Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Douliu and Taichung

For one person, living costs are similar in Douliu and in Taichung: $1,138 and $1,145 a month, rent and utilities included.

55

Cost of Living Index in Douliu
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Douliu Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index

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Douliu

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,138

/mo nomad

Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,145

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Douliu 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 Douliu and in Taichung actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,138 per month in Douliu vs $1,145 in Taichung, rent included.

Douliu $1,138
Taichung $1,145

A couple spends around $1,894 per month in Douliu vs $1,901 in Taichung, rent included.

Douliu $1,894
Taichung $1,901

A family of three spends $2,650 per month in Douliu vs $2,657 in Taichung, rent included.

Douliu $2,650
Taichung $2,657

Douliu is about 1% cheaper than Taichung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Douliu and Taichung are more affordable than the global median – Douliu 16% lower, Taichung 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.85 NT$125

$4.67 NT$151

-17.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.40 NT$726

$31.15 NT$1,010

-28.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.81 NT$189

$4.60 NT$149

26.30%

Cappuccino

$3.40 NT$110

$2.71 NT$87.8

25.46%

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

$0.94 NT$30.58

$0.99 NT$31.98

-5.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.86

$0.71 NT$23.04

-5.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$1.58 NT$51.4

76.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 NT$121

$2.89 NT$93.6

29.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 NT$100

$3.14 NT$102

-1.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 NT$65.1

$1.74 NT$56.6

15.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 NT$103

$2.59 NT$84.0

22.39%

Eggs

$2.76 NT$89.4

$2.59 NT$83.9

6.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.44 NT$631

$28.15 NT$913

-30.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.97 NT$323

$7.89 NT$256

26.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.44 NT$695

$16.90 NT$548

26.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 NT$155

$4.22 NT$137

13.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.29 NT$107

$1.96 NT$63.4

67.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NT$99.9

$3.00 NT$97.4

2.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 NT$141

$2.16 NT$69.9

100.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 NT$91.3

$1.19 NT$38.55

136.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$1.89 NT$61.4

23.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 NT$55.6

$2.32 NT$75.1

-26.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.65

$0.91 NT$29.66

20.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 NT$125

$3.78 NT$122

1.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.46 NT$469

$15.59 NT$506

-7.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$52.9

$1.57 NT$50.8

3.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 NT$75.0

$2.46 NT$79.8

-6.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.89

$0.67 NT$21.69

-8.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.53 NT$1,152

$31.36 NT$1,017

13.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 NT$86.3

$2.67 NT$86.7

-0.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 NT$24.82

$0.97 NT$31.57

-20.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.46 NT$307

$9.65 NT$313

-1.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$33.56

$1.06 NT$34.36

-2.83%

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

$34.0K NT$1.1M

$33.9K NT$1.1M

0.16%

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

$24.0K NT$777.6K

$22.7K NT$735.4K

5.74%

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

$86.6 NT$2,807

$122 NT$3,945

-28.85%

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

$17.15 NT$556

$15.08 NT$489

13.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.79 NT$901

$21.01 NT$681

32.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.37 NT$1,179

$31.97 NT$1,037

13.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.54 NT$374

Cinema Ticket

$9.54 NT$309

$9.53 NT$309

0.10%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

$333 NT$10.8K

99.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K NT$550.7K

$16.6K NT$537.7K

2.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 NT$2,091

$71.7 NT$2,326

-10.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.75 NT$1,321

$35.65 NT$1,156

14.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 NT$2,756

$83.4 NT$2,706

1.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 NT$3,408

$116 NT$3,768

-9.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 NT$13.1K

$391 NT$12.7K

3.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$257 NT$8,334

$281 NT$9,111

-8.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$982 NT$31.8K

$1,218 NT$39.5K

-19.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$730 NT$23.7K

$758 NT$24.6K

-3.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 NT$254.1K

$8,582 NT$278.3K

-8.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,924 NT$159.7K

$5,309 NT$172.2K

-7.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,544 NT$82.5K

$1,443 NT$46.8K

76.32%

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 Douliu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Taichung: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Douliu

$400 35.1%

Taichung

$371 32.4% 7.1% $28

Accommodation & Living

Douliu

$257 22.6%

Taichung

$281 24.5% 9.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Douliu

$133 11.7%

Taichung

$138 12.1% 4% $5.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Douliu

$132 11.6%

Taichung

$158 13.8% 19.9% $26

Eating Out

Douliu

$117 10.3%

Taichung

$104 9.1% 10.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Douliu

$55 4.9%

Taichung

$51 4.5% 8% $4.4

Getting Around

Douliu

$44 3.9%

Taichung

$42 3.6% 6.5% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $404 in Douliu versus $391 in Taichung. 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 76% higher in Douliu, 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 $22.00 in Douliu versus $31.00 in Taichung. Groceries tell a different story – $400 in Douliu vs $371 in Taichung – so Taichung wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Douliu

🇹🇼 Taichung

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

Same time as Douliu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,401

2,767,239

💱 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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Douliu vs Taichung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taichung costs about 1% more than Douliu, 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 $1,707 per month in Douliu and $1,717 in Taichung. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Douliu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Douliu and $31.00 in Taichung. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,138 in Douliu and $1,145 in Taichung. That's a gap of about 1%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Douliu, where all-in costs run around $1,138, than in Taichung at $1,145. In Douliu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Taichung it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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