Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Taichung

For one person, living is cheaper in Taichung: $1,143 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,143

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Taichung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $1,143 in Taichung.

Melbourne $2,852
Taichung $1,143

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $1,887 in Taichung.

Melbourne $4,297
Taichung $1,887

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $2,631 in Taichung.

Melbourne $5,742
Taichung $2,631

Living in Melbourne is roughly 149% more expensive than in Taichung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 113% above, Taichung is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$4.68 NT$149

279.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$32.12 NT$1,025

164.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$4.85 NT$155

150.72%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$2.75 NT$87.6

42.91%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$1.03 NT$32.80

204.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.74 NT$23.56

228.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$1.56 NT$49.69

534.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$2.78 NT$88.7

198.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$3.27 NT$104

-52.60%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$1.76 NT$56.2

71.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$2.66 NT$84.7

8.27%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$2.62 NT$83.7

107.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$29.33 NT$936

-63.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$8.13 NT$259

18.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$17.14 NT$547

-12.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$4.22 NT$135

-1.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$1.92 NT$61.3

58.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$2.99 NT$95.3

10.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$2.15 NT$68.6

121.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$1.20 NT$38.28

153.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$1.97 NT$62.9

29.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$2.40 NT$76.7

3.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.90 NT$28.80

81.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$3.75 NT$120

1075.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$15.53 NT$495

-19.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$1.64 NT$52.3

225.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$2.47 NT$78.8

108.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$0.72 NT$23.05

433.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$31.97 NT$1,020

342.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$2.70 NT$86.1

62.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.92 NT$29.49

52.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$9.61 NT$307

210.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.03 NT$32.76

41.75%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$33.0K NT$1.1M

-14.79%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$22.7K NT$725.9K

14.05%

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

$233 A$333

$127 NT$4,037

83.90%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$14.84 NT$474

83.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$21.00 NT$670

171.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$32.96 NT$1,052

59.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$11.63 NT$371

94.50%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$10.02 NT$320

70.66%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$347 NT$11.1K

584.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$16.8K NT$537.2K

80.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$72.5 NT$2,314

7.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$35.93 NT$1,147

40.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$85.8 NT$2,738

40.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$117 NT$3,727

14.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$396 NT$12.6K

332.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$273 NT$8,722

412.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$1,217 NT$38.8K

174.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$774 NT$24.7K

226.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$8,642 NT$275.8K

-18.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$5,368 NT$171.3K

26.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$1,432 NT$45.7K

195.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.27

159.91%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Taichung: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Taichung

$273 23.7% 80.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Taichung

$379 32.8% 1.6% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Taichung

$162 14.1% 48.8% $155

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Taichung

$105 9.1% 66.4% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Taichung

$140 12.1% 18.7% $32

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Taichung

$42 3.7% 74.9% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Taichung

$53 4.6% 39% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $396 in Taichung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 195% 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 $32.00 in Taichung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $379 per month, with Taichung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇹🇼 Taichung

🕒 Local time

17:34 5:34 PM

14:34 2:34 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

2,767,239

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.79 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 = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.79 TWD (100 TWD = 2.79 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Taichung 7,340 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Taichung

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 Taichung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Taichung differ by about 149% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $1,143 including rent). Taichung is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 195% 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 $396 in Taichung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $347 in Taichung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,143 in Taichung versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taichung but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Taichung 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 Taichung 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 Taichung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 149% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.