Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hsinchu and Taichung

For one person, living costs are similar in Hsinchu and in Taichung: $1,139 and $1,112 a month, rent and utilities included.

54

Cost of Living Index in Hsinchu
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Hsinchu Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index

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Hsinchu

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,139

/mo nomad

Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,112

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,139 per month in Hsinchu vs $1,112 in Taichung, rent included.

Hsinchu $1,139
Taichung $1,112

A couple spends around $1,910 per month in Hsinchu vs $1,848 in Taichung, rent included.

Hsinchu $1,910
Taichung $1,848

A family of three spends $2,682 per month in Hsinchu vs $2,584 in Taichung, rent included.

Hsinchu $2,682
Taichung $2,584

Hsinchu and Taichung have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Hsinchu and Taichung are more affordable than the global median – Hsinchu 16% lower, Taichung 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 NT$123

$4.49 NT$149

-17.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.10 NT$930

$30.20 NT$999

-6.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 NT$150

$4.63 NT$153

-1.94%

Cappuccino

$2.84 NT$94.0

$2.80 NT$92.7

1.43%

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

$0.95 NT$31.40

$0.98 NT$32.39

-3.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$22.03

$0.74 NT$24.54

-9.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 NT$62.7

$1.51 NT$50.1

25.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 NT$75.2

$2.64 NT$87.3

-14.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.77 NT$91.6

$3.23 NT$107

-14.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 NT$55.5

$1.72 NT$56.9

-2.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.57 NT$151

$2.56 NT$84.9

78.52%

Eggs

$2.77 NT$91.5

$2.53 NT$83.7

9.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$35.06 NT$1,160

$28.44 NT$941

23.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.95 NT$230

$7.71 NT$255

-9.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.58 NT$681

$16.09 NT$532

27.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 NT$85.2

$4.25 NT$141

-39.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 NT$82.4

$1.92 NT$63.6

29.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.32 NT$110

$3.07 NT$102

8.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 NT$101

$2.14 NT$70.8

42.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 NT$78.1

$1.21 NT$39.96

95.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 NT$77.7

$1.86 NT$61.5

26.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 NT$64.4

$2.29 NT$75.8

-14.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 NT$43.75

$0.89 NT$29.45

48.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 NT$127

$3.66 NT$121

5.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.19 NT$403

$15.47 NT$512

-21.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 NT$61.6

$1.52 NT$50.4

22.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 NT$77.1

$2.41 NT$79.8

-3.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 NT$17.10

$0.62 NT$20.67

-16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.34 NT$1,269

$18.41 NT$609

108.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 NT$102

$2.63 NT$87.2

17.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 NT$26.17

$0.75 NT$24.76

5.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 NT$233

$9.26 NT$306

-24.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$33.73

$1.03 NT$34.20

-0.97%

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

$35.7K NT$1.2M

$34.0K NT$1.1M

4.95%

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

$23.1K NT$766.0K

$22.9K NT$758.0K

1.06%

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

$101 NT$3,350

$122 NT$4,023

-16.73%

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

$18.84 NT$623

$14.50 NT$480

29.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.07 NT$697

$20.56 NT$680

2.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.92 NT$1,652

$31.13 NT$1,030

60.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.34 NT$375

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 NT$334

$10.11 NT$334

-0.20%

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

$747 NT$24.7K

$337 NT$11.1K

121.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K NT$565.6K

$20.7K NT$686.5K

-17.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 NT$1,866

$69.5 NT$2,299

-18.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.22 NT$1,132

$34.94 NT$1,156

-2.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 NT$2,503

$82.6 NT$2,732

-8.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 NT$3,476

$112 NT$3,712

-6.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 NT$14.2K

$384 NT$12.7K

11.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 NT$8,418

$271 NT$8,960

-6.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,094 NT$36.2K

$1,169 NT$38.7K

-6.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 NT$24.6K

$737 NT$24.4K

0.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,904 NT$228.4K

$5,799 NT$191.9K

19.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,280 NT$141.6K

$4,113 NT$136.1K

4.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,434 NT$80.5K

$1,387 NT$45.9K

75.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.13

2.27

-6.17%

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

Last update for Hsinchu: November 1, 2026

Last update for Taichung: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hsinchu

$406 35.6%

Taichung

$368 33.1% 9.2% $37

Accommodation & Living

Hsinchu

$254 22.3%

Taichung

$271 24.4% 6.4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hsinchu

$141 12.4%

Taichung

$157 14.1% 11% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Hsinchu

$122 10.7%

Taichung

$135 12.1% 10.3% $13

Eating Out

Hsinchu

$98 8.6%

Taichung

$103 9.3% 5.3% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Hsinchu

$70 6.2%

Taichung

$51 4.6% 26.8% $19

Getting Around

Hsinchu

$47 4.2%

Taichung

$27 2.5% 42.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $429 in Hsinchu versus $384 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 75% higher in Hsinchu. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Hsinchu versus $30 in Taichung. Groceries tell a different story – $406 in Hsinchu vs $368 in Taichung – so Taichung wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Hsinchu

🇹🇼 Taichung

🕒 Local time

08:04 8:04 AM

Same time as Hsinchu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

453,120

2,767,239

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.02 USD

100 TWD = 2.69 EUR

100 TWD = 3.02 USD

100 TWD = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Hsinchu Taichung 79 km

From you

Hsinchu
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

Hsinchu vs Taichung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,708 per month in Hsinchu and $1,668 in Taichung. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taichung, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $384 there versus $429 in Hsinchu.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Hsinchu, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Kindergarten costs $747 per month in Hsinchu and $337 in Taichung. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,139 in Hsinchu and $1,112 in Taichung. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Taichung – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Taichung. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hsinchu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.