Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,395 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,395

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Seoul

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

A single person spends $1,395 per month in Taipei vs $1,822 in Seoul, rent included.

Taipei $1,395
Seoul $1,822

A couple spends around $2,227 per month in Taipei vs $2,847 in Seoul, rent included.

Taipei $2,227
Seoul $2,847

A family of three spends $3,059 per month in Taipei vs $3,872 in Seoul, rent included.

Taipei $3,059
Seoul $3,872

Taipei is about 23% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Taipei and Seoul sit above the global median – Taipei by 4%, Seoul by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.76 NT$152

$9.10 ₩12.2K

-47.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.18 NT$1,537

$67.0 ₩89.8K

-28.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.75 NT$183

$7.42 ₩9,941

-22.51%

Cappuccino

$3.49 NT$112

$4.08 ₩5,470

-14.46%

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

$0.88 NT$28.03

$1.60 ₩2,141

-45.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 NT$20.61

$0.80 ₩1,078

-18.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$91.4

$3.65 ₩4,886

-21.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 NT$117

$5.94 ₩7,956

-38.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 NT$98.5

$2.05 ₩2,742

50.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 NT$65.5

$3.08 ₩4,130

-33.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 NT$97.5

$4.21 ₩5,646

-27.32%

Eggs

$2.70 NT$86.0

$3.57 ₩4,784

-24.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.66 NT$627

$17.95 ₩24.1K

9.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.83 NT$314

$10.64 ₩14.3K

-7.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.11 NT$674

$26.44 ₩35.4K

-20.16%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 NT$162

$7.42 ₩9,946

-31.54%

Banana (1kg)

$3.39 NT$108

$3.53 ₩4,732

-3.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NT$95.8

$5.87 ₩7,866

-48.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 NT$146

$6.37 ₩8,534

-28.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 NT$86.8

$3.75 ₩5,028

-27.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 NT$72.9

$2.49 ₩3,337

-8.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$53.7

$2.92 ₩3,911

-42.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NT$36.81

$1.15 ₩1,542

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 NT$129

$3.29 ₩4,408

23.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.32 NT$457

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-22.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 NT$54.2

$2.28 ₩3,057

-25.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$73.0

$3.28 ₩4,398

-30.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.46

$1.14 ₩1,526

-46.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.47 NT$1,228

$45.47 ₩60.9K

-15.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 NT$87.0

$3.48 ₩4,663

-21.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$24.02

$0.60 ₩803

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.59 NT$306

$8.70 ₩11.7K

10.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.56

$1.50 ₩2,004

-32.00%

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

$34.1K NT$1.1M

$29.1K ₩39.0M

17.06%

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

$24.2K NT$771.9K

$28.2K ₩37.8M

-14.20%

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

$86.4 NT$2,756

$209 ₩279.9K

-58.65%

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

$17.12 NT$546

$35.13 ₩47.1K

-51.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.06 NT$864

$21.18 ₩28.4K

27.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 NT$1,301

$57.3 ₩76.8K

-28.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.04 NT$512

$15.89 ₩21.3K

0.94%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 NT$307

$11.33 ₩15.2K

-15.00%

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

$656 NT$20.9K

$1,902 ₩2.5M

-65.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K NT$524.1K

$22.5K ₩30.2M

-27.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 NT$2,001

$58.9 ₩78.9K

6.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.50 NT$1,261

$32.12 ₩43.0K

22.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 NT$2,677

$70.1 ₩94.0K

19.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,392

$82.5 ₩110.5K

28.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 NT$32.4K

$885 ₩1.2M

14.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$479 NT$15.3K

$624 ₩835.5K

-23.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,568 NT$50.0K

$2,494 ₩3.3M

-37.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$952 NT$30.4K

$1,275 ₩1.7M

-25.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.2K NT$389.2K

$29.8K ₩40.0M

-59.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,207 NT$230.0K

$11.8K ₩15.9M

-39.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,772 NT$56.5K

$3,649 ₩4.9M

-51.44%

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 4, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$479 34.8%

Seoul

$624 34.7% 30.3% $145

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$401 29.2%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 19.3% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$132 9.6%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 16.7% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$131 9.5%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 103% $135

Eating Out

Taipei

$125 9.1%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 46.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 33.3% $20

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 19.2% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,016 in Taipei versus $885 in Seoul. 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 106% 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 $48.00 in Taipei versus $67.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $479 – making Taipei the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

10:53 10:53 AM

11:53 11:53 AM

1 h ahead of Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.79 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.79 TWD (100 TWD = 2.79 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taipei Seoul 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Taipei
Seoul

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 Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 31% more than Taipei, 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 $2,092 per month in Taipei and $2,733 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 18% less in Taipei. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $656 per month in Taipei and $1,902 in Seoul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Taipei, where all-in costs run around $1,395, than in Seoul at $1,822. In Taipei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taipei – 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 Taipei. 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.