Cost of Living Comparison Between South Korea and Taiwan 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Taiwan is 17.8% lower than in South Korea (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Taiwan is 15.8% lower than in South Korea | |
| Rent Prices in Taiwan are 6.1% lower than in South Korea | |
| Restaurant Prices in Taiwan are 21.5% lower than in South Korea | |
| Groceries Prices in Taiwan are 16.8% lower than in South Korea | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Taiwan is 10.3% lower than in South Korea | |
Restaurants | South Korea Edit |
Taiwan Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal at an Inexpensive Restaurant |
10,000.00 ₩ (213.57 NT$) |
7,023.55 ₩ (150.00 NT$) |
-29.8 % |
| Meal for Two at a Mid-Range Restaurant (Three Courses, Without Drinks) |
60,000.00 ₩ (1,281.40 NT$) |
46,823.68 ₩ (1,000.00 NT$) |
-22.0 % |
| Combo Meal at McDonald's (or Equivalent Fast-Food Meal) |
8,000.00 ₩ (170.85 NT$) |
7,585.44 ₩ (162.00 NT$) |
-5.2 % |
| Domestic Draft Beer (1 Pint) |
5,000.00 ₩ (106.78 NT$) |
2,809.42 ₩ (60.00 NT$) |
-43.8 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz Small Bottle) |
7,000.00 ₩ (149.50 NT$) |
3,745.89 ₩ (80.00 NT$) |
-46.5 % |
| Cappuccino (Regular Size) |
5,169.92 ₩ (110.41 NT$) |
4,610.56 ₩ (98.47 NT$) |
-10.8 % |
| Soft Drink (Coca-Cola or Pepsi, 12 oz Small Bottle) |
2,180.44 ₩ (46.57 NT$) |
1,459.10 ₩ (31.16 NT$) |
-33.1 % |
| Bottled Water (12 oz) |
1,082.87 ₩ (23.13 NT$) |
994.73 ₩ (21.24 NT$) |
-8.1 % |
Markets | South Korea Edit |
Taiwan Edit | |
| Milk (Regular, 1 Liter) |
2,925.09 ₩ (62.47 NT$) |
4,565.35 ₩ (97.50 NT$) |
+56.1 % |
| Fresh White Bread (1 lb Loaf) |
3,730.80 ₩ (79.68 NT$) |
2,433.05 ₩ (51.96 NT$) |
-34.8 % |
| White Rice (1 lb) |
1,900.50 ₩ (40.59 NT$) |
2,001.31 ₩ (42.74 NT$) |
+5.3 % |
| Eggs (12, Large Size) |
4,016.42 ₩ (85.78 NT$) |
3,981.83 ₩ (85.04 NT$) |
-0.9 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
8,389.97 ₩ (179.18 NT$) |
10,861.93 ₩ (231.98 NT$) |
+29.5 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
5,687.50 ₩ (121.47 NT$) |
5,800.41 ₩ (123.88 NT$) |
+2.0 % |
| Beef Round or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat (1 lb) |
17,922.16 ₩ (382.76 NT$) |
13,423.79 ₩ (286.69 NT$) |
-25.1 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
4,962.84 ₩ (105.99 NT$) |
3,103.77 ₩ (66.29 NT$) |
-37.5 % |
| Bananas (1 lb) |
2,104.01 ₩ (44.93 NT$) |
1,740.17 ₩ (37.16 NT$) |
-17.3 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
3,805.67 ₩ (81.28 NT$) |
1,879.98 ₩ (40.15 NT$) |
-50.6 % |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
3,716.44 ₩ (79.37 NT$) |
2,543.10 ₩ (54.31 NT$) |
-31.6 % |
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
2,342.93 ₩ (50.04 NT$) |
1,892.13 ₩ (40.41 NT$) |
-19.2 % |
| Onions (1 lb) |
1,837.59 ₩ (39.24 NT$) |
1,489.55 ₩ (31.81 NT$) |
-18.9 % |
| Lettuce (1 Head) |
3,507.14 ₩ (74.90 NT$) |
2,910.22 ₩ (62.15 NT$) |
-17.0 % |
| Bottled Water (50 oz) |
1,590.78 ₩ (33.97 NT$) |
1,726.09 ₩ (36.86 NT$) |
+8.5 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
25,000.00 ₩ (533.92 NT$) |
19,900.07 ₩ (425.00 NT$) |
-20.4 % |
| Domestic Beer (16.9 oz Bottle) |
2,829.15 ₩ (60.42 NT$) |
2,468.69 ₩ (52.72 NT$) |
-12.7 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz Small Bottle) |
3,950.00 ₩ (84.36 NT$) |
3,297.26 ₩ (70.42 NT$) |
-16.5 % |
| Cigarettes (Pack of 20, Marlboro) |
4,500.00 ₩ (96.11 NT$) |
5,852.96 ₩ (125.00 NT$) |
+30.1 % |
Transportation | South Korea Edit |
Taiwan Edit | |
| One-Way Ticket (Local Transport) |
1,500.00 ₩ (32.04 NT$) |
1,170.59 ₩ (25.00 NT$) |
-22.0 % |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (Regular Price) |
65,000.00 ₩ (1,388.19 NT$) |
