1% $48
Getting Around
Seoul $115 2.9%
Taiwan $97 3.6% 15.5% $18
Good to know
🇰🇷 Seoul
🇹🇼 Taiwan
Weather
Population
9,509,458 Capital
23,409,323
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
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.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Seoul vs other spots: cost of living compared
Seoul
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,822
/mo nomad
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,242
/mo nomad
Seoul
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,822
/mo nomad
Dubai
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
$2,854
/mo nomad
Seoul
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,822
/mo nomad
Bangalore
🇮🇳 India
$535
/mo nomad
Seoul
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,822
/mo nomad
Taipei
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$1,395
/mo nomad
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