Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Seongnam

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,330 a month against $1,418 in Seongnam, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
Learn more

Taipei Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Seongnam
Learn more

Seongnam Living Index

Jump to prices

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,330

/mo nomad

Seongnam

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,418

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Seongnam

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

A single person spends $1,330 per month in Taipei vs $1,418 in Seongnam, rent included.

Taipei $1,330
Seongnam $1,418

A couple spends around $2,145 per month in Taipei vs $2,361 in Seongnam, rent included.

Taipei $2,145
Seongnam $2,361

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Taipei vs $3,305 in Seongnam, rent included.

Taipei $2,959
Seongnam $3,305

Taipei is about 6% cheaper than Seongnam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Taipei sits 2% below the global median, while Seongnam is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 NT$153

$6.95 ₩9,271

-32.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 NT$1,504

$41.62 ₩55.5K

10.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 NT$189

$6.83 ₩9,112

-15.08%

Cappuccino

$3.37 NT$110

$4.03 ₩5,372

-16.38%

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

$0.91 NT$29.61

$1.56 ₩2,077

-41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 NT$21.58

$0.76 ₩1,008

-13.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 NT$97.2

$3.53 ₩4,709

-15.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 NT$119

$3.81 ₩5,079

-4.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.95 NT$96.2

$2.31 ₩3,081

27.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 NT$62.8

$3.18 ₩4,244

-39.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 NT$101

$3.71 ₩4,945

-16.44%

Eggs

$2.62 NT$85.3

$3.67 ₩4,890

-28.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.04 NT$621

$9.13 ₩12.2K

108.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 NT$311

$8.04 ₩10.7K

18.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.87 NT$680

$20.41 ₩27.2K

2.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 NT$154

$7.56 ₩10.1K

-37.57%

Banana (1kg)

$3.33 NT$109

$3.56 ₩4,747

-6.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 NT$96.1

$5.65 ₩7,532

-47.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 NT$139

$6.81 ₩9,088

-37.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 NT$89.8

$3.76 ₩5,008

-26.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 NT$72.5

$2.62 ₩3,498

-15.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 NT$54.1

$2.93 ₩3,911

-43.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 NT$35.08

$1.35 ₩1,795

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.95 NT$129

$3.48 ₩4,638

13.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 NT$453

$18.94 ₩25.3K

-26.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 NT$51.7

$2.10 ₩2,798

-24.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NT$71.0

$1.93 ₩2,571

12.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 NT$18.98

$1.09 ₩1,452

-46.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.25 NT$1,182

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 NT$82.7

$3.65 ₩4,864

-30.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$24.44

$0.67 ₩892

11.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.99 NT$293

$8.76 ₩11.7K

2.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 NT$32.62

$1.39 ₩1,855

-28.06%

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

$34.6K NT$1.1M

$30.0K ₩40.0M

15.57%

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

$23.0K NT$750.9K

$28.1K ₩37.4M

-17.93%

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

$85.6 NT$2,791

$215 ₩286.6K

-60.17%

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

$16.94 NT$552

$36.76 ₩49.0K

-53.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.94 NT$878

$21.23 ₩28.3K

26.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.55 NT$1,290

$55.1 ₩73.4K

-28.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.36 NT$501

$14.12 ₩18.8K

8.78%

Cinema Ticket

$9.72 NT$317

$11.38 ₩15.2K

-14.59%

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

$710 NT$23.1K

$379 ₩505.6K

87.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K NT$532.8K

$18.1K ₩24.1M

-9.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 NT$2,021

$57.7 ₩76.9K

7.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.30 NT$1,281

$32.54 ₩43.4K

20.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 NT$2,742

$71.4 ₩95.2K

17.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NT$3,316

$84.4 ₩112.6K

20.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 NT$31.3K

$488 ₩650.4K

96.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 NT$14.9K

$360 ₩480.4K

26.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 NT$49.3K

$1,158 ₩1.5M

30.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$919 NT$30.0K

$1,046 ₩1.4M

-12.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.4K NT$372.0K

$7,247 ₩9.7M

57.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,882 NT$224.4K

$5,589 ₩7.5M

23.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,703 NT$55.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

4.08

-41.18%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 25, 2026

Last update for Seongnam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$456 34.3%

Seongnam

$360 25.4% 21% $95

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$388 29.2%

Seongnam

$426 30% 9.7% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$129 9.7%

Seongnam

$273 19.3% 111% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$129 9.7%

Seongnam

$111 7.8% 14.3% $18

Eating Out

Taipei

$124 9.3%

Seongnam

$159 11.2% 28.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$59 4.4%

Seongnam

$78 5.5% 32% $19

Getting Around

Taipei

$45 3.4%

Seongnam

$11 * 0.8% 74.7% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $961 in Taipei versus $488 in Seongnam. 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 $46 in Taipei versus $42 in Seongnam. Groceries tell a different story – $388 in Taipei vs $426 in Seongnam – so Taipei wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇰🇷 Seongnam

🕒 Local time

11:59 11:59 AM

12:59 12:59 PM

1 h ahead of Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

967,510

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,489 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taipei Seongnam 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Taipei
Seongnam

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 Seongnam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,330 in Taipei, $1,418 in Seongnam – Taipei comes out roughly 6% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,995 per month in Taipei and $2,127 in Seongnam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seongnam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $488 there versus $961 in Taipei.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,330 in Taipei and $1,418 in Seongnam. That makes Taipei about 6% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $710 per month in Taipei and $379 in Seongnam. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Taipei has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,330 in Taipei to $1,418 in Seongnam. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.