Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,395 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,395

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $1,395 in Taipei.

Melbourne $2,852
Taipei $1,395

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $2,227 in Taipei.

Melbourne $4,297
Taipei $2,227

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $3,059 in Taipei.

Melbourne $5,742
Taipei $3,059

Living in Melbourne is roughly 104% more expensive than in Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 113% above, Taipei 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.49

$4.76 NT$152

272.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$122

$48.18 NT$1,538

76.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.46

$5.75 NT$184

111.48%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.64

$3.49 NT$112

12.61%

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

$3.14 A$4.51

$0.88 NT$28.04

256.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.49

$0.65 NT$20.62

273.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.22

$2.86 NT