Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Algarve and Chiayi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiayi: $1,067 a month against $1,754 in Algarve, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Algarve
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Algarve Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
Learn more

Chiayi Living Index

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Algarve

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,754

/mo nomad

Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Algarve and in Chiayi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Algarve and in Chiayi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,754 per month in Algarve vs $1,067 in Chiayi, rent included.

Algarve $1,754
Chiayi $1,067

A couple spends around $2,601 per month in Algarve vs $1,503 in Chiayi, rent included.

Algarve $2,601
Chiayi $1,503

A family of three spends $3,447 per month in Algarve vs $1,940 in Chiayi, rent included.

Algarve $3,447
Chiayi $1,940

Algarve costs about 64% more than Chiayi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Algarve sits 30% above the global median, while Chiayi is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$4.83 NT$157

248.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 €53.6

$46.84 NT$1,519

28.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.56 €8.50

$5.70 NT$185

67.72%

Cappuccino

$3.04 €2.71

$3.36 NT$109

-9.52%

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

$1.89 €1.69

$0.88 NT$28.58

114.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.34

$0.67 NT$21.68

123.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.85 NT$92.4

14.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 €2.96

$3.80 NT$123

-12.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$3.10 NT$101

-62.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.06 NT$66.8

-33.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$3.04 NT$98.6

-51.64%

Eggs

$3.99 €3.55

$2.66 NT$86.3

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.48

$19.77 NT$641

-34.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.00 €7.12

$9.75 NT$316

-17.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.48 €15.55

$20.98 NT$680

-16.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$4.87 NT$158

-54.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 €1.19

$3.22 NT$104

-58.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.99 NT$97.0

-41.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$4.55 NT$148

-50.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.80 NT$90.9

-33.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.35 NT$76.3

-12.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.68 NT$54.3

-13.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.14 NT$37.04

-28.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.81 €6.06

$4.01 NT$130

69.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$4.66 NT$151

21.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.88

$1.65 NT$53.7

-40.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.18 NT$70.8

-25.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.79

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.43 NT$403

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 €3.50

$2.64 NT$85.5

49.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.46 NT$14.94

126.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.65 €14.81

$9.66 NT$313

72.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.06 NT$34.43

99.06%

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

$33.5K €29.8K

$32.9K NT$1.1M

1.92%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$24.5K NT$795.8K

56.06%

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

$149 €133

$66.7 NT$2,164

123.87%

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

$18.60 €16.54

$17.52 NT$568

6.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.28 €28.71

$26.93 NT$873

19.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.89 €32.81

$31.82 NT$1,032

15.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.85 €23.88

Cinema Ticket

$9.45 €8.41

$9.84 NT$319

-3.96%

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

$657 €584

$660 NT$21.4K

-0.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K €13.6K

$16.8K NT$543.4K

-8.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €92.0

$62.3 NT$2,020

66.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.16 €41.06

$39.44 NT$1,279

17.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 €70.6

$85.2 NT$2,763

-6.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.9 €60.4

$104 NT$3,383

-34.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 €932

$369 NT$12.0K

183.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$846 €753

$253 NT$8,194

234.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,181 €1,940

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,335 €1,188

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,672 €4,156

$3,179 NT$103.1K

46.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,095 €2,753

$1,910 NT$61.9K

62.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,194 €1,062

$2,110 NT$68.4K

-43.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.4

60.42%

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

Last update for Algarve: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiayi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Algarve

$846 48.2%

Chiayi

$253 23.7% 70.1% $593

Groceries & Markets

Algarve

$260 14.8%

Chiayi

$379 35.5% 45.7% $119

Eating Out

Algarve

$236 13.5%

Chiayi

$124 11.6% 47.5% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Algarve

$200 11.4%

Chiayi

$111 10.4% 44.5% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Algarve

$134 7.6%

Chiayi

$131 12.3% 1.9% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Algarve

$56 3.2%

Chiayi

$51 4.8% 7.7% $4.3

Getting Around

Algarve

$22 * 1.2%

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6% 20% $4.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,048 in Algarve versus $369 in Chiayi. 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 77% higher in Chiayi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Algarve versus $47.00 in Chiayi. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Algarve vs $379 in Chiayi – so Algarve wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Algarve

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

07:46 7:46 AM

7 h ahead of Algarve

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,874

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Algarve Chiayi 11,380 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Algarve
Chiayi

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

Algarve vs Chiayi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Algarve costs about 64% more than Chiayi, 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 $2,631 per month in Algarve and $1,601 in Chiayi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiayi, 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 $1,754 in Algarve and $1,067 in Chiayi. That's a gap of about 64%.

Kindergarten costs $657 per month in Algarve and $660 in Chiayi. 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 Chiayi, where all-in costs run around $1,067, than in Algarve at $1,754. In Chiayi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Algarve it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chiayi – 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 Chiayi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Algarve makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.