Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Chiayi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiayi: $1,067 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
Learn more

Chiayi Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Chiayi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,067 in Chiayi.

Melbourne $2,821
Chiayi $1,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,503 in Chiayi.

Melbourne $4,235
Chiayi $1,503

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,940 in Chiayi.

Melbourne $5,650
Chiayi $1,940

Living in Melbourne is roughly 164% more expensive than in Chiayi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Chiayi is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$4.83 NT$157

260.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$46.84 NT$1,519

80.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.70 NT$185

118.60%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.36 NT$109

22.32%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.88 NT$28.58

247.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.67 NT$21.68

276.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.85 NT$92.4

243.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$3.80 NT$123

125.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$3.10 NT$101

-52.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$2.06 NT$66.8

42.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.04 NT$98.6

-12.50%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.66 NT$86.3

108.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$19.77 NT$641

-46.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$9.75 NT$316

-1.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$20.98 NT$680

-27.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$4.87 NT$158

-18.07%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.22 NT$104

-6.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.99 NT$97.0

3.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$4.55 NT$148

5.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.80 NT$90.9

8.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.35 NT$76.3

3.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.68 NT$54.3

46.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.14 NT$37.04

42.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$4.01 NT$130

999.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$4.66 NT$151

172.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.65 NT$53.7

235.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.18 NT$70.8

139.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$12.43 NT$403

1006.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$2.64 NT$85.5

70.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.46 NT$14.94

195.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$9.66 NT$313

215.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.06 NT$34.43

38.68%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$32.9K NT$1.1M

-11.72%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$24.5K NT$795.8K

7.88%

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

$234 A$336

$66.7 NT$2,164

250.13%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$17.52 NT$568

59.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$26.93 NT$873

106.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$31.82 NT$1,032

55.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$9.84 NT$319

53.35%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$660 NT$21.4K

259.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$16.8K NT$543.4K

80.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$62.3 NT$2,020

28.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$39.44 NT$1,279

28.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$85.2 NT$2,763

41.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$104 NT$3,383

25.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$369 NT$12.0K

376.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$253 NT$8,194

449.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,179 NT$103.1K

117.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,910 NT$61.9K

237.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$2,110 NT$68.4K

107.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.4

145.83%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiayi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Chiayi

$253 23.7% 81.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Chiayi

$379 35.5% 1.2% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Chiayi

$111 10.4% 65% $206

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Chiayi

$124 11.6% 60.5% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Chiayi

$131 12.3% 23.7% $41

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6% 89.4% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Chiayi

$51 4.8% 35.3% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $369 in Chiayi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 108% 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: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $47.00 in Chiayi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $379 per month, with Chiayi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🕒 Local time

16:27 4:27 PM

13:27 1:27 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

269,874

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

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).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Chiayi 7,280 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Chiayi

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

Melbourne vs Chiayi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiayi wins on cost – living expenses run 164% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chiayi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 108% higher in Melbourne, 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: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $369 in Chiayi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $1,067 in Chiayi – a 164% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chiayi runs roughly 1006% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,067 in Chiayi versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiayi but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Chiayi 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, Melbourne and Chiayi 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 Chiayi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 164% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.