Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Forbes and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,330 a month against $2,543 in Forbes, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
Learn more

Forbes Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
Learn more

Taipei Living Index

Jump to prices

Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Forbes and in Taipei

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,543 in Forbes versus $1,330 in Taipei.

Forbes $2,543
Taipei $1,330

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,751 in Forbes versus $2,145 in Taipei.

Forbes $3,751
Taipei $2,145

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,958 in Forbes versus $2,959 in Taipei.

Forbes $4,958
Taipei $2,959

Living in Forbes is roughly 91% more expensive than in Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Forbes is 87% above, Taipei is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.91 A$22.61

$4.70 NT$152

238.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.9 A$135

$46.13 NT$1,494

105.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 A$16.07

$5.80 NT$188

95.00%

Cappuccino

$3.52 A$5.00

$3.37 NT$109

4.45%

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

$2.99 A$4.24

$0.91 NT$29.42

228.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 A$3.37

$0.66 NT$21.44

259.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 A$9.92

$2.98 NT$96.5

134.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 A$10.52

$3.64 NT$118

103.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 A$2.41

$2.95 NT$95.6

-42.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 A$3.44

$1.92 NT$62.4

26.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 A$3.04

$3.10 NT$100

-30.97%

Eggs

$5.00 A$7.10

$2.62 NT$84.8

90.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 A$14.44

$19.04 NT$617

-46.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.53

$9.54 NT$309

-0.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.72 A$19.49

$20.87 NT$676

-34.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 A$5.37

$4.72 NT$153

-19.92%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 A$4.27

$3.33 NT$108

-9.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 A$5.05

$2.95 NT$95.5

20.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 A$6.99

$4.26 NT$138

15.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.75 NT$89.2

-9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.63

$2.22 NT$72.1

14.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 A$3.24

$1.66 NT$53.7

37.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.08 NT$34.86

34.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$46.43 A$66.0

$3.95 NT$128

1075.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.36 A$17.57

$13.89 NT$450

-11.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.75 A$6.75

$1.58 NT$51.3

200.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 A$8.24

$2.18 NT$70.5

166.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 A$3.78

$0.58 NT$18.86

358.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 A$111

$36.25 NT$1,174

116.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 A$5.26

$2.54 NT$82.2

45.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 A$2.45

$0.75 NT$24.29

129.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.70 A$64.9

$8.99 NT$291

408.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 A$1.78

$1.00 NT$32.42

25.00%

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

$33.8K A$48.1K

$34.6K NT$1.1M

-2.38%

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

$28.1K A$40.0K

$23.0K NT$746.2K

22.22%

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

$195 A$277

$85.6 NT$2,773

127.71%

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

$23.66 A$33.62

$16.94 NT$549

39.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 A$75.8

$26.94 NT$873

98.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.1 A$84.0

$39.55 NT$1,281

49.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.72 A$28.02

$15.36 NT$498

28.39%

Cinema Ticket

$12.05 A$17.13

$9.72 NT$315

23.97%

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

$2,301 A$3,269

$710 NT$23.0K

224.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K A$30.3K

$16.3K NT$529.4K

30.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 A$115

$62.0 NT$2,009

30.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 A$80.6

$39.30 NT$1,273

44.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 A$166

$84.1 NT$2,724

38.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$176

$102 NT$3,295

21.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 A$2,213

$961 NT$31.1K

62.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 A$1,816

$456 NT$14.8K

180.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 A$3,499

$1,511 NT$49.0K

62.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,041 A$2,901

$919 NT$29.8K

122.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,228 A$7,428

$11.4K NT$369.6K

-54.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,146 A$7,312

$6,882 NT$223.0K

-25.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,703 NT$55.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.4

145.83%

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

Last update for Forbes: October 27, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Forbes

$1.3K 50.3%

Taipei

$456 34.3% 64.3% $822

Groceries & Markets

Forbes

$364 14.3%

Taipei

$388 29.2% 6.6% $24

Eating Out

Forbes

$275 10.8%

Taipei

$124 9.3% 54.9% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Forbes

$272 10.7%

Taipei

$129 9.7% 52.4% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Forbes

$170 6.7%

Taipei

$129 9.7% 24% $41

Getting Around

Forbes

$101 4%

Taipei

$45 3.4% 55.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Forbes

$83 3.3%

Taipei

$59 4.4% 29.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,558 in Forbes and $961 in Taipei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $95 in Forbes vs $46 in Taipei. Groceries flip the comparison at $364 vs $388, with Forbes cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Forbes

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

01:51 1:51 AM

22:51 10:51 PM

3 h behind Forbes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,481

2,635,286 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

100 TWD = 3.09 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 32.4 TWD (100 TWD = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 36.06 TWD (100 TWD = 2.77 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Forbes Taipei 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Forbes
Taipei

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

Forbes vs Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Forbes and Taipei differ by about 91% in total monthly costs ($2,543 vs $1,330 including rent). Taipei is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,814 in Forbes and $1,995 in Taipei to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,558 in Forbes versus $961 in Taipei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,543 per month in Forbes versus $1,330 in Taipei – a 91% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Taipei runs roughly 54% less than in Forbes. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,330 in Taipei versus $2,543 in Forbes, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Taipei but tight or insufficient in Forbes. The gap between the two cities makes Taipei 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, Forbes and Taipei are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.