Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiayi and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiayi: $1,067 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 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
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,067

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiayi and in Melbourne

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 Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,067 in Chiayi versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Chiayi $1,067
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,503 in Chiayi versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Chiayi $1,503
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,940 in Chiayi versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Chiayi $1,940
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Chiayi costs roughly 62% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiayi is 21% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.83 NT$157

$17.43 A$25.08

-72.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 NT$1,519

$84.6 A$122

-44.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 NT$185

$12.46 A$17.92

-54.25%

Cappuccino

$3.36 NT$109

$4.11 A$5.91

-18.25%

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

$0.88 NT$28.58

$3.06 A$4.40

-71.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.68

$2.52 A$3.62

-73.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.85 NT$92.4

$9.80 A$14.10

-70.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 NT$123

$8.57 A$12.33

-55.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.10 NT$101

$1.48 A$2.14

109.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 NT$66.8

$2.94 A$4.23

-29.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 NT$98.6

$2.66 A$3.82

14.29%

Eggs

$2.66 NT$86.3

$5.54 A$7.97

-51.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.77 NT$641

$10.51 A$15.13

88.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 NT$316

$9.65 A$13.89

1.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.98 NT$680

$15.22 A$21.91

37.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.87 NT$158

$3.99 A$5.75

22.06%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 NT$104

$3.02 A$4.34

6.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 NT$97.0

$3.10 A$4.46

-3.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.55 NT$148

$4.82 A$6.93

-5.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 NT$90.9

$3.03 A$4.36

-7.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 NT$76.3

$2.44 A$3.52

-3.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.3

$2.46 A$3.54

-31.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 NT$37.04

$1.63 A$2.34

-30.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 NT$130

$44.07 A$63.4

-90.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.66 NT$151

$12.70 A$18.28

-63.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 NT$53.7

$5.54 A$7.97

-70.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NT$70.8

$5.23 A$7.52

-58.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.43 NT$403

$138 A$198

-90.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 NT$85.5

$4.51 A$6.50

-41.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 NT$14.94

$1.36 A$1.96

-66.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.66 NT$313

$30.45 A$43.81

-68.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 NT$34.43

$1.47 A$2.12

-27.89%

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

$32.9K NT$1.1M

$29.0K A$41.7K

13.28%

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

$24.5K NT$795.8K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-7.30%

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

$66.7 NT$2,164

$234 A$336

-71.44%

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

$17.52 NT$568

$27.93 A$40.19

-37.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.93 NT$873

$55.7 A$80.2

-51.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.82 NT$1,032

$49.40 A$71.1

-35.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 NT$319

$15.09 A$21.72

-34.79%

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

$660 NT$21.4K

$2,371 A$3,412

-72.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K NT$543.4K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-44.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 NT$2,020

$80.0 A$115

-22.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 NT$1,279

$50.7 A$73.0

-22.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.2 NT$2,763

$121 A$174

-29.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,383

$130 A$188

-20.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 NT$12.0K

$1,759 A$2,531

-79.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 NT$8,194

$1,390 A$2,000

-81.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,179 NT$103.1K

$6,926 A$9,967

-54.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 NT$61.9K

$6,445 A$9,274

-70.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,110 NT$68.4K

$4,383 A$6,307

-51.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

5.9

-59.32%

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

Last update for Chiayi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chiayi

$379 35.5%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 1.2% $4.7

Accommodation & Living

Chiayi

$253 23.7%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 450% $1.1K

Clothing & Footwear

Chiayi

$131 12.3%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 31% $41

Eating Out

Chiayi

$124 11.6%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 153% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiayi

$111 10.4%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 185% $206

Sport & Entertainment

Chiayi

$51 4.8%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 54.6% $28

Getting Around

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 843% $146

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $369 in Chiayi and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 108% 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: $47.00 in Chiayi vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $384 per month, with Chiayi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

15:28 3:28 PM

3 h ahead of Chiayi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,874

5,031,195

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

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).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiayi Melbourne 7,280 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiayi
Melbourne

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 Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiayi wins on cost – living expenses run 164% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chiayi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 108% lower in Melbourne. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $369 in Chiayi versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,067 per month in Chiayi versus $2,821 in Melbourne – a 164% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chiayi runs roughly 1006% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,067 in Chiayi versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiayi but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Chiayi 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, Chiayi and Melbourne 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 Chiayi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 164% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.