Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhubei City and Seoul

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.

51

Cost of Living Index in Zhubei City
Learn more

Zhubei City Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index

Jump to prices

Zhubei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,055

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Zhubei City $1,055
Seoul $1,794

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

Zhubei City $1,841
Seoul $2,863

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

Zhubei City $2,627
Seoul $3,931

Zhubei City is about 41% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.83 NT$157

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-45.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.00 NT$908

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-59.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.07 NT$164

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-32.76%

Cappuccino

$2.89 NT$93.8

$4.23 ₩5,624

-31.68%

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

$0.91 NT$29.41

$1.63 ₩2,167

-44.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 NT$19.02

$0.74 ₩985

-20.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 NT$62.5

$3.64 ₩4,843

-46.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 NT$75.6

$6.15 ₩8,175

-62.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$2.01 ₩2,679

38.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 NT$60.7

$3.13 ₩4,164

-40.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.59 NT$149

$4.32 ₩5,744

6.25%

Eggs

$2.85 NT$92.5

$3.61 ₩4,794

-21.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.76 NT$803

$17.83 ₩23.7K

38.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 NT$271

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-19.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.93 NT$841

$25.80 ₩34.3K

0.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 NT$131

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-47.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 NT$78.5

$3.38 ₩4,499

-28.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 NT$87.3

$5.81 ₩7,723

-53.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 NT$106

$6.41 ₩8,520

-48.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.02 NT$97.9

$3.75 ₩4,983

-19.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 NT$65.5

$2.54 ₩3,375

-20.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 NT$66.9

$2.84 ₩3,782

-27.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 NT$43.25

$1.11 ₩1,472

19.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 NT$126

$3.35 ₩4,455

15.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.23 NT$299

$18.49 ₩24.6K

-50.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 NT$46.36

$2.40 ₩3,185

-40.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 NT$75.4

$3.37 ₩4,480

-30.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.85

$1.14 ₩1,521

-46.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 NT$101

$3.49 ₩4,643

-11.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 NT$20.76

$0.63 ₩840

1.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.25 NT$300

$8.86 ₩11.8K

4.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 NT$32.17

$1.51 ₩2,005

-34.44%

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

$33.5K NT$1.1M

$29.3K ₩38.9M

14.34%

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

$24.8K NT$805.7K

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-11.92%

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

$103 NT$3,331

$218 ₩289.2K

-52.78%

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

$18.96 NT$615

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-46.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.80 NT$739

$21.29 ₩28.3K

7.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.40 NT$1,018

$58.1 ₩77.2K

-45.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$9.99 NT$324

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-11.67%

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

$646 NT$20.9K

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-66.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K NT$533.8K

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-27.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 NT$1,870

$57.0 ₩75.8K

1.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.13 NT$1,010

$33.39 ₩44.4K

-6.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 NT$2,946

$71.5 ₩95.0K

27.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.0 NT$3,209

$82.5 ₩109.7K

19.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$501 NT$16.2K

$901 ₩1.2M

-44.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 NT$7,032

$612 ₩813.5K

-64.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 NT$35.7K

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-56.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 NT$24.9K

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-39.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K NT$525.9K

$29.4K ₩39.1M

-44.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,751 NT$316.2K

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-18.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,391 NT$77.5K

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-34.49%

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 Zhubei City: October 13, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhubei City

$400 37.9%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 19.3% $77

Accommodation & Living

Zhubei City

$217 20.6%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 182% $395

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhubei City

$144 13.7%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 89.6% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Zhubei City

$125 11.9%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 12.3% $15

Eating Out

Zhubei City

$109 10.3%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 68.9% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Zhubei City

$51 4.9%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 57.1% $29

Getting Around

Zhubei City

$8.8 * 0.8%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 555% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $501 in Zhubei 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 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 $28.00 in Zhubei City versus $68.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $477 – making Zhubei City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Zhubei City

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

06:35 6:35 AM

07:35 7:35 AM

1 h ahead of Zhubei City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

211,746

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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Zhubei 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

Zhubei City vs Seoul: 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 $1,583 per month in Zhubei 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 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 $1,055 in Zhubei City and $1,794 in Seoul. That's a gap of about 70%.

Kindergarten costs $646 per month in Zhubei 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 $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.