Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canada and Taiwan

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiwan: $1,164 a month against $2,288 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇨🇦 Canada
$2,288
/mo nomad
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$1,164
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Canada 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 Canada and in Taiwan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,288 per month in Canada vs $1,164 in Taiwan, rent included.

  • Canada $2,288
  • Taiwan $1,164

A couple spends around $3,318 per month in Canada vs $1,925 in Taiwan, rent included.

  • Canada $3,318
  • Taiwan $1,925

A family of three spends $4,348 per month in Canada vs $2,685 in Taiwan, rent included.

  • Canada $4,348
  • Taiwan $2,685

The regional cost range is wider in Canada ($878–$3,623) than in Taiwan ($778–$1,368), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Canada is about 96% higher than in Taiwan on average.

Canada sits 69% above the global median, while Taiwan is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Canada
Taiwan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.44 CA$24.66
$4.62 NT$150
277.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.8 CA$97.3
$30.80 NT$999
123.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.70 CA$15.13
$5.39 NT$175
98.52%
Cappuccino
$3.83 CA$5.42
$2.98 NT$96.8
28.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 CA$2.87
$0.96 NT$31.23
111.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 CA$2.32
$0.65 NT$20.93
152.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.43 CA$7.68
$1.91 NT$61.9
184.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.74 CA$8.12
$2.44 NT$79.3
135.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Canada
Taiwan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.14 CA$3.03
$3.10 NT$100
-30.97%
White Bread (500g)
$2.64 CA$3.73
$1.89 NT$61.2
39.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.46 CA$4.89
$3.02 NT$98.0
14.57%
Eggs
$3.53 CA$5.00
$2.75 NT$89.1
28.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.70 CA$15.12
$18.32 NT$594
-41.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.86 CA$16.77
$8.81 NT$286
34.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.84 CA$20.98
$20.28 NT$658
-26.82%
Apples (1kg)
$4.04 CA$5.71
$4.81 NT$156
-16.01%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 CA$1.94
$2.61 NT$84.5
-47.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.72 CA$5.26
$2.95 NT$95.6
26.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.99 CA$5.65
$3.72 NT$121
7.26%
Potato (1kg)
$2.63 CA$3.72
$2.70 NT$87.5
-2.59%
Onion (1kg)
$2.38 CA$3.36
$2.20 NT$71.4
8.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.51 CA$3.55
$2.12 NT$68.9
18.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 CA$2.47
$1.20 NT$38.84
45.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.07 CA$19.90
$3.86 NT$125
264.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.32 CA$18.83
$12.46 NT$404
6.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.86 CA$4.05
$1.67 NT$54.2
71.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.16 CA$4.47
$2.23 NT$72.3
41.70%
🚌 Getting Around
Canada
Taiwan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.50 CA$3.53
$0.65 NT$21.22
284.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.5 CA$101
$37.16 NT$1,205
92.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.09 CA$4.38
$2.70 NT$87.5
14.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.43 CA$2.03
$0.76 NT$24.69
88.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.16 CA$36.98
$9.31 NT$302
180.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 CA$1.67
$1.05 NT$33.92
12.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K CA$39.6K
$33.1K NT$1.1M
-15.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.8K CA$26.6K
$24.3K NT$787.3K
-22.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Canada
Taiwan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$148 CA$210
$85.9 NT$2,784
72.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$42.44 CA$60.0
$17.55 NT$569
141.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.5 CA$82.7
$23.51 NT$762
148.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Canada
Taiwan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.65 CA$57.5
$37.84 NT$1,227
7.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.99 CA$26.84
$12.01 NT$390
58.12%
Cinema Ticket
$11.25 CA$15.90
$9.99 NT$324
12.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Canada
Taiwan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$753 CA$1,064
$556 NT$18.0K
35.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.3K CA$20.2K
$16.2K NT$526.4K
-12.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Canada
Taiwan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.5 CA$74.2
$64.3 NT$2,086
-18.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.23 CA$54.0
$32.31 NT$1,048
18.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.8 CA$124
$84.2 NT$2,730
4.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 CA$146
$103 NT$3,350
-0.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Canada
Taiwan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,236 CA$1,747
$507 NT$16.4K
143.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,120 CA$1,583
$320 NT$10.4K
250.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,996 CA$2,822
$1,117 NT$36.2K
78.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,714 CA$2,423
$785 NT$25.5K
118.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,503 CA$6,365
$8,360 NT$271.1K
-46.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,888 CA$5,497
$5,346 NT$173.4K
-27.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Canada
Taiwan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,921 CA$4,129
$1,736 NT$56.3K
68.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.87
2.45
98.78%

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

Last update for Canada: October 13, 2026

Last update for Taiwan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Canada
$1.1K
Taiwan
$320 71.5% $800
Groceries & Markets
Canada
$366
Taiwan
$376 2.7% $10
Eating Out
Canada
$271
Taiwan
$110 59.5% $161
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Canada
$249
Taiwan
$127 49.1% $122
Clothing & Footwear
Canada
$127
Taiwan
$128 0.9% $1.2
Getting Around
Canada
$92
Taiwan
$46 49.6% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Canada
$63
Taiwan
$58 8.4% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,199 in Canada vs $431 in Taiwan. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,473 in Ottawa and $999 in Taipei.

Average salary: $2,892 in Canada vs $1,903 in Taiwan. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 178% higher in Canada.

Dining out costs 97% more in Canada.

Public transport is 93% more expensive in Canada.

Salaries are 52% higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Taiwan.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Canada
🇹🇼 Taiwan
🕒 Local time
23:57 11:57 PM
11:57 11:57 AM
12 h ahead of Canada
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
36,991,981
23,409,323
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Canada Taiwan 11,990 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Canada
  • 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
Canada vs Taiwan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Canada more expensive than Taiwan?
Taiwan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 96% lower on average.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Housing costs more in Canada: a central one-bedroom averages $1,199 versus $431 in Taiwan.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget in Canada or in Taiwan?
$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Taiwan, but in Canada it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.
Should I move to Canada or to Taiwan?
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.

Canada vs other spots: cost of living compared

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