Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Taoyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Taoyuan: $1,200 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Taoyuan
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Taoyuan Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Taoyuan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,200

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Taoyuan

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $1,200 in Taoyuan, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Taoyuan $1,200

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,816 in Taoyuan, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Taoyuan $1,816

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $2,433 in Taoyuan, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Taoyuan $2,433

Seoul costs about 50% more than Taoyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Taoyuan is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$4.23 NT$137

108.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$24.93 NT$808

174.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$5.74 NT$186

31.36%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.97 NT$96.2

42.42%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$1.02 NT$33.18

59.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.71 NT$22.97

4.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.84 NT$59.8

97.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$2.30 NT$74.6

167.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$2.84 NT$92.2

-29.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.22 NT$39.64

156.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$2.67 NT$86.5

61.80%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.17 NT$70.4

66.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$9.22 NT$299

93.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$7.55 NT$245

38.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$21.09 NT$684

22.33%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.83 NT$124

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$2.06 NT$66.8

64.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$3.11 NT$101

86.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$3.10 NT$101

106.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$2.47 NT$80.2

51.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$2.03 NT$65.9

25.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$2.33 NT$75.6

21.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.88 NT$28.53

26.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$5.02 NT$163

-33.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$10.89 NT$353

69.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.43 NT$46.45

67.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.16 NT$69.9

56.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.55 NT$17.81

107.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$38.07 NT$1,234

21.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$2.74 NT$88.8

27.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.76 NT$24.51

-17.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$6.99 NT$227

26.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.00 NT$32.37

51.00%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$32.8K NT$1.1M

-10.85%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$23.3K NT$755.7K

21.05%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$69.5 NT$2,252

213.16%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$17.72 NT$574

98.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$21.93 NT$711

-2.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$33.59 NT$1,089

72.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$7.07 NT$229

127.72%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$10.94 NT$355

3.38%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$517 NT$16.8K

276.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$31.3K NT$1.0M

-26.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$91.3 NT$2,959

-37.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$24.83 NT$805

34.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$81.9 NT$2,655

-12.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$96.2 NT$3,119

-14.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$646 NT$20.9K

39.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$436 NT$14.1K

40.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$964 NT$31.2K

162.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$729 NT$23.6K

73.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$7,498 NT$243.2K

292.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$4,782 NT$155.1K

148.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$1,549 NT$50.2K

135.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

2.38

71.43%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Taoyuan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Taoyuan

$436 36.3% 28.7% $176

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Taoyuan

$313 26.1% 34.4% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Taoyuan

$109 9.1% 60.2% $165

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Taoyuan

$107 9% 41.6% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Taoyuan

$132 11% 20.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Taoyuan

$55 4.6% 31.3% $25

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Taoyuan

$47 3.9% 18.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $646 in Taoyuan. 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 136% 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 $25.00 in Taoyuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $313 – making Taoyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇹🇼 Taoyuan

🕒 Local time

10:24 10:24 AM

09:24 9:24 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

2,147,763

💱 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 Taoyuan 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Taoyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 50% more than Taoyuan, 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 $1,800 in Taoyuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 21% less in Taoyuan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $517 in Taoyuan. 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 Taoyuan, where all-in costs run around $1,200, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Taoyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taoyuan – 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 Taoyuan. 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.