Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiayi and Taichung Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiayi and Taichung

😐 Solo nomad: Chiayi is 7.3% more expensive than Taichung without rent, and 3.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiayi is 5.5% cheaper than Taichung without rent, and 2.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiayi
Taichung
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.91 NT$220
$5.03 NT$160
37.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.01 NT$1,274
$30.17 NT$961
32.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.82 NT$185
$5.27 NT$168
10.44%
Cappuccino
$2.18 NT$69.4
$2.96 NT$94.3
-26.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.13 NT$36.00
$1.16 NT$36.80
-2.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 NT$23.78
$0.79 NT$25.05
-5.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.83 NT$58.4
$2.09 NT$66.5
-12.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 NT$99.8
$2.81 NT$89.6
11.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiayi
Taichung
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.09 NT$98.5
$3.74 NT$119
-17.38%
White Bread (500g)
$1.92 NT$61.1
$1.75 NT$55.6
9.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.02 NT$96.2
$2.85 NT$90.8
5.96%
Eggs
$2.94 NT$93.8
$3.14 NT$99.9
-6.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.78 NT$630
$31.61 NT$1,007
-37.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.11 NT$322
$8.12 NT$259
24.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.59 NT$656
$15.54 NT$495
32.50%
Apples (1kg)
$5.10 NT$162
$4.65 NT$148
9.68%
Banana (1kg)
$2.84 NT$90.5
$1.80 NT$57.2
57.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.84 NT$90.6
$2.17 NT$69.2
30.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.13 NT$132
$3.01 NT$95.8
37.21%
Potato (1kg)
$2.90 NT$92.2
$1.32 NT$42.11
119.70%
Onion (1kg)
$2.27 NT$72.3
$1.94 NT$61.7
17.01%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.89 NT$60.2
$2.39 NT$76.2
-20.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 NT$43.52
$1.24 NT$39.46
10.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.00 NT$127
$4.02 NT$128
-0.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.63 NT$147
$15.53 NT$495
-70.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 NT$55.4
$1.70 NT$54.3
2.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 NT$74.1
$2.57 NT$81.9
-9.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiayi
Taichung
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 NT$27.66
$0.89 NT$28.20
-2.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.82 NT$1,236
$29.24 NT$931
32.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.89 NT$92.1
$2.92 NT$93.0
-1.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.45 NT$14.24
$1.19 NT$38.02
-62.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.09 NT$322
$10.30 NT$328
-2.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.03 NT$32.96
$1.06 NT$33.63
-2.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K NT$1.2M
$34.2K NT$1.1M
11.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.1K NT$862.5K
$25.7K NT$819.0K
5.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiayi
Taichung
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$71.2 NT$2,266
$94.9 NT$3,024
-25.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.10 NT$608
$24.97 NT$795
-23.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.46 NT$811
$21.95 NT$699
15.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiayi
Taichung
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.59 NT$1,197
$36.08 NT$1,149
4.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.41 NT$491
$10.11 NT$322
52.42%
Cinema Ticket
$11.87 NT$378
$10.65 NT$339
11.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiayi
Taichung
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$638 NT$20.3K
$354 NT$11.3K
80.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.1K NT$607.3K
$20.8K NT$661.3K
-8.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiayi
Taichung
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.6 NT$1,898
$83.5 NT$2,659
-28.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.03 NT$1,052
$34.55 NT$1,100
-4.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.8 NT$2,956
$95.9 NT$3,053
-3.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 NT$3,845
$127 NT$4,038
-4.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiayi
Taichung
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$428 NT$13.6K
$374 NT$11.9K
14.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$284 NT$9,050
$286 NT$9,121
-0.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,056 NT$33.6K
$1,025 NT$32.6K
3.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$715 NT$22.8K
$726 NT$23.1K
-1.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,074 NT$225.3K
$6,928 NT$220.7K
2.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,349 NT$170.4K
$7,922 NT$252.3K
-32.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiayi
Taichung
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,103 NT$67.0K
$1,431 NT$45.6K
47.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.19
2.18
0.46%

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

Last update for Chiayi: March 2, 2026

Last update for Taichung: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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