South Korea vs Taiwan - Cost of Living Comparison

South Korea Taiwan
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1138
$969
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3197
$2773
🏠 One person rent
$477
$365
🏘️ Family rent
$1142
$860
🍽️ Food expenses
$459
$387
🚐 Transport expenses
$105
$103
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2364
$1411
💸 GDP per capita
$32255
$24828
😃 Human freedom index
8.11
8.44
❤️ Life expectancy
83.5
80.2
👮 Corruption perceptions index
63
68
🌐 English speaking %
20%
30%
🎓 Higher education
88
90
😀 Quality of life
88
82
🏙️ Population
51.5M
23.6M

The average cost of living in South Korea ($1138) is 17% more expensive than in Taiwan ($969). South Korea ranked 58th vs 82nd for Taiwan in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 2.1 months in South Korea compared to 1.5 months in Taiwan. Ranked 21st and 26th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in South Korea vs Taiwan infographic

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Prices in South Korea vs Taiwan

We calculate prices for South Korea and Taiwan as a population-weighted mean of 87 and 17 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

South Korea Taiwan
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$6.35
$3.63
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$32.3
$27.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.69
$4.79
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.27
$1.92
 Cappuccino
$3.69
$2.88
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.54
$1.03
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$473
$376
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$328
$274
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1311
$1071
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$883
$688
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$98.2
$49.2
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$151
$75.8
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$21.7
$21.9
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.08%
1.87%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$8587
$7850
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5716
$4346
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.07
$0.68
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$46.3
$37.2
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$10.1
$9.03
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.35
$0.99
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2.04
$3.09
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.91
$1.99
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.08
$3.29
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.32
$2.9
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13.3
$15.3
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.61
$8.35
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$27.9
$21.8
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.21
$3.83
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.57
$1.89
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.05
$2.71
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.32
$3.13
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.58
$2.44
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.8
$2.28
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.73
$0.73
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.65
$1.73
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$15.1
$13.6
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.17
$1.65
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.56
$3.8
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$5.2
$11.3
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$5.75
$6.94
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.52
$2.12
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.28
$2.61
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$48.3
$35.1
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$9.81
$9.86
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$32.4
$41.8
💇 Haircut, simple
$8.89
$16.1
👖 Brand Jeans
$61.3
$81.3
👟 Brand Sneakers
$79.7
$82.8
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$348
$511
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$20271
$11454

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in South Korea vs Taiwan

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In South Korea

City Cost of living Population
Seoul
$1513
9.67M
Busan
$1095
3.45M
Incheon
$1054
2.94M
Daegu
$1161
2.44M
Gwangju
$970
1.49M
Daejeon
$1009
1.48M
Suwon
$1046
1.23M
Ulsan
$1120
1.15M
Seongnam
$1089
949K
Changwon
$1089
1.05M
Yongin
$1320
971K
Goyang
$1128
1.06M
Hwaseong
$1060
904K
Namyangju
$1104
713K
Jeju Island
$1123
678K
Cheongju
$880
849K
Bucheon
$1135
793K
Anyang
$1081
548K
Gimhae
$877
534K
Pohang
$985
504K
Ansan
$1013
653K
Siheung
$1057
425K
Uijeongbu
$921
463K
Gunsan
$1000
275K
Jeju
$1110
435K
Jeonju
$810
653K
Cheonan
$989
652K
Pyeongtaek
$942
458K
Masan
$990
430K
Paju
$1043
415K

In Taiwan

City Cost of living Population
New Taipei
$1032
4.36M
Taipei
$1127
2.6M
Taichung
$971
3.03M
Kaohsiung
$903
2.73M
Taoyuan
$805
2.29M
Tainan
$1003
1.87M
Hsinchu
$827
499K
Keelung
$913
367K
Zhubei
$911
213K
Chiayi
$888
252K
Changhua
$884
227K
Kinmen
$865
139K
Miaoli
$690
86.2K
Douliu
$866
108K
Taitung
$1000
109K
Nantou
$869
102K
Yilan
$896
94.8K