Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Cheongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,330 a month against $1,409 in Cheongju, rent and utilities included – about $950 less a year. The total is higher in Cheongju despite lower rent and utilities.

64

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cheongju
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Cheongju Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,330

/mo nomad

Cheongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,409

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Cheongju

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Taipei and in Cheongju actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,330 in Taipei versus $1,409 in Cheongju.

Taipei $1,330
Cheongju $1,409

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,145 in Taipei versus $2,329 in Cheongju.

Taipei $2,145
Cheongju $2,329

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Taipei versus $3,249 in Cheongju.

Taipei $2,959
Cheongju $3,249

Living in Taipei costs roughly 6% less than in Cheongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Taipei is 2% below, Cheongju is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 NT$152

$7.47 ₩10.0K

-37.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 NT$1,494

$48.95 ₩65.6K

-5.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 NT$188

$5.88 ₩7,884

-1.36%

Cappuccino

$3.37 NT$109

$3.66 ₩4,900

-7.92%

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

$0.91 NT$29.40

$1.84 ₩2,471

-50.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 NT$21.43

$1.40 ₩1,871

-52.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 NT$96.5

$3.65 ₩4,897

-18.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 NT$118

$4.33 ₩5,805

-15.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.95 NT$95.5

$2.25 ₩3,021

31.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 NT$62.3

$3.25 ₩4,363

-40.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 NT$100

$3.05 ₩4,095

1.64%

Eggs

$2.62 NT$84.7

$2.73 ₩3,666

-4.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.04 NT$617

$11.16 ₩15.0K

70.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 NT$309

$10.65 ₩14.3K

-10.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.87 NT$676

$24.55 ₩32.9K

-14.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 NT$153

$11.40 ₩15.3K

-58.60%

Banana (1kg)

$3.33 NT$108

$3.59 ₩4,810

-7.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 NT$95.4

$8.30 ₩11.1K

-64.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 NT$138

$5.85 ₩7,841

-27.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 NT$89.2

$5.84 ₩7,828

-52.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 NT$72.0

$3.43 ₩4,594

-35.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 NT$53.7

$2.87 ₩3,847

-42.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 NT$34.84

$1.33 ₩1,776

-18.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.95 NT$128

$3.45 ₩4,618

14.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 NT$450

$18.71 ₩25.1K

-25.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 NT$51.3

$2.46 ₩3,297

-35.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NT$70.5

$3.40 ₩4,564

-35.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 NT$18.85

$1.15 ₩1,535

-49.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.25 NT$1,174

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 NT$82.1

$3.50 ₩4,693

-27.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$24.27

$0.76 ₩1,019

-1.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.99 NT$291

$16.67 ₩22.4K

-46.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 NT$32.40

$1.36 ₩1,820

-26.47%

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

$34.6K NT$1.1M

$39.0K ₩52.3M

-11.25%

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

$23.0K NT$745.8K

$33.7K ₩45.2M

-31.73%

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

$85.6 NT$2,772

$205 ₩274.5K

-58.21%

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

$16.94 NT$549

$24.30 ₩32.6K

-30.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.94 NT$872

$27.72 ₩37.2K

-2.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.55 NT$1,281

$53.6 ₩71.8K

-26.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.36 NT$497

$13.97 ₩18.7K

9.95%

Cinema Ticket

$9.72 NT$315

$11.81 ₩15.8K

-17.70%

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

$710 NT$23.0K

$651 ₩871.9K

9.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K NT$529.1K

$21.8K ₩29.2M

-25.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 NT$2,007

$36.84 ₩49.4K

68.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.30 NT$1,273

$65.4 ₩87.6K

-39.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 NT$2,723

$93.9 ₩125.8K

-10.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NT$3,293

$113 ₩151.8K

-10.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 NT$31.1K

$342 ₩458.9K

180.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 NT$14.8K

$275 ₩369.0K

65.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 NT$48.9K

$1,197 ₩1.6M

26.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$919 NT$29.8K

$760 ₩1.0M

20.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.4K NT$369.4K

$7,228 ₩9.7M

57.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,882 NT$222.9K

$5,619 ₩7.5M

22.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,703 NT$55.1K

$2,613 ₩3.5M

-34.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

4.22

-43.13%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cheongju: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$456 34.3%

Cheongju

$275 19.5% 39.6% $180

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$388 29.2%

Cheongju

$488 34.6% 25.7% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$129 9.7%

Cheongju

$257 18.2% 98.4% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$129 9.7%

Cheongju

$139 9.9% 7.7% $10

Eating Out

Taipei

$124 9.3%

Cheongju

$161 11.4% 30.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$59 4.4%

Cheongju

$77 5.5% 30.9% $18

Getting Around

Taipei

$45 3.4%

Cheongju

$12 * 0.8% 73.5% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $961 in Taipei and $342 in Cheongju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheongju pays 53% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $46 in Taipei vs $49 in Cheongju for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $488 per month, with Taipei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇰🇷 Cheongju

🕒 Local time

14:28 2:28 PM

15:28 3:28 PM

1 h ahead of Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

835,669

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.09 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 32.38 TWD (100 TWD = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 36.05 TWD (100 TWD = 2.77 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taipei Cheongju 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Taipei
Cheongju

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

Taipei vs Cheongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipei wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Cheongju. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Taipei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Taipei. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $961 in Taipei versus $342 in Cheongju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $710 in Taipei versus $651 in Cheongju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Taipei – a meal for two runs $46 versus $49 in Cheongju. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Taipei and Cheongju are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Taipei wins on affordability, Cheongju on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.