Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Taiwan

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiwan: $1,164 a month against $1,804 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇮🇹 Italy
$1,804
/mo nomad
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$1,164
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in Taiwan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,804 in Italy versus $1,164 in Taiwan.

  • Italy $1,804
  • Taiwan $1,164

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,778 in Italy versus $1,925 in Taiwan.

  • Italy $2,778
  • Taiwan $1,925

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,752 in Italy versus $2,685 in Taiwan.

  • Italy $3,752
  • Taiwan $2,685

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,035 to $2,560, compared to $778–$1,368 in Taiwan. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy is roughly 55% more expensive than in Taiwan on average.

Italy (34% above) and Taiwan (14% below) straddle the global median.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Italy
Taiwan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.89 €17.70
$4.62 NT$150
330.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.0 €68.5
$30.80 NT$999
149.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.00 €9.78
$5.39 NT$175
104.08%
Cappuccino
$1.99 €1.77
$2.98 NT$96.8
-33.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.96 €2.63
$0.96 NT$31.23
208.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.25
$0.65 NT$20.93
116.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.60 €4.98
$1.91 NT$61.9
193.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.67 €5.05
$2.44 NT$79.3
132.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Italy
Taiwan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.61 €1.43
$3.10 NT$100
-48.06%
White Bread (500g)
$2.30 €2.05
$1.89 NT$61.2
21.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.99 €2.66
$3.02 NT$98.0
-0.99%
Eggs
$4.06 €3.61
$2.75 NT$89.1
47.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.23 €15.33
$18.32 NT$594
-5.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.68 €11.28
$8.81 NT$286
43.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.36 €18.11
$20.28 NT$658
0.39%
Apples (1kg)
$2.54 €2.26
$4.81 NT$156
-47.19%
Banana (1kg)
$2.15 €1.91
$2.61 NT$84.5
-17.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.56 €2.28
$2.95 NT$95.6
-13.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.22 €2.86
$3.72 NT$121
-13.44%
Potato (1kg)
$1.92 €1.70
$2.70 NT$87.5
-28.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.84 €1.64
$2.20 NT$71.4
-16.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.51 €1.34
$2.12 NT$68.9
-28.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 €0.49
$1.20 NT$38.84
-54.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.81 €6.06
$3.86 NT$125
76.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.03 €7.15
$12.46 NT$404
-35.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 €1.53
$1.67 NT$54.2
2.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 €2.11
$2.23 NT$72.3
6.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Italy
Taiwan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.88 €1.67
$0.65 NT$21.22
189.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.31 €38.52
$37.16 NT$1,205
16.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.57 €4.95
$2.70 NT$87.5
106.30%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.63 €1.45
$0.76 NT$24.69
114.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.78 €30.04
$9.31 NT$302
262.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.04 €1.81
$1.05 NT$33.92
94.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.6K €31.7K
$33.1K NT$1.1M
7.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.4K €31.5K
$24.3K NT$787.3K
45.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
Taiwan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$222 €198
$85.9 NT$2,784
159.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.43 €10.17
$17.55 NT$569
-34.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.65 €27.26
$23.51 NT$762
30.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Italy
Taiwan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.7 €46.89
$37.84 NT$1,227
39.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.82 €21.19
$12.01 NT$390
98.33%
Cinema Ticket
$10.51 €9.35
$9.99 NT$324
5.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Italy
Taiwan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$541 €481
$556 NT$18.0K
-2.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.7K €10.4K
$16.2K NT$526.4K
-27.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Italy
Taiwan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.0 €80.0
$64.3 NT$2,086
39.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.08 €34.76
$32.31 NT$1,048
20.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 €90.2
$84.2 NT$2,730
20.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$132 €117
$103 NT$3,350
27.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Italy
Taiwan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 €716
$507 NT$16.4K
58.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$619 €550
$320 NT$10.4K
93.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,388 €1,235
$1,117 NT$36.2K
24.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,050 €934
$785 NT$25.5K
33.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,623 €3,223
$8,360 NT$271.1K
-56.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,229 €1,983
$5,346 NT$173.4K
-58.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Italy
Taiwan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,889 €1,680
$1,736 NT$56.3K
8.79%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.56
2.45
45.31%

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

Last update for Italy: October 11, 2026

Last update for Taiwan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Italy
$619
Taiwan
$320 48.3% $299
Groceries & Markets
Italy
$347
Taiwan
$376 8.4% $29
Eating Out
Italy
$273
Taiwan
$110 59.7% $163
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
$265
Taiwan
$127 52% $138
Clothing & Footwear
Italy
$163
Taiwan
$128 21.6% $35
Sport & Entertainment
Italy
$74
Taiwan
$58 21.6% $16
Getting Around
Italy
$65
Taiwan
$46 28.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $721 in Italy, $431 in Taiwan. Capital cities: $1,222 in Rome vs $999 in Taipei.

National salary averages: $1,888 in Italy, $1,903 in Taiwan. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 67% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 128% more in Italy.

Public transport is 37% more expensive in Italy.

Good to know
🇮🇹 Italy
🇹🇼 Taiwan
🕒 Local time
06:32 6:32 AM
12:32 12:32 PM
6 h ahead of Italy
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
58,850,717
23,409,323
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Italy Taiwan 9,610 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Italy
  • Taiwan

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
Italy vs Taiwan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between Italy and Taiwan?
At $1,804 per month in Italy and $1,164 in Taiwan, there's a 55% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $721 in Italy and $431 in Taiwan. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget in Italy or in Taiwan?
In Taiwan, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Italy it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.
Should I move to Italy or to Taiwan?
It depends on what you're after: Taiwan wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.

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