Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Miaoli

For one person, living is cheaper in Miaoli: $794 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Miaoli
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Miaoli Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Miaoli

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Miaoli

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 Miaoli actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $794 in Miaoli.

Melbourne $2,852
Miaoli $794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $1,109 in Miaoli.

Melbourne $4,297
Miaoli $1,109

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $1,425 in Miaoli.

Melbourne $5,742
Miaoli $1,425

Living in Melbourne is roughly 259% more expensive than in Miaoli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 113% above, Miaoli is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$2.46 NT$78.6

621.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$23.69 NT$756

258.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$4.69 NT$150

159.28%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$3.01 NT$96.1

30.56%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$0.86 NT$27.33

265.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.53 NT$16.97

358.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$1.23 NT$39.22

704.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$1.36 NT$43.36

509.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$2.69 NT$86.0

-42.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$1.25 NT$39.79

140.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$2.72 NT$86.7

5.88%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$2.21 NT$70.5

146.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$9.25 NT$295

14.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$7.54 NT$241

27.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$21.84 NT$697

-31.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$3.74 NT$119

10.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$1.98 NT$63.2

54.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$3.05 NT$97.3

8.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$3.09 NT$98.5

54.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$2.47 NT$78.9

23.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$2.04 NT$65.2

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$2.30 NT$73.5

7.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.87 NT$27.78

87.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$4.06 NT$129

985.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$10.99 NT$351

13.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$1.49 NT$47.39

257.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$2.08 NT$66.5

148.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$2.90 NT$92.6

51.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.75 NT$23.97

86.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$7.05 NT$225

323.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.03 NT$32.92

41.75%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$33.3K NT$1.1M

-15.41%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$23.8K NT$758.4K

9.17%

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

$233 A$333

$69.0 NT$2,201

237.32%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$18.41 NT$587

48.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$22.34 NT$713

155.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$10.97 NT$350

55.88%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$517 NT$16.5K

358.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$31.7K NT$1.0M

-4.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$12.55 NT$400

523.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$25.14 NT$802

100.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$63.8 NT$2,036

88.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$99.4 NT$3,172

34.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$217 NT$6,917

690.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$158 NT$5,030

789.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$2,500 NT$79.8K

69.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.38

147.90%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Miaoli: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Miaoli

$158 20.1% 88.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Miaoli

$313 39.9% 18.8% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Miaoli

$110 14% 65.4% $207

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Miaoli

$84 10.8% 73.1% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Miaoli

$90 11.5% 47.5% $82

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Miaoli

$6.7 * 0.9% 96% $162

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Miaoli

$22 * 2.8% 74.8% $65

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 $1,713 in Melbourne and $217 in Miaoli. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 69% 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 $24.00 in Miaoli for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $313 per month, with Miaoli cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇹🇼 Miaoli

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

02:14 2:14 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

89,892

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.76 TWD (100 TWD = 2.8 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Miaoli 7,380 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Miaoli

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 Miaoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Miaoli differ by about 259% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $794 including rent). Miaoli is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 69% 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: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $217 in Miaoli. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,852 per month in Melbourne versus $794 in Miaoli – a 259% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $794 in Miaoli versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Miaoli but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Miaoli 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 Miaoli 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 Miaoli gentler on the wallet – expenses run 259% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.