Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carlton and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,368 a month against $2,287 in Carlton, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Carlton
Learn more

Carlton Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
Learn more

Taipei Living Index

Jump to prices

Carlton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,287

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,287 in Carlton versus $1,368 in Taipei.

Carlton $2,287
Taipei $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,321 in Carlton versus $2,202 in Taipei.

Carlton $3,321
Taipei $2,202

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,355 in Carlton versus $3,036 in Taipei.

Carlton $4,355
Taipei $3,036

Living in Carlton is roughly 67% more expensive than in Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Carlton 69% above, Taipei 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.71 A$25.48

$4.60 NT$149

285.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.7 A$98.9

$47.13 NT$1,528

45.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 A$14.34

$5.58 NT$181

78.49%

Cappuccino

$2.92 A$4.21

$3.45 NT$112

-15.36%

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

$2.63 A$3.78

$0.94 NT$30.61

179.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 A$3.06

$0.67 NT$21.73

217.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.76 A$9.73

$2.86 NT$92.7

136.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 A$9.41

$3.70 NT$120

76.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.90

$3.12 NT$101

-57.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 A$2.95

$1.97 NT$64.0

4.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 A$1.90

$3.16 NT$103

-58.23%

Eggs

$3.20 A$4.60

$2.68 NT$86.9

19.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.28 A$14.79

$19.90 NT$645

-48.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.99 A$14.38

$9.85 NT$319

1.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.28 A$21.98

$21.51 NT$698

-28.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.78

$4.85 NT$157

-31.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.05

$3.25 NT$105

-13.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 A$4.60

$3.03 NT$98.2

5.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 A$6.44

$4.53 NT$147

-1.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.79 NT$90.4

-11.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 A$3.19

$2.34 NT$75.9

-5.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 A$3.07

$1.68 NT$54.5

26.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 A$1.29

$1.10 NT$35.62

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.25 A$36.33

$3.80 NT$123

564.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.62 A$15.28

$14.17 NT$460

-25.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.74 A$8.26

$1.63 NT$53.0

252.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 A$7.37

$2.29 NT$74.3

123.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 A$4.38

$0.65 NT$21.04

369.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.9 A$116

$37.88 NT$1,228

113.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 A$5.36

$2.68 NT$86.8

38.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 A$1.82

$0.82 NT$26.55

53.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.18 A$37.68

$9.17 NT$297

185.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.95

$1.02 NT$32.93

33.33%

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

$18.4K A$26.5K

$32.8K NT$1.1M

-43.89%

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

$13.8K A$19.9K

$24.5K NT$795.1K

-43.60%

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

$89.5 A$129

$87.7 NT$2,843

2.11%

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

$27.31 A$39.31

$17.28 NT$560

58.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.80 A$65.9

$27.38 NT$888

67.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.60 A$45.47

$40.32 NT$1,308

-21.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 A$24.92

$15.94 NT$517

8.66%

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 A$18.64

$9.83 NT$319

31.84%

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

$2,061 A$2,965

$663 NT$21.5K

210.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K A$18.1K

$16.6K NT$538.4K

-24.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.1 A$114

$62.4 NT$2,025

26.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.37 A$71.1

$39.51 NT$1,281

24.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.0 A$101

$84.5 NT$2,740

-17.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$106 NT$3,424

26.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 A$2,001

$999 NT$32.4K

39.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 A$1,732

$473 NT$15.3K

154.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,150 A$3,093

$1,565 NT$50.8K

37.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,829 A$2,631

$948 NT$30.7K

92.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,647 A$8,126

$11.9K NT$385.6K

-52.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,209 A$7,496

$7,306 NT$236.9K

-28.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,717 A$8,227

$1,760 NT$57.1K

224.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.4

145.83%

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

Last update for Carlton: October 12, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Carlton

$1.2K 52.6%

Taipei

$473 34.6% 60.7% $730

Groceries & Markets

Carlton

$338 14.8%

Taipei

$400 29.3% 18.3% $62

Eating Out

Carlton

$273 11.9%

Taipei

$123 9% 54.8% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carlton

$163 7.1%

Taipei

$132 9.7% 18.6% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Carlton

$150 6.5%

Taipei

$131 9.6% 12.2% $18

Getting Around

Carlton

$103 4.5%

Taipei

$47 3.5% 54.2% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Carlton

$58 2.5%

Taipei

$60 4.4% 4.3% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,391 in Carlton and $999 in Taipei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carlton pays 225% 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: $69.0 in Carlton vs $47.00 in Taipei. Groceries flip the comparison at $338 vs $400, with Carlton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Carlton

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

04:13 4:13 AM

3 h behind Carlton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,001

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 17, 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 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Carlton Taipei 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Carlton
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

Carlton vs Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Carlton and Taipei differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($2,287 vs $1,368 including rent). Taipei is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 225% higher in Carlton, 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: $1,391 in Carlton versus $999 in Taipei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,061 in Carlton versus $663 in Taipei. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Carlton pay roughly 18% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,368 in Taipei versus $2,287 in Carlton, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Taipei but tight or insufficient in Carlton. 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, Carlton 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 67% less than in Carlton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.