Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Yilan

For one person, living is cheaper in Yilan: $1,008 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Yilan
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Yilan Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Yilan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Yilan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,008 in Yilan.

Austin, TX $2,663
Yilan $1,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,731 in Yilan.

Austin, TX $4,133
Yilan $1,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,455 in Yilan.

Austin, TX $5,603
Yilan $2,455

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 164% more expensive than in Yilan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Yilan is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.55 NT$115

485.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$29.99 NT$973

182.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.61 NT$149

167.25%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.88 NT$93.5

95.49%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.03 NT$33.33

261.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.65 NT$21.18

284.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.52 NT$49.41

429.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.88 NT$93.4

212.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$3.16 NT$102

-64.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.71 NT$55.3

119.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.74 NT$88.7

18.98%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.62 NT$84.9

59.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$28.52 NT$925

-54.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$8.15 NT$264

73.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$17.07 NT$554

-4.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$4.36 NT$142

-0.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.89 NT$61.3

-22.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.10 NT$100

45.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.17 NT$70.5

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.19 NT$38.51

116.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.88 NT$61.1

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.41 NT$78.0

-26.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.86 NT$27.78

158.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.87 NT$125

155.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$15.70 NT$509

-3.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.40 NT$45.55

108.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.45 NT$79.3

41.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.75 NT$24.37

98.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$36.68 NT$1,189

13.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.75 NT$89.1

-0.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.97 NT$31.37

71.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$9.39 NT$305

275.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.02 NT$33.23

-6.86%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$25.1K NT$814.8K

43.47%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$19.5K NT$633.9K

38.50%

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

$229 $229

$47.16 NT$1,529

385.56%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$15.12 NT$490

292.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$21.30 NT$691

228.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$31.11 NT$1,009

83.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.85 NT$255

81.91%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$340 NT$11.0K

342.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$16.6K NT$537.7K

29.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$54.9 NT$1,781

-3.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$31.44 NT$1,020

39.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$84.0 NT$2,723

0.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$62.2 NT$2,016

65.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$275 NT$8,930

592.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$254 NT$8,237

401.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$995 NT$32.3K

268.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$727 NT$23.6K

249.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$7,893 NT$256.0K

-3.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$4,975 NT$161.3K

-36.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,041 NT$33.8K

391.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

2.27

199.12%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Yilan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Yilan

$254 25.2% 80.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Yilan

$375 37.2% 7.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Yilan

$84 8.3% 76.7% $275

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Yilan

$97 9.6% 72.6% $257

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Yilan

$105 10.4% 18.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Yilan

$47 4.7% 45.4% $39

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Yilan

$47 4.7% 19.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $275 in Yilan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 392% 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 $30.00 in Yilan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $375 per month, with Yilan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇹🇼 Yilan

🕒 Local time

21:51 9:51 PM

10:51 10:51 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

95,907

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Yilan 12,590 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Yilan

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 Yilan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yilan wins on cost – living expenses run 164% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Yilan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 392% 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 $275 in Yilan. 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 $1,008 in Yilan – a 164% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Yilan runs roughly 14% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,008 in Yilan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Yilan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Yilan 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 Yilan 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 Yilan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 164% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.