Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiayi and Taichung

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiayi: $1,041 a month against $1,112 in Taichung, rent and utilities included – about $850 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Taichung outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

50

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
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Chiayi Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index

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Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,041

/mo nomad

Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,112

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiayi and in Taichung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,041 in Chiayi versus $1,112 in Taichung.

Chiayi $1,041
Taichung $1,112

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,471 in Chiayi versus $1,856 in Taichung.

Chiayi $1,471
Taichung $1,856

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,901 in Chiayi versus $2,601 in Taichung.

Chiayi $1,901
Taichung $2,601

Living in Chiayi costs roughly 6% less than in Taichung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiayi 24% lower, Taichung 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.59 NT$150

$4.69 NT$153

-2.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.34 NT$1,511

$31.30 NT$1,021

48.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.65 NT$184

$4.64 NT$151

21.77%

Cappuccino

$3.29 NT$107

$2.89 NT$94.4

13.84%

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

$0.85 NT$27.72

$1.03 NT$33.52

-17.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.81

$0.76 NT$24.62

-11.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 NT$97.2

$1.50 NT$48.83

98.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 NT$117

$2.66 NT$86.8

34.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.95 NT$96.2

$3.08 NT$101

-4.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 NT$63.5

$1.65 NT$53.7

18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 NT$99.5

$2.59 NT$84.3

17.76%

Eggs

$2.63 NT$85.8

$2.54 NT$82.9

3.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.97 NT$619

$28.53 NT$930

-33.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.89 NT$322

$7.76 NT$253

27.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.28 NT$694

$16.59 NT$541

28.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 NT$154

$4.21 NT$137

12.11%

Banana (1kg)

$3.28 NT$107

$1.94 NT$63.2

69.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 NT$93.5

$3.01 NT$98.2

-4.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.23 NT$138

$2.13 NT$69.5

98.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 NT$86.2

$1.21 NT$39.53

119.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 NT$71.6

$1.93 NT$63.0

13.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 NT$56.1

$2.25 NT$73.5

-23.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 NT$36.48

$0.89 NT$29.05

25.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 NT$122

$3.79 NT$124

-1.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.48 NT$146

$15.10 NT$492

-70.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 NT$51.4

$1.60 NT$52.0

-1.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 NT$69.5

$2.43 NT$79.1

-12.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 NT$20.59

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.12 NT$395

$18.67 NT$609

-35.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 NT$82.8

$2.58 NT$84.0

-1.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 NT$14.70

$0.90 NT$29.30

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 NT$292

$9.19 NT$300

-2.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 NT$32.62

$1.04 NT$33.92

-3.85%

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

$34.1K NT$1.1M

$35.3K NT$1.2M

-3.44%

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

$23.5K NT$765.9K

$22.2K NT$725.0K

5.64%

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

$64.7 NT$2,108

$122 NT$3,981

-47.05%

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

$17.55 NT$572

$14.52 NT$473

20.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.76 NT$872

$20.46 NT$667

30.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.55 NT$996

$31.28 NT$1,020

-2.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 NT$372

Cinema Ticket

$9.62 NT$314

$10.22 NT$333

-5.87%

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

$712 NT$23.2K

$326 NT$10.6K

118.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K NT$525.9K

$16.5K NT$536.4K

-1.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 NT$2,027

$71.8 NT$2,340

-13.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.01 NT$1,272

$35.78 NT$1,167

9.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 NT$2,698

$81.7 NT$2,662

1.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NT$3,317

$111 NT$3,610

-8.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$374 NT$12.2K

$382 NT$12.5K

-2.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 NT$7,940

$266 NT$8,667

-8.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 NT$38.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 NT$24.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,070 NT$100.1K

$5,811 NT$189.5K

-47.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,843 NT$60.1K

$4,266 NT$139.1K

-56.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,038 NT$66.4K

$1,400 NT$45.6K

45.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

2.27

5.73%

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

Last update for Chiayi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Taichung: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chiayi

$372 35.7%

Taichung

$368 33.1% 1.1% $3.9

Accommodation & Living

Chiayi

$244 23.4%

Taichung

$266 23.9% 9.2% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Chiayi

$129 12.4%

Taichung

$135 12.1% 5% $6.4

Eating Out

Chiayi

$121 11.7%

Taichung

$106 9.6% 12.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiayi

$109 10.5%

Taichung

$157 14.1% 44.1% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiayi

$50 4.8%

Taichung

$52 4.7% 3.9% $1.9

Getting Around

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6%

Taichung

$28 2.5% 67.1% $11

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 $374 in Chiayi and $382 in Taichung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiayi pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46 in Chiayi vs $31 in Taichung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $372 vs $368 per month, with Taichung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taichung

🕒 Local time

13:56 1:56 PM

Same time as Chiayi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,874

2,767,239

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Chiayi Taichung 78 km

From you

Chiayi
Taichung

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 Taichung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiayi wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Taichung. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiayi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 46% higher in Chiayi, 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: $374 in Chiayi versus $382 in Taichung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $712 in Chiayi versus $326 in Taichung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Taichung – a meal for two runs $31 versus $46 in Chiayi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Chiayi is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Safety-wise, Chiayi and Taichung are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.