Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hua-lien and Hamamatsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamamatsu: $783 a month against $1,054 in Hua-lien, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Hua-lien
Learn more

Hua-lien Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Hamamatsu
Learn more

Hamamatsu Living Index

Jump to prices

Hua-lien

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,054

/mo nomad

Hamamatsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$783

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hua-lien and in Hamamatsu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,054 in Hua-lien versus $783 in Hamamatsu.

Hua-lien $1,054
Hamamatsu $783

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,788 in Hua-lien versus $1,266 in Hamamatsu.

Hua-lien $1,788
Hamamatsu $1,266

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,522 in Hua-lien versus $1,750 in Hamamatsu.

Hua-lien $2,522
Hamamatsu $1,750

Living in Hua-lien is roughly 35% more expensive than in Hamamatsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hua-lien 23% lower, Hamamatsu 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 NT$132

$3.90 ¥615

4.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.90 NT$904

$41.78 ¥6,596

-33.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.13 NT$134

$5.19 ¥820

-20.42%

Cappuccino

$2.62 NT$84.8

$3.41 ¥539

-23.17%

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

$0.93 NT$30.23

$1.10 ¥174

-15.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 NT$17.12

$0.75 ¥118

-29.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 NT$42.98

$2.61 ¥411

-49.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 NT$66.0

$3.11 ¥490

-34.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.74 NT$88.7

$1.08 ¥170

153.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 NT$53.2

$1.70 ¥268

-3.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.53 NT$147

$3.67 ¥579

23.43%

Eggs

$1.93 NT$62.5

$1.68 ¥266

14.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 NT$620

$10.25 ¥1,618

86.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.93 NT$192

$6.17 ¥973

-3.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.47 NT$825

$14.24 ¥2,248

78.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 NT$86.4

$5.80 ¥916

-53.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 NT$79.0

$2.84 ¥448

-14.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 NT$104

$2.95 ¥466

8.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 NT$100

$4.30 ¥679

-28.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 NT$74.2

$2.61 ¥413

-12.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 NT$76.0

$2.59 ¥408

-9.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 NT$64.5

$1.29 ¥204

54.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 NT$31.22

$0.66 ¥104

45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.76 NT$122

$3.89 ¥613

-3.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.33 NT$400

$6.39 ¥1,009

92.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 NT$60.0

$1.82 ¥288

1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 NT$74.4

$2.10 ¥331

9.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 NT$19.32

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.87 NT$1,097

$50.1 ¥7,914

-32.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 NT$99.5

$3.11 ¥490

-1.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 NT$9.58

$2.63 ¥415

-88.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.86 NT$319

$20.62 ¥3,256

-52.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 NT$29.43

$1.06 ¥168

-14.15%

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

$35.5K NT$1.1M

$21.6K ¥3.4M

64.27%

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

$23.7K NT$767.5K

$15.8K ¥2.5M

49.64%

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

$99.3 NT$3,216

$130 ¥20.6K

-23.88%

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

$18.72 NT$607

$8.59 ¥1,356

117.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.53 NT$406

$32.78 ¥5,176

-61.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.49 NT$1,150

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.40 ¥2,747

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 NT$328

$13.08 ¥2,065

-22.63%

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

$729 NT$23.6K

$819 ¥129.3K

-11.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K NT$523.7K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

8.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 NT$1,800

$63.6 ¥10.0K

-12.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.63 NT$1,122

$37.10 ¥5,858

-6.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 NT$2,479

$61.3 ¥9,677

24.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NT$3,338

$103 ¥16.3K

-0.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$417 NT$13.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 NT$8,216

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 NT$33.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 NT$24.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,568 NT$245.2K

$7,787 ¥1.2M

-2.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,914 NT$159.2K

$5,298 ¥836.5K

-7.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,802 NT$90.8K

$1,602 ¥253.0K

74.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.13

2.64

-19.32%

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

Last update for Hua-lien: October 26, 2026

Last update for Hamamatsu: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hua-lien

$359 34.1%

Hamamatsu

$285 36.4% 20.6% $74

Accommodation & Living

Hua-lien

$254 24.1%

Hamamatsu

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hua-lien

$131 12.4%

Hamamatsu

$172 21.9% 31.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Hua-lien

$121 11.5%

Hamamatsu

$119 15.2% 1.7% $2

Eating Out

Hua-lien

$93 8.8%

Hamamatsu

$114 14.6% 23% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Hua-lien

$56 5.3%

Hamamatsu

$26 * 3.3% 53.1% $30

Getting Around

Hua-lien

$41 3.9%

Hamamatsu

$66 * 8.5% 62.7% $26

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Hua-lien pays 75% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $28 in Hua-lien vs $42 in Hamamatsu. Groceries flip the comparison at $359 vs $285, with Hamamatsu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Hua-lien

🇯🇵 Hamamatsu

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

07:06 7:06 AM

1 h ahead of Hua-lien

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,034

797,033

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.09 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 32.4 TWD (100 TWD = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 36.07 TWD (100 TWD = 2.77 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hua-lien Hamamatsu 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Hua-lien
Hamamatsu

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

Hua-lien vs Hamamatsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,054 in Hua-lien and $783 in Hamamatsu, so Hamamatsu is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 75% higher in Hua-lien, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Hua-lien. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Hua-lien – a meal for two runs $28 versus $42 in Hamamatsu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Hamamatsu gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Hua-lien and Hamamatsu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Hamamatsu wins on affordability, Hua-lien on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.