Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhongli City and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongli City: $993 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Zhongli City
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Zhongli City Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Zhongli City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$993

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zhongli City 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 Zhongli City and in Seoul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $993 per month in Zhongli City vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

Zhongli City $993
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $1,675 per month in Zhongli City vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

Zhongli City $1,675
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $2,357 per month in Zhongli City vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

Zhongli City $2,357
Seoul $3,931

Zhongli City is about 45% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Zhongli City sits 26% below the global median, while Seoul is 33% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.62 NT$150

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-47.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.29 NT$1,015

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-54.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.77 NT$155

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-36.74%

Cappuccino

$2.57 NT$83.4

$4.23 ₩5,624

-39.24%

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

$1.03 NT$33.52

$1.63 ₩2,167

-36.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 NT$22.35

$0.74 ₩985

-6.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.61 NT$52.2

$3.64 ₩4,843

-55.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 NT$89.1

$6.15 ₩8,175

-55.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.18 NT$103

$2.01 ₩2,679

58.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 NT$56.3

$3.13 ₩4,164

-44.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 NT$87.9

$4.32 ₩5,744

-37.27%

Eggs

$2.60 NT$84.3

$3.61 ₩4,794

-27.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.77 NT$414

$17.83 ₩23.7K

-28.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.09 NT$230

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-32.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.39 NT$499

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-40.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 NT$121

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-51.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 NT$63.8

$3.38 ₩4,499

-41.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NT$99.9

$5.81 ₩7,723

-46.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 NT$72.1

$6.41 ₩8,520

-65.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 NT$39.81

$3.75 ₩4,983

-67.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 NT$61.5

$2.54 ₩3,375

-25.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 NT$79.0

$2.84 ₩3,782

-14.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 NT$27.52

$1.11 ₩1,472

-23.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 NT$122

$3.35 ₩4,455

12.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.45 NT$501

$18.49 ₩24.6K

-16.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 NT$50.2

$2.40 ₩3,185

-35.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 NT$82.8

$3.37 ₩4,480

-24.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.90

$1.14 ₩1,521

-46.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.64 NT$1,221

$46.11 ₩61.3K

-18.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 NT$86.8

$3.49 ₩4,643

-23.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 NT$18.72

$0.63 ₩840

-7.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.61 NT$312

$8.86 ₩11.8K

8.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 NT$31.60

$1.51 ₩2,005

-35.76%

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

$33.1K NT$1.1M

$29.3K ₩38.9M

12.97%

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

$23.3K NT$754.6K

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-17.51%

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

$106 NT$3,433

$218 ₩289.2K

-51.33%

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

$14.76 NT$479

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-58.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 NT$556

$21.29 ₩28.3K

-19.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$9.62 NT$312

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-14.94%

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

$344 NT$11.1K

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-82.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K NT$546.5K

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-26.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 NT$2,338

$57.0 ₩75.8K

26.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.46 NT$1,182

$33.39 ₩44.4K

9.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.0 NT$1,782

$71.5 ₩95.0K

-23.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 NT$3,505

$82.5 ₩109.7K

31.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$448 NT$14.5K

$901 ₩1.2M

-50.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 NT$8,125

$612 ₩813.5K

-59.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$874 NT$28.3K

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-65.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$716 NT$23.2K

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-43.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,288 NT$74.2K

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-37.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.1

4.08

-48.53%

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

Last update for Zhongli City: October 12, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhongli City

$315 31.8%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 51.2% $161

Accommodation & Living

Zhongli City

$251 25.2%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 144% $361

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhongli City

$138 13.9%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 98.9% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Zhongli City

$122 12.3%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 10% $12

Eating Out

Zhongli City

$103 10.3%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 79.2% $81

Getting Around

Zhongli City

$46 4.6%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 25.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Zhongli City

$19 * 1.9%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 319% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $448 in Zhongli City versus $901 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 60% 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 $31.00 in Zhongli City versus $68.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $315 vs $477 – making Zhongli City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Zhongli City

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

08:46 8:46 AM

09:46 9:46 AM

1 h ahead of Zhongli City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

396,453

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

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).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Zhongli City Seoul 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Zhongli City
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

Zhongli City vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 81% more than Zhongli 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 $1,490 per month in Zhongli City and $2,692 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 23% less in Zhongli City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $344 per month in Zhongli City and $1,948 in Seoul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhongli City, where all-in costs run around $993, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Zhongli City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhongli 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 Zhongli 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.