Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canberra and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,395 a month against $2,791 in Canberra, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Canberra
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Canberra Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

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Canberra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,791

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,395

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,791 per month in Canberra vs $1,395 in Taipei, rent included.

Canberra $2,791
Taipei $1,395

A couple spends around $3,958 per month in Canberra vs $2,227 in Taipei, rent included.

Canberra $3,958
Taipei $2,227

A family of three spends $5,125 per month in Canberra vs $3,059 in Taipei, rent included.

Canberra $5,125
Taipei $3,059

Canberra costs about 100% more than Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Canberra and Taipei sit above the global median – Canberra by 108%, Taipei by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.14 A$24.62

$4.76 NT$152

260.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.3 A$127

$48.18 NT$1,538

83.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.50 A$15.09

$5.75 NT$184

82.61%

Cappuccino

$3.94 A$5.66

$3.49 NT$112

12.89%

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

$3.17 A$4.55

$0.88 NT$28.04

260.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 A$3.78

$0.65 NT$20.62

304.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.32 A$11.95

$2.86 NT$91.4

190.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.73 A$13.98

$3.67 NT$117

165.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$3.09 NT$98.6

-51.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 A$4.62

$2.05 NT$65.5

56.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.80

$3.06 NT$97.6

-13.73%

Eggs

$5.25 A$7.53

$2.70 NT$86.1

94.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.07 A$18.78

$19.66 NT$628

-33.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.16 A$14.59

$9.83 NT$314

3.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.48 A$22.23

$21.11 NT$674

-26.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 A$5.65

$5.08 NT$162

-22.64%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 A$4.44

$3.39 NT$108

-8.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 A$5.16

$3.00 NT$95.9

19.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.09 A$7.31

$4.56 NT$146

11.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.38

$2.72 NT$86.8

12.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 A$3.97

$2.28 NT$72.9

21.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.53

$1.68 NT$53.7

46.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 A$2.35

$1.15 NT$36.82

42.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.29 A$63.6

$4.05 NT$129

993.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 A$20.36

$14.32 NT$457

-1.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.80 A$6.90

$1.70 NT$54.2

182.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 A$8.11

$2.29 NT$73.0

146.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 A$4.11

$0.61 NT$19.47

368.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.0 A$134

$38.47 NT$1,228

141.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 A$5.70

$2.73 NT$87.0

45.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.75 NT$24.03

117.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.39 A$60.9

$9.59 NT$306

342.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.88

$1.02 NT$32.57

28.43%

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

$27.4K A$39.4K

$34.1K NT$1.1M

-19.49%

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

$29.3K A$42.1K

$24.2K NT$772.3K

21.06%

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

$179 A$257

$86.4 NT$2,757

107.36%

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

$26.92 A$38.67

$17.12 NT$547

57.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.9 A$78.8

$27.06 NT$864

102.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.2 A$119

$40.77 NT$1,302

104.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.11 A$38.94

$16.04 NT$512

69.01%

Cinema Ticket

$15.51 A$22.28

$9.63 NT$307

61.06%

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

$2,382 A$3,422

$656 NT$20.9K

263.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K A$28.8K

$16.4K NT$524.3K

21.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 A$110

$62.7 NT$2,002

22.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 A$79.6

$39.50 NT$1,261

40.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$165

$83.9 NT$2,678

36.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$106 NT$3,393

24.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,711 A$2,458

$1,016 NT$32.4K

68.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,467 A$2,107

$479 NT$15.3K

206.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,098 A$4,450

$1,568 NT$50.1K

97.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 A$2,827

$952 NT$30.4K

106.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.2K A$16.0K

$12.2K NT$389.4K

-8.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,417 A$10.7K

$7,207 NT$230.1K

2.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,310 A$6,191

$1,772 NT$56.6K

143.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

2.4

147.92%

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

Last update for Canberra: October 3, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canberra

$1.5K 51.8%

Taipei

$479 34.8% 67.4% $989

Groceries & Markets

Canberra

$401 14.2%

Taipei

$401 29.2% 0.1% $0.5

Eating Out

Canberra

$300 10.6%

Taipei

$125 9.1% 58.3% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canberra

$261 9.2%

Taipei

$131 9.5% 50% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Canberra

$171 6%

Taipei

$132 9.6% 22.9% $39

Getting Around

Canberra

$117 4.1%

Taipei

$47 3.5% 59.3% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Canberra

$114 4%

Taipei

$60 4.4% 47.4% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,711 in Canberra versus $1,016 in Taipei. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 143% higher in Canberra, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Canberra versus $48.00 in Taipei. Groceries tell a different story – $401 in Canberra vs $401 in Taipei – so Canberra wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Canberra

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

12:40 12:40 PM

09:40 9:40 AM

3 h behind Canberra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

466,566 Capital

2,635,286 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.79 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.92 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.81 TWD (100 TWD = 2.79 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Canberra Taipei 7,310 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Canberra
Taipei

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

Canberra vs Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,791 in Canberra, $1,395 in Taipei – roughly 100% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,187 per month in Canberra and $2,092 in Taipei. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taipei, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,791 in Canberra and $1,395 in Taipei. That's a gap of about 100%.

Public transport costs about 142% less in Taipei. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Taipei, where all-in costs run around $1,395, than in Canberra at $2,791. In Taipei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Canberra it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taipei – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Taipei. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Canberra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.