Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballarat and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,368 a month against $1,902 in Ballarat, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Ballarat
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Ballarat Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

Jump to prices

Ballarat

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,902

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ballarat and in Taipei

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,902 in Ballarat versus $1,368 in Taipei.

Ballarat $1,902
Taipei $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,035 in Ballarat versus $2,202 in Taipei.

Ballarat $3,035
Taipei $2,202

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,168 in Ballarat versus $3,036 in Taipei.

Ballarat $4,168
Taipei $3,036

Living in Ballarat is roughly 39% more expensive than in Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ballarat 41% above, Taipei 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.70 A$25.47

$4.60 NT$149

284.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 A$101

$47.13 NT$1,528

48.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.27 A$14.78

$5.58 NT$181

84.05%

Cappuccino

$3.79 A$5.45

$3.45 NT$112

9.86%

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

$2.95 A$4.24

$0.94 NT$30.61

213.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 A$2.72

$0.67 NT$21.73

182.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 A$8.72

$2.86 NT$92.7

111.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 A$8.77

$3.70 NT$120

64.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.27

$3.12 NT$101

-49.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.82

$1.97 NT$64.0

34.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.35

$3.16 NT$103

-26.58%

Eggs

$4.09 A$5.88

$2.68 NT$86.9

52.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 A$15.20

$19.90 NT$645

-46.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.96 A$14.33

$9.85 NT$319

1.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 A$21.55

$21.51 NT$698

-30.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 A$5.04

$4.85 NT$157

-27.63%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.25 NT$105

-7.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.48

$3.03 NT$98.2

2.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 A$6.73

$4.53 NT$147

3.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.42

$2.79 NT$90.4

10.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.67

$2.34 NT$75.9

8.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 A$3.38

$1.68 NT$54.5

39.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.10 NT$35.62

34.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$34.39 A$49.49

$3.80 NT$123

805.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.66 A$18.21

$14.17 NT$460

-10.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.33

$1.63 NT$53.0

41.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 A$4.48

$2.29 NT$74.3

35.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 A$3.97

$0.65 NT$21.04

324.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.9 A$101

$37.88 NT$1,228

84.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 A$3.65

$2.68 NT$86.8

-5.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 A$1.93

$0.82 NT$26.55

63.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.64 A$38.33

$9.17 NT$297

190.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 A$1.70

$1.02 NT$32.93

15.69%

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

$28.4K A$40.9K

$32.8K NT$1.1M

-13.34%

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

$26.0K A$37.4K

$24.5K NT$795.1K

6.02%

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

$206 A$296

$87.7 NT$2,843

134.45%

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

$27.76 A$39.95

$17.28 NT$560

60.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 A$82.6

$27.38 NT$888

109.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.36 A$45.13

$40.32 NT$1,308

-22.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.18 A$16.09

$15.94 NT$517

-29.86%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$22.14

$9.83 NT$319

56.46%

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

$2,144 A$3,085

$663 NT$21.5K

223.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.4K

$16.6K NT$538.4K

81.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 A$98.8

$62.4 NT$2,025

9.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 A$72.2

$39.51 NT$1,281

26.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 A$143

$84.5 NT$2,740

17.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$106 NT$3,424

26.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 A$1,329

$999 NT$32.4K

-7.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 A$965

$473 NT$15.3K

41.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 A$1,854

$1,565 NT$50.8K

-17.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,454 A$2,092

$948 NT$30.7K

53.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 A$6,651

$11.9K NT$385.6K

-61.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,449 A$4,963

$7,306 NT$236.9K

-52.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,136 A$4,512

$1,760 NT$57.1K

78.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.55

2.4

131.25%

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

Last update for Ballarat: October 11, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballarat

$671 35.3%

Taipei

$473 34.6% 29.4% $198

Groceries & Markets

Ballarat

$350 18.4%

Taipei

$400 29.3% 14.2% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballarat

$291 15.3%

Taipei

$132 9.7% 54.5% $158

Eating Out

Ballarat

$280 14.7%

Taipei

$123 9% 56% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Ballarat

$158 8.3%

Taipei

$131 9.6% 17.1% $27

Getting Around

Ballarat

$90 4.7%

Taipei

$47 3.5% 47.6% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Ballarat

$62 3.3%

Taipei

$60 4.4% 3.4% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $923 in Ballarat and $999 in Taipei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballarat pays 78% 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: $70.0 in Ballarat vs $47.00 in Taipei. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $400, with Ballarat cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ballarat

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

08:25 8:25 AM

3 h behind Ballarat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,348

2,635,286 Capital

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 →

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Ballarat Taipei 7,340 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Ballarat vs Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipei wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Ballarat. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Taipei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 78% higher in Ballarat, 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: $923 in Ballarat versus $999 in Taipei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,144 in Ballarat versus $663 in Taipei. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Ballarat pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,368 in Taipei versus $1,902 in Ballarat, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Taipei but tight or insufficient in Ballarat. The gap between the two cities makes Taipei 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, Ballarat and Taipei 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 Taipei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Ballarat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.