Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Keelung and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Keelung: $978 a month against $1,368 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Keelung
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Keelung Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

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Keelung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$978

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $978 in Keelung versus $1,368 in Taipei.

Keelung $978
Taipei $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,717 in Keelung versus $2,202 in Taipei.

Keelung $1,717
Taipei $2,202

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,457 in Keelung versus $3,036 in Taipei.

Keelung $2,457
Taipei $3,036

Living in Keelung costs roughly 29% less than in Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Keelung is 28% below, Taipei is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.65 NT$151

$4.60 NT$149

1.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.92 NT$1,035

$47.13 NT$1,528

-32.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 NT$157

$5.58 NT$181

-13.08%

Cappuccino

$2.85 NT$92.4

$3.45 NT$112

-17.39%

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

$1.03 NT$33.31

$0.94 NT$30.61

9.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 NT$23.60

$0.67 NT$21.73

8.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.54 NT$50.1

$2.86 NT$92.7

-46.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 NT$91.1

$3.70 NT$120

-24.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.24 NT$105

$3.12 NT$101

3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 NT$45.01

$1.97 NT$64.0

-29.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 NT$36.44

$3.16 NT$103

-64.56%

Eggs

$2.22 NT$72.1

$2.68 NT$86.9

-17.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.36 NT$952

$19.90 NT$645

47.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.83 NT$189

$9.85 NT$319

-40.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.08 NT$554

$21.51 NT$698

-20.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.35 NT$141

$4.85 NT$157

-10.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 NT$61.4

$3.25 NT$105

-41.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 NT$98.0

$3.03 NT$98.2

-0.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 NT$70.1

$4.53 NT$147

-52.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 NT$38.69

$2.79 NT$90.4

-57.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 NT$61.6

$2.34 NT$75.9

-18.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 NT$78.5

$1.68 NT$54.5

44.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 NT$29.60

$1.10 NT$35.62

-17.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.76 NT$122

$3.80 NT$123

-1.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.24 NT$300

$14.17 NT$460

-34.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 NT$35.21

$1.63 NT$53.0

-33.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 NT$83.0

$2.29 NT$74.3

11.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 NT$20.87

$0.65 NT$21.04

-1.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.7 NT$2,064

$37.88 NT$1,228

68.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 NT$84.7

$2.68 NT$86.8

-2.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 NT$31.16

$0.82 NT$26.55

17.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.61 NT$311

$9.17 NT$297

4.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$33.31

$1.02 NT$32.93

0.98%

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

$33.3K NT$1.1M

$32.8K NT$1.1M

1.50%

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

$23.0K NT$744.6K

$24.5K NT$795.1K

-6.35%

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

$41.52 NT$1,346

$87.7 NT$2,843

-52.65%

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

$15.14 NT$491

$17.28 NT$560

-12.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 NT$359

$27.38 NT$888

-59.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.14 NT$1,107

$40.32 NT$1,308

-15.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.11 NT$1,041

$15.94 NT$517

101.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.92 NT$257

$9.83 NT$319

-19.43%

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

$336 NT$10.9K

$663 NT$21.5K

-49.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K NT$546.4K

$16.6K NT$538.4K

1.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.0 NT$2,368

$62.4 NT$2,025

16.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.15 NT$1,172

$39.51 NT$1,281

-8.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.16 NT$1,529

$84.5 NT$2,740

-44.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.66 NT$1,027

$106 NT$3,424

-70.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$401 NT$13.0K

$999 NT$32.4K

-59.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 NT$8,247

$473 NT$15.3K

-46.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$978 NT$31.7K

$1,565 NT$50.8K

-37.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$731 NT$23.7K

$948 NT$30.7K

-22.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,385 NT$109.8K

$11.9K NT$385.6K

-71.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,352 NT$76.3K

$7,306 NT$236.9K

-67.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,436 NT$79.0K

$1,760 NT$57.1K

38.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

2.4

-5.42%

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

Last update for Keelung: October 13, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Keelung

$341 34.9%

Taipei

$400 29.3% 17.3% $59

Accommodation & Living

Keelung

$254 26%

Taipei

$473 34.6% 86.1% $219

Eating Out

Keelung

$106 10.9%

Taipei

$123 9% 15.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Keelung

$85 8.7%

Taipei

$131 9.6% 55.3% $47

Getting Around

Keelung

$74 7.5%

Taipei

$47 3.5% 35.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Keelung

$68 6.9%

Taipei

$132 9.7% 95.4% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Keelung

$50 5.1%

Taipei

$60 4.4% 20% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $401 in Keelung and $999 in Taipei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Keelung pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Keelung vs $47.00 in Taipei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $400 per month, with Keelung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Keelung

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

21:57 9:57 PM

Same time as Keelung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

372,100

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

Keelung vs Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Keelung and Taipei differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($978 vs $1,368 including rent). Keelung is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 38% higher in Keelung, 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: $401 in Keelung versus $999 in Taipei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Taipei. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Keelung – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $47.00 in Taipei. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $978 in Keelung versus $1,368 in Taipei, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Keelung but tight or insufficient in Taipei. The gap between the two cities makes Keelung 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, Keelung 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 Keelung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Taipei. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.