Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chang-hua and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Chang-hua: $864 a month against $1,368 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Chang-hua
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Chang-hua Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

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Chang-hua

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$864

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $864 per month in Chang-hua vs $1,368 in Taipei, rent included.

Chang-hua $864
Taipei $1,368

A couple spends around $1,343 per month in Chang-hua vs $2,202 in Taipei, rent included.

Chang-hua $1,343
Taipei $2,202

A family of three spends $1,822 per month in Chang-hua vs $3,036 in Taipei, rent included.

Chang-hua $1,822
Taipei $3,036

Chang-hua is about 37% cheaper than Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Chang-hua sits 36% below the global median, while Taipei is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.83 NT$124

$4.60 NT$149

-16.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.76 NT$1,062

$47.13 NT$1,528

-30.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 NT$179

$5.58 NT$181

-0.90%

Cappuccino

$1.63 NT$52.7

$3.45 NT$112

-52.75%

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

$0.96 NT$30.99

$0.94 NT$30.61

2.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 NT$18.01

$0.67 NT$21.73

-16.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.36 NT$44.21

$2.86 NT$92.7

-52.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 NT$70.3

$3.70 NT$120

-41.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 NT$77.1

$3.12 NT$101

-23.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 NT$67.2

$1.97 NT$64.0

5.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 NT$95.5

$3.16 NT$103

-6.96%

Eggs

$2.76 NT$89.5

$2.68 NT$86.9

2.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.19 NT$525

$19.90 NT$645

-18.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 NT$308

$9.85 NT$319

-3.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.23 NT$688

$21.51 NT$698

-1.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.82 NT$156

$4.85 NT$157

-0.62%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 NT$110

$3.25 NT$105

4.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 NT$95.1

$3.03 NT$98.2

-3.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 NT$103

$4.53 NT$147

-30.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 NT$89.8

$2.79 NT$90.4

-0.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 NT$68.4

$2.34 NT$75.9

-9.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 NT$54.9

$1.68 NT$54.5

0.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 NT$24.97

$1.10 NT$35.62

-30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 NT$128

$3.80 NT$123

4.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.43 NT$306

$14.17 NT$460

-33.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 NT$44.70

$1.63 NT$53.0

-15.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.4

$2.29 NT$74.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 NT$50.4

$0.65 NT$21.04

138.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.80 NT$1,129

$37.88 NT$1,228

-8.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 NT$85.9

$2.68 NT$86.8

-1.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 NT$24.71

$0.82 NT$26.55

-7.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.29 NT$301

$9.17 NT$297

1.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 NT$34.39

$1.02 NT$32.93

3.92%

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

$33.1K NT$1.1M

$32.8K NT$1.1M

0.99%

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

$24.3K NT$787.5K

$24.5K NT$795.1K

-0.96%

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

$31.62 NT$1,025

$87.7 NT$2,843

-63.94%

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

$16.99 NT$551

$17.28 NT$560

-1.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.71 NT$607

$27.38 NT$888

-31.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.75 NT$1,029

$40.32 NT$1,308

-21.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

Cinema Ticket

$9.38 NT$304

$9.83 NT$319

-4.58%

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

$636 NT$20.6K

$663 NT$21.5K

-3.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,946 NT$257.7K

$16.6K NT$538.4K

-52.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.35 NT$1,600

$62.4 NT$2,025

-20.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.47 NT$502

$39.51 NT$1,281

-60.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 NT$2,534

$84.5 NT$2,740

-7.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.57 NT$1,607

$106 NT$3,424

-53.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 NT$8,160

$999 NT$32.4K

-74.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 NT$5,528

$473 NT$15.3K

-63.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 NT$16.5K

$1,565 NT$50.8K

-67.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$169 NT$5,480

$948 NT$30.7K

-82.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,959 NT$96.0K

$11.9K NT$385.6K

-75.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,631 NT$52.9K

$7,306 NT$236.9K

-77.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,011 NT$65.2K

$1,760 NT$57.1K

14.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.2

2.4

-8.33%

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

Last update for Chang-hua: October 12, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chang-hua

$358 41.4%

Taipei

$400 29.3% 11.8% $42

Accommodation & Living

Chang-hua

$170 19.7%

Taipei

$473 34.6% 178% $303

Clothing & Footwear

Chang-hua

$87 10%

Taipei

$131 9.6% 51.7% $45

Eating Out

Chang-hua

$84 9.7%

Taipei

$123 9% 46.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chang-hua

$67 7.8%

Taipei

$132 9.7% 96.6% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Chang-hua

$51 5.8%

Taipei

$60 4.4% 18.8% $9.5

Getting Around

Chang-hua

$47 5.5%

Taipei

$47 3.5% 0.5% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $252 in Chang-hua versus $999 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 14% higher in Chang-hua, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Chang-hua versus $47.00 in Taipei. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $400 – making Chang-hua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Chang-hua

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

01:35 1:35 AM

Same time as Chang-hua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

226,564

2,635,286 Capital

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Chang-hua vs Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipei costs about 58% more than Chang-hua, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,296 per month in Chang-hua and $2,052 in Taipei. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chang-hua, 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 $864 in Chang-hua and $1,368 in Taipei. That's a gap of about 58%.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Chang-hua. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chang-hua, where all-in costs run around $864, than in Taipei at $1,368. In Chang-hua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Taipei it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chang-hua – 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 Chang-hua. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Taipei makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.