Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hua-lien and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Hua-lien: $1,076 a month against $1,368 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Hua-lien
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Hua-lien Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

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Hua-lien

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,076

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hua-lien 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 Hua-lien and in Taipei actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,076 in Hua-lien versus $1,368 in Taipei.

Hua-lien $1,076
Taipei $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,820 in Hua-lien versus $2,202 in Taipei.

Hua-lien $1,820
Taipei $2,202

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,563 in Hua-lien versus $3,036 in Taipei.

Hua-lien $2,563
Taipei $3,036

Living in Hua-lien costs roughly 21% less than in Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hua-lien is 20% below, Taipei is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.99 NT$129

$4.60 NT$149

-13.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.74 NT$932

$47.13 NT$1,528

-39.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.28 NT$139

$5.58 NT$181

-23.30%

Cappuccino

$2.78 NT$90.3

$3.45 NT$112

-19.42%

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

$0.93 NT$30.01

$0.94 NT$30.61

-1.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 NT$18.18

$0.67 NT$21.73

-16.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 NT$43.12

$2.86 NT$92.7

-53.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NT$67.6

$3.70 NT$120

-43.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.93 NT$95.1

$3.12 NT$101

-6.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 NT$56.9

$1.97 NT$64.0

-10.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.50 NT$146

$3.16 NT$103

42.41%

Eggs

$1.98 NT$64.1

$2.68 NT$86.9

-26.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.63 NT$636

$19.90 NT$645

-1.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.20 NT$201

$9.85 NT$319

-37.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.54 NT$828

$21.51 NT$698

18.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 NT$86.3

$4.85 NT$157

-45.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 NT$80.9

$3.25 NT$105

-23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 NT$104

$3.03 NT$98.2

5.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.18 NT$103

$4.53 NT$147

-29.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 NT$78.7

$2.79 NT$90.4

-12.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 NT$74.6

$2.34 NT$75.9

-1.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 NT$65.5

$1.68 NT$54.5

20.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 NT$31.72

$1.10 NT$35.62

-10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 NT$126

$3.80 NT$123

2.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.63 NT$410

$14.17 NT$460

-10.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 NT$62.1

$1.63 NT$53.0

17.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 NT$76.1

$2.29 NT$74.3

2.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.64

$0.65 NT$21.04

-6.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.66 NT$1,189

$37.88 NT$1,228

-3.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 NT$99.8

$2.68 NT$86.8

14.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 NT$9.91

$0.82 NT$26.55

-62.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.36 NT$336

$9.17 NT$297

12.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 NT$28.98

$1.02 NT$32.93

-12.75%

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

$33.7K NT$1.1M

$32.8K NT$1.1M

2.80%

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

$26.6K NT$862.6K

$24.5K NT$795.1K

8.48%

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

$103 NT$3,332

$87.7 NT$2,843

17.20%

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

$19.48 NT$632

$17.28 NT$560

12.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.54 NT$407

$27.38 NT$888

-54.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.61 NT$1,187

$40.32 NT$1,308

-9.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 NT$328

$9.83 NT$319

2.95%

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

$767 NT$24.9K

$663 NT$21.5K

15.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K NT$533.1K

$16.6K NT$538.4K

-1.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.1 NT$1,850

$62.4 NT$2,025

-8.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.07 NT$1,170

$39.51 NT$1,281

-8.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.5 NT$2,576

$84.5 NT$2,740

-5.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 NT$3,455

$106 NT$3,424

0.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 NT$13.1K

$999 NT$32.4K

-59.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 NT$8,204

$473 NT$15.3K

-46.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 NT$31.9K

$1,565 NT$50.8K

-37.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$740 NT$24.0K

$948 NT$30.7K

-21.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,755 NT$251.5K

$11.9K NT$385.6K

-34.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,989 NT$161.8K

$7,306 NT$236.9K

-31.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,940 NT$95.3K

$1,760 NT$57.1K

67.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.13

2.4

-11.25%

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

Last update for Hua-lien: October 11, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hua-lien

$368 34.2%

Taipei

$400 29.3% 8.9% $33

Accommodation & Living

Hua-lien

$253 23.5%

Taipei

$473 34.6% 87.1% $220

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hua-lien

$135 12.5%

Taipei

$132 9.7% 1.8% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Hua-lien

$126 11.7%

Taipei

$131 9.6% 4.6% $5.8

Eating Out

Hua-lien

$95 8.8%

Taipei

$123 9% 29.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Hua-lien

$57 5.3%

Taipei

$60 4.4% 5.5% $3.1

Getting Around

Hua-lien

$44 4.1%

Taipei

$47 3.5% 8.1% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $404 in Hua-lien and $999 in Taipei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hua-lien pays 67% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29.00 in Hua-lien vs $47.00 in Taipei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $400 per month, with Hua-lien cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Hua-lien

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

Same time as Hua-lien

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,034

2,635,286 Capital

💱 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)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Hua-lien wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Taipei. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hua-lien the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 67% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $404 in Hua-lien versus $999 in Taipei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Taipei. 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 $29.00 versus $47.00 in Taipei. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,076 in Hua-lien versus $1,368 in Taipei, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hua-lien but tight or insufficient in Taipei. The gap between the two cities makes Hua-lien 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, Hua-lien 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.

Expats usually find Hua-lien gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Taipei. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.