Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Taitung

For one person, living is cheaper in Taitung: $1,035 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Taitung
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Taitung Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Taitung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Taitung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,035 in Taitung.

Austin, TX $2,663
Taitung $1,035

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,802 in Taitung.

Austin, TX $4,133
Taitung $1,802

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,569 in Taitung.

Austin, TX $5,603
Taitung $2,569

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 157% more expensive than in Taitung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Taitung is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.82 NT$124

443.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$48.18 NT$1,562

75.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.56 NT$180

121.58%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.45 NT$112

63.19%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.95 NT$30.66

291.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.68 NT$22.00

267.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.88 NT$93.3

179.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.76 NT$122

139.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$3.09 NT$100

-63.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.87 NT$60.7

100.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.12 NT$101

4.49%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.33 NT$75.4

78.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$19.49 NT$632

-33.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.89 NT$126

264.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$21.88 NT$709

-25.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.92 NT$62.1

125.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.92 NT$94.6

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.93 NT$62.5

133.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.50 NT$146

-3.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.73 NT$88.4

-5.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.36 NT$76.5

-0.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.78 NT$57.7

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.11 NT$35.94

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.00 NT$130

147.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$14.07 NT$456

7.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.64 NT$53.3

78.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.28 NT$73.8

51.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.65 NT$20.95

129.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$36.43 NT$1,181

14.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.72 NT$88.3

0.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.78 NT$25.14

112.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$9.18 NT$298

284.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.90 NT$29.33

5.56%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$33.2K NT$1.1M

8.44%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.1K NT$781.5K

12.34%

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

$229 $229

$85.6 NT$2,777

167.39%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$17.66 NT$573

236.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$27.09 NT$878

158.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$36.70 NT$1,190

55.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$9.25 NT$300

54.38%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$677 NT$21.9K

122.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$17.0K NT$550.6K

26.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$28.52 NT$925

85.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$15.68 NT$508

179.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$49.43 NT$1,603

71.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$105 NT$3,410

-2.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$412 NT$13.4K

362.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$251 NT$8,133

408.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$983 NT$31.9K

272.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$747 NT$24.2K

239.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$7,734 NT$250.8K

-1.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$5,021 NT$162.8K

-37.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$637 NT$20.7K

703.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

2.4

182.92%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Taitung: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Taitung

$251 24.2% 80.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Taitung

$346 33.5% 14.4% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Taitung

$130 12.6% 63.6% $228

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Taitung

$117 11.3% 66.9% $237

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Taitung

$89 8.6% 30.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Taitung

$55 5.3% 35.7% $31

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Taitung

$46 4.4% 22.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $412 in Taitung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 704% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $48.00 in Taitung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $346 per month, with Taitung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇹🇼 Taitung

🕒 Local time

13:11 1:11 PM

02:11 2:11 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

106,368

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

TWD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Taitung 12,800 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Taitung

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

Austin, TX vs Taitung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taitung wins on cost – living expenses run 157% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Taitung the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 704% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $412 in Taitung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,035 in Taitung – a 157% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Taitung runs roughly 15% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,035 in Taitung versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Taitung but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Taitung the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Taitung are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Taitung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 157% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.