Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Taiwan

Name: Taiwan
Address: TW

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiwan: $1,153 a month against $2,539 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Taiwan
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Taiwan Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,539

/mo nomad

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,153

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Taiwan

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

A single person spends $2,539 per month in Australia vs $1,153 in Taiwan, rent included.

Australia $2,539
Taiwan $1,153

A couple spends around $3,716 per month in Australia vs $1,898 in Taiwan, rent included.

Australia $3,716
Taiwan $1,898

A family of three spends $4,892 per month in Australia vs $2,643 in Taiwan, rent included.

Australia $4,892
Taiwan $2,643

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,635–$3,245) than in Taiwan ($762–$1,344), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 120% higher than in Taiwan on average.

Australia sits 87% above the global median, while Taiwan is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.35 A$24.97

$4.68 NT$152

270.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 A$122

$30.47 NT$988

177.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 A$15.79

$5.23 NT$169

109.94%

Cappuccino

$3.84 A$5.53

$2.96 NT$96.0

29.73%

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

$2.89 A$4.16

$0.93 NT$30.23

210.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 A$3.29

$0.68 NT$22.00

236.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 A$11.21

$1.80 NT$58.5

332.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.42 A$12.12

$2.49 NT$80.6

238.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 A$2.52

$3.06 NT$99.3

-42.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.79 NT$58.2

55.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.33

$2.89 NT$93.8

-20.07%

Eggs

$4.89 A$7.04

$2.63 NT$85.4

85.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.95 A$14.32

$17.45 NT$566

-42.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.03

$8.90 NT$289

1.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.92 A$21.46

$20.40 NT$662

-26.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 A$5.25

$4.53 NT$147

-19.43%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.66 NT$86.2

13.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.66

$2.90 NT$93.9

11.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 A$6.76

$3.63 NT$118

29.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.11

$2.78 NT$90.1

2.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.34

$2.20 NT$71.2

5.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 A$3.50

$2.04 NT$66.2

19.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 A$2.39

$1.14 NT$36.83

45.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.47 A$55.4

$3.95 NT$128

873.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 A$19.92

$12.24 NT$397

13.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$7.01

$1.66 NT$54.0

193.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.28 A$7.59

$2.09 NT$67.7

152.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 A$3.90

$0.64 NT$20.84

323.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.0 A$135

$36.21 NT$1,174

159.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$2.76 NT$89.5

29.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.35

$0.74 NT$23.93

120.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.04 A$57.6

$9.29 NT$301

331.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.91

$0.99 NT$32.05

34.34%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$37.0K NT$1.2M

-21.30%

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

$25.7K A$37.0K

$23.1K NT$749.9K

11.21%

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

$205 A$296

$85.9 NT$2,786

139.02%

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

$28.24 A$40.63

$17.53 NT$568

61.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$82.0

$23.58 NT$765

141.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 A$79.7

$37.48 NT$1,215

47.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.46 A$28.01

$11.70 NT$379

66.32%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 A$21.66

$10.25 NT$332

46.93%

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

$2,097 A$3,017

$560 NT$18.2K

274.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K A$26.0K

$15.4K NT$499.1K

17.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 A$112

$62.6 NT$2,031

24.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 A$79.6

$32.31 NT$1,048

71.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$161

$81.3 NT$2,636

37.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$100 NT$3,256

21.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 A$2,244

$521 NT$16.9K

199.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 A$1,748

$321 NT$10.4K

278.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,435 A$3,504

$1,102 NT$35.7K

120.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,924 A$2,769

$771 NT$25.0K

149.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,175 A$11.8K

$8,142 NT$264.0K

0.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,060 A$8,721

$5,383 NT$174.5K

12.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,038 A$5,811

$1,696 NT$55.0K

138.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.94

2.45

142.45%

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

Last update for Australia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Taiwan: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.2K 47.8%

Taiwan

$321 27.8% 73.6% $894

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$372 14.7%

Taiwan

$369 32% 1% $3.8

Eating Out

Australia

$294 11.6%

Taiwan

$109 9.5% 62.9% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$291 11.4%

Taiwan

$127 11% 56.3% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$165 6.5%

Taiwan

$124 10.8% 24.7% $41

Getting Around

Australia

$117 4.6%

Taiwan

$45 3.9% 61.2% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$85 3.4%

Taiwan

$58 5% 32.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,364 in Australia vs $431 in Taiwan. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,719 in Canberra and $977 in Taipei.

Average salary: $3,853 in Australia vs $1,872 in Taiwan. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 216% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 165% more in Australia.

Public transport is 168% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are 106% higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Taiwan.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇹🇼 Taiwan

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

3 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

23,409,323

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Australia Taiwan 7,310 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Taiwan

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

Australia vs Taiwan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taiwan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 120% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,364 versus $431 in Taiwan.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Taiwan, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Taiwan is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.