Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Taoyuan Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Taoyuan

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,296 in Lisbon versus $1,209 in Taoyuan.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,376 in Lisbon versus $1,825 in Taoyuan.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,457 in Lisbon versus $2,442 in Taoyuan.

Living in Lisbon is roughly 90% more expensive than in Taoyuan, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 68% above, Taoyuan is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.24

$4.46 NT$142

294.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.9 €54.5

$24.81 NT$788

153.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.58 €10.04

$5.53 NT$176

109.40%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.69

$3.04 NT$96.5

1.97%

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

$2.49 €2.16

$0.98 NT$31.08

154.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.51

$0.73 NT$23.09

138.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.48 €3.02

$1.90 NT$60.5

83.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 €2.98

$2.35 NT$74.6

46.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €0.99

$2.85 NT$90.7

-59.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.65

$1.23 NT$39.23

55.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.30

$2.63 NT$83.5

-42.97%

Eggs

$3.98 €3.45

$2.11 NT$67.2

88.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 €11.52

$9.16 NT$291

45.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.01 €6.94

$7.49 NT$238

6.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.04 €15.64

$21.50 NT$683

-16.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 €2.04

$3.84 NT$122

-38.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.52

$2.02 NT$64.3

-13.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.61

$3.08 NT$97.9

-39.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 €2.21

$3.15 NT$100

-19.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.60

$2.50 NT$79.4

-26.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 €1.82

$1.98 NT$63.1

6.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.29

$2.27 NT$72.2

-34.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.71

$0.88 NT$27.92

-6.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.10 €6.15

$5.07 NT$161

40.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.91 €5.12

$10.95 NT$348

-46.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.14

$1.45 NT$46.05

-9.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.85

$2.09 NT$66.5

1.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.36 €2.04

$0.55 NT$17.63

329.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.62 €40.40

$37.88 NT$1,204

23.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 €3.53

$2.88 NT$91.5

41.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €0.99

$0.77 NT$24.61

48.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.09 €14.81

$7.04 NT$224

142.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.00

$1.00 NT$31.70

131.00%

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

$34.1K €29.6K

$34.0K NT$1.1M

0.35%

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

$41.4K €35.9K

$23.5K NT$748.1K

75.76%

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

$169 €146

$69.1 NT$2,195

144.03%

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

$19.33 €16.75

$17.83 NT$566

8.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.51 €29.04

$22.30 NT$709

50.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.84 €42.32

$33.89 NT$1,077

44.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.43 €16.84

$7.18 NT$228

170.61%

Cinema Ticket

$9.57 €8.29

$11.07 NT$352

-13.55%

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

$696 €603

$531 NT$16.9K

30.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K €15.0K

$32.4K NT$1.0M

-46.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €91.3

$91.5 NT$2,907

15.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.75 €41.38

$25.11 NT$798

90.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €87.1

$82.7 NT$2,629

21.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €108

$96.5 NT$3,067

28.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 €1,440

$659 NT$20.9K

152.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 €1,080

$435 NT$13.8K

186.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,965 €2,569

$956 NT$30.4K

209.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,049 €1,775

$737 NT$23.4K

177.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,834 €6,789

$7,589 NT$241.2K

3.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,464 €3,869

$4,683 NT$148.8K

-4.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,632 €1,414

$1,569 NT$49.8K

4.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.78

2.18

73.39%

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

Last update for Lisbon: September 12, 2026

Last update for Taoyuan: September 15, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,662 in Lisbon and $659 in Taoyuan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 4% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $63.0 in Lisbon vs $25.00 in Taoyuan. Groceries flip the comparison at $277 vs $313, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

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

Lisbon vs Taoyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Taoyuan differ by about 90% in total monthly costs ($2,296 vs $1,209 including rent). Taoyuan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Lisbon, 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: $1,662 in Lisbon versus $659 in Taoyuan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $696 in Lisbon versus $531 in Taoyuan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,209 in Taoyuan versus $2,296 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taoyuan but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Taoyuan 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, Lisbon and Taoyuan 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 Taoyuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 90% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.