Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Taizhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Taizhou: $774 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Taizhou
Learn more

Taizhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Taizhou

🇨🇳 China

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Taizhou

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $774 in Taizhou, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Taizhou $774

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,257 in Taizhou, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Taizhou $1,257

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,740 in Taizhou, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Taizhou $1,740

Seoul costs about 132% more than Taizhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Taizhou is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.8K

$3.65 ¥24.42

141.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩91.6K

$25.57 ¥171

167.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.1K

$4.51 ¥30.17

67.18%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,664

$3.47 ¥23.23

21.90%

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

$1.63 ₩2,182

$0.54 ¥3.59

201.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩992

$0.29 ¥1.92

155.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,878

$1.23 ¥8.24

195.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,233

$2.21 ¥14.78

178.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,698

$1.82 ¥12.18

10.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,194

$1.62 ¥10.82

93.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,785

$0.54 ¥3.59

700.00%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,828

$1.23 ¥8.26

193.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.9K

$19.41 ¥130

-8.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩14.0K

$3.81 ¥25.50

174.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.6K

$10.27 ¥68.7

151.22%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.3K

$1.20 ¥8.00

538.33%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,531

$1.35 ¥9.03

150.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,778

$1.45 ¥9.73

300.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,580

$1.55 ¥10.37

313.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,018

$0.81 ¥5.40

362.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,400

$0.97 ¥6.51

161.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,809

$0.68 ¥4.52

317.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,483

$0.55 ¥3.65

101.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,487

$4.04 ¥27.00

-17.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$13.26 ¥88.7

39.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,208

$0.44 ¥2.92

445.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,512

$1.73 ¥11.60

94.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,531

$0.31 ¥2.08

267.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.7K

$19.77 ¥132

133.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,677

$1.18 ¥7.89

195.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩846

$0.36 ¥2.38

75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.9K

$7.35 ¥49.16

20.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,020

$1.27 ¥8.50

18.90%

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

$29.3K ₩39.2M

$19.4K ¥129.9K

50.71%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$16.3K ¥108.7K

73.57%

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

$218 ₩291.3K

$48.17 ¥322

351.57%

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

$35.15 ₩47.1K

$8.88 ¥59.4

295.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.5K

$11.36 ¥76.0

87.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.8K

$42.64 ¥285

36.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.6K

$16.36 ¥109

-1.59%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.1K

$7.57 ¥50.7

49.41%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$574 ¥3,841

239.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.6M

$36.7K ¥245.3K

-37.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩76.4K

$32.68 ¥219

74.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.7K

$41.93 ¥280

-20.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.7K

$86.0 ¥575

-16.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$109 ¥730

-24.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$297 ¥1,983

203.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩819.3K

$181 ¥1,209

238.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$699 ¥4,675

261.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$377 ¥2,519

236.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.4M

$3,544 ¥23.7K

730.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.9M

$1,971 ¥13.2K

503.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.5

16.57%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Taizhou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Taizhou

$181 23.4% 70.5% $431

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Taizhou

$223 28.8% 53.2% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Taizhou

$68 8.8% 75% $206

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Taizhou

$98 12.7% 46.5% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Taizhou

$121 15.7% 10.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Taizhou

$58 7.5% 28.4% $23

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Taizhou

$24 3.1% 58.2% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $297 in Taizhou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul versus $26.00 in Taizhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $223 – making Taizhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Taizhou

🕒 Local time

18:31 6:31 PM

17:31 5:31 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

615,000

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1,339 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Between locations

Seoul Taizhou 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Taizhou

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 Taizhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 132% more than Taizhou, 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 $1,161 in Taizhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 133% less in Taizhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $574 in Taizhou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taizhou, where all-in costs run around $774, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Taizhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taizhou – 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 Taizhou. 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.