Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Zhubei City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhubei City: $1,055 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Zhubei City
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Zhubei City Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Zhubei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Zhubei City

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $1,055 in Zhubei City, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Zhubei City $1,055

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,841 in Zhubei City, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Zhubei City $1,841

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $2,627 in Zhubei City, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Zhubei City $2,627

Seoul costs about 70% more than Zhubei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Zhubei City is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$4.83 NT$157

82.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$28.00 NT$908

144.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$5.07 NT$164

48.72%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.89 NT$93.8

46.37%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.91 NT$29.41

79.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.59 NT$19.02

25.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.93 NT$62.5

88.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$2.33 NT$75.6

163.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$2.79 NT$90.4

-27.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.87 NT$60.7

67.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$4.59 NT$149

-5.88%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.85 NT$92.5

26.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$24.76 NT$803

-27.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$8.37 NT$271

24.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$25.93 NT$841

-0.50%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$4.04 NT$131

89.60%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$2.42 NT$78.5

39.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.69 NT$87.3

115.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$3.27 NT$106

96.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$3.02 NT$97.9

24.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$2.02 NT$65.5

25.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$2.06 NT$66.9

37.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$1.33 NT$43.25

-16.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$3.88 NT$126

-13.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$9.23 NT$299

100.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.43 NT$46.36

67.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.33 NT$75.4

44.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.61 NT$19.85

86.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$3.10 NT$101

12.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.64 NT$20.76

-1.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$9.25 NT$300

-4.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.99 NT$32.17

52.53%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$33.5K NT$1.1M

-12.54%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$24.8K NT$805.7K

13.54%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$103 NT$3,331

111.78%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$18.96 NT$615

85.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$22.80 NT$739

-6.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$31.40 NT$1,018

84.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$9.99 NT$324

13.21%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$646 NT$20.9K

201.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$16.5K NT$533.8K

38.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$57.7 NT$1,870

-1.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$31.13 NT$1,010

7.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$90.8 NT$2,946

-21.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$99.0 NT$3,209

-16.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$501 NT$16.2K

79.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$217 NT$7,032

182.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$1,100 NT$35.7K

129.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$768 NT$24.9K

64.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$16.2K NT$525.9K

81.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$9,751 NT$316.2K

22.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$2,391 NT$77.5K

52.65%

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 Zhubei City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Zhubei City

$217 20.6% 64.6% $395

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Zhubei City

$400 37.9% 16.2% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Zhubei City

$144 13.7% 47.3% $129

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Zhubei City

$109 10.3% 40.8% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Zhubei City

$125 11.9% 14% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Zhubei City

$51 4.9% 36.3% $29

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Zhubei City

$8.8 * 0.8% 84.7% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $501 in Zhubei City. 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 53% 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 $28.00 in Zhubei City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $400 – making Zhubei City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇹🇼 Zhubei City

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

07:23 7:23 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

211,746

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Zhubei City 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Zhubei City

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 Zhubei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 70% more than Zhubei City, 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 $1,583 in Zhubei City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,794 in Seoul and $1,055 in Zhubei City. That's a gap of about 70%.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $646 in Zhubei City. 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 Zhubei City, where all-in costs run around $1,055, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Zhubei City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhubei City – 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 Zhubei City. 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.