56,188.42 ₩ (1,200.00 NT$) |
-13.6 % |
| Taxi Start (Standard Tariff) |
4,500.00 ₩ (96.11 NT$) |
4,214.13 ₩ (90.00 NT$) |
-6.4 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Standard Tariff) |
1,609.34 ₩ (34.37 NT$) |
1,883.89 ₩ (40.23 NT$) |
+17.1 % |
| Taxi 1 Hour Waiting (Standard Tariff) |
12,000.00 ₩ (256.28 NT$) |
14,047.11 ₩ (300.00 NT$) |
+17.1 % |
| Gasoline (1 Liter) |
1,651.35 ₩ (35.27 NT$) |
1,438.15 ₩ (30.71 NT$) |
-12.9 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.5 (or Equivalent New Compact Car) |
37,731,000.00 ₩ (805,810.15 NT$) |
51,506,052.39 ₩ (1,100,000.00 NT$) |
+36.5 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6 (or Equivalent New Mid-Size Car) |
32,823,770.00 ₩ (701,007.85 NT$) |
36,512,381.77 ₩ (779,784.47 NT$) |
+11.2 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | South Korea Edit |
Taiwan Edit | |
| Basic Utilities for 915 Square Feet Apartment (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) |
242,559.77 ₩ (5,180.28 NT$) |
112,489.91 ₩ (2,402.41 NT$) |
-53.6 % |
| Mobile Phone Plan (Monthly, with Calls and 10GB+ Data) |
53,587.89 ₩ (1,144.46 NT$) |
28,096.85 ₩ (600.06 NT$) |
-47.6 % |
| Broadband Internet (Unlimited Data, 60 Mbps or Higher) |
30,809.67 ₩ (657.99 NT$) |
34,603.80 ₩ (739.02 NT$) |
+12.3 % |
Sports And Leisure | South Korea Edit |
Taiwan Edit | |
| Monthly Fitness Club Membership |
74,519.67 ₩ (1,591.50 NT$) |
55,392.42 ₩ (1,183.00 NT$) |
-25.7 % |
| Tennis Court Rental (1 Hour, Weekend) |
26,500.00 ₩ (565.95 NT$) |
18,303.80 ₩ (390.91 NT$) |
-30.9 % |
| Cinema Ticket (International Release) |
15,000.00 ₩ (320.35 NT$) |
14,983.58 ₩ (320.00 NT$) |
-0.1 % |
Childcare | South Korea Edit |
Taiwan Edit | |
| Private Full-Day Preschool or Kindergarten, Monthly Fee per Child |
532,235.36 ₩ (11,366.80 NT$) |
795,027.13 ₩ (16,979.17 NT$) |
+49.4 % |
| International Primary School, Annual Tuition per Child |
30,447,185.19 ₩ (650,251.81 NT$) |
22,624,352.76 ₩ (483,181.82 NT$) |
-25.7 % |
Clothing And Shoes | South Korea Edit |
Taiwan Edit | |
| Jeans (Levi's 501 or Similar) |
75,857.73 ₩ (1,620.07 NT$) |
98,275.52 ₩ (2,098.84 NT$) |
+29.6 % |
| Summer Dress in a Chain Store (e.g. Zara or H&M) |
62,429.73 ₩ (1,333.29 NT$) |
47,432.39 ₩ (1,013.00 NT$) |
-24.0 % |
| Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
111,188.62 ₩ (2,374.62 NT$) |
126,364.35 ₩ (2,698.73 NT$) |
+13.6 % |
| Men's Leather Business Shoes |
141,205.88 ₩ (3,015.69 NT$) |
160,740.50 ₩ (3,432.89 NT$) |
+13.8 % |
Rent Per Month | South Korea Edit |
Taiwan Edit | |
| 1 Bedroom Apartment in City Centre |
821,150.30 ₩ (17,537.07 NT$) |
781,345.41 ₩ (16,686.97 NT$) |
-4.8 % |
| 1 Bedroom Apartment Outside of City Centre |
536,301.15 ₩ (11,453.63 NT$) |
545,693.05 ₩ (11,654.21 NT$) |
+1.8 % |
| 3 Bedroom Apartment in City Centre |
1,994,243.61 ₩ (42,590.49 NT$) |
1,738,932.83 ₩ (37,137.89 NT$) |
-12.8 % |
| 3 Bedroom Apartment Outside of City Centre |
1,238,647.36 ₩ (26,453.44 NT$) |
1,245,925.96 ₩ (26,608.88 NT$) |
+0.6 % |
Buy Apartment Price | South Korea Edit |
Taiwan Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
1,780,363.71 ₩ (38,022.72 NT$) |
1,406,353.55 ₩ (30,035.09 NT$) |
-21.0 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
1,132,050.89 ₩ (24,176.89 NT$) |
916,129.59 ₩ (19,565.52 NT$) |
-19.1 % |
Salaries And Financing | South Korea Edit |
Taiwan Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
3,289,811.56 ₩ (70,259.56 NT$) |
2,482,635.52 ₩ (53,020.94 NT$) |
-24.5 % |
| Annual Mortgage Interest Rate (20-Year Fixed, in %) | 4.14 | 2.28 | -44.9 % |
| Last update: | 3 November 2025 | 4 November 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 376 | 410 |
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