Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiayi and Algarve

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiayi: $1,067 a month against $1,754 in Algarve, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
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Chiayi Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Algarve
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Algarve Living Index

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Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,067

/mo nomad

Algarve

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,754

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiayi and in Algarve

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

A single person spends $1,067 per month in Chiayi vs $1,754 in Algarve, rent included.

Chiayi $1,067
Algarve $1,754

A couple spends around $1,503 per month in Chiayi vs $2,601 in Algarve, rent included.

Chiayi $1,503
Algarve $2,601

A family of three spends $1,940 per month in Chiayi vs $3,447 in Algarve, rent included.

Chiayi $1,940
Algarve $3,447

Chiayi is about 39% cheaper than Algarve, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiayi sits 21% below the global median, while Algarve is 30% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.83 NT$157

$16.83 €14.97

-71.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 NT$1,519

$60.3 €53.6

-22.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 NT$185

$9.56 €8.50

-40.38%

Cappuccino

$3.36 NT$109

$3.04 €2.71

10.53%

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

$0.88 NT$28.58

$1.89 €1.69

-53.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.68

$1.50 €1.34

-55.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.85 NT$92.4

$3.26 €2.90

-12.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 NT$123

$3.32 €2.96

14.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.10 NT$101

$1.15 €1.03

169.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 NT$66.8

$1.36 €1.21

51.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 NT$98.6

$1.47 €1.31

106.80%

Eggs

$2.66 NT$86.3

$3.99 €3.55

-33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.77 NT$641

$12.91 €11.48

53.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 NT$316

$8.00 €7.12

21.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.98 NT$680

$17.48 €15.55

20.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.87 NT$158

$2.24 €1.99

117.41%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 NT$104

$1.34 €1.19

140.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 NT$97.0

$1.74 €1.55

71.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.55 NT$148

$2.23 €1.99

104.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 NT$90.9

$1.86 €1.65

50.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 NT$76.3

$2.05 €1.82

14.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.3

$1.45 €1.29

15.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 NT$37.04

$0.82 €0.73

39.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 NT$130

$6.81 €6.06

-41.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.66 NT$151

$5.64 €5.02

-17.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 NT$53.7

$0.98 €0.88

68.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NT$70.8

$1.62 €1.44

34.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.79

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.43 NT$403

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 NT$85.5

$3.94 €3.50

-32.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 NT$14.94

$1.04 €0.93

-55.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.66 NT$313

$16.65 €14.81

-41.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 NT$34.43

$2.11 €1.88

-49.76%

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

$32.9K NT$1.1M

$33.5K €29.8K

-1.88%

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

$24.5K NT$795.8K

$38.3K €34.1K

-35.92%

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

$66.7 NT$2,164

$149 €133

-55.33%

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

$17.52 NT$568

$18.60 €16.54

-5.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.93 NT$873

$32.28 €28.71

-16.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.82 NT$1,032

$36.89 €32.81

-13.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.85 €23.88

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 NT$319

$9.45 €8.41

4.13%

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

$660 NT$21.4K

$657 €584

0.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K NT$543.4K

$15.3K €13.6K

9.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 NT$2,020

$103 €92.0

-39.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 NT$1,279

$46.16 €41.06

-14.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.2 NT$2,763

$79.4 €70.6

7.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,383

$67.9 €60.4

53.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 NT$12.0K

$1,048 €932

-64.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 NT$8,194

$846 €753

-70.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,181 €1,940

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,335 €1,188

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,179 NT$103.1K

$4,672 €4,156

-31.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 NT$61.9K

$3,095 €2,753

-38.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,110 NT$68.4K

$1,194 €1,062

76.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

3.85

-37.66%

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

Last update for Chiayi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Algarve: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chiayi

$379 35.5%

Algarve

$260 14.8% 31.4% $119

Accommodation & Living

Chiayi

$253 23.7%

Algarve

$846 48.2% 235% $593

Clothing & Footwear

Chiayi

$131 12.3%

Algarve

$134 7.6% 1.9% $2.5

Eating Out

Chiayi

$124 11.6%

Algarve

$236 13.5% 90.4% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiayi

$111 10.4%

Algarve

$200 11.4% 80.1% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Chiayi

$51 4.8%

Algarve

$56 3.2% 8.4% $4.3

Getting Around

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6%

Algarve

$22 * 1.2% 25% $4.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $369 in Chiayi versus $1,048 in Algarve. 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 77% higher in Chiayi, 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 $47.00 in Chiayi versus $60.0 in Algarve. Groceries tell a different story – $379 in Chiayi vs $260 in Algarve – so Algarve wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🇵🇹 Algarve

🕒 Local time

08:32 8:32 AM

01:32 1:32 AM

7 h behind Chiayi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,874

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiayi Algarve 11,380 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiayi
Algarve

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

Chiayi vs Algarve: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Algarve costs about 64% more than Chiayi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,601 per month in Chiayi and $2,631 in Algarve. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiayi, 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 $1,067 in Chiayi and $1,754 in Algarve. That's a gap of about 64%.

Kindergarten costs $660 per month in Chiayi and $657 in Algarve. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiayi, where all-in costs run around $1,067, than in Algarve at $1,754. In Chiayi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Algarve it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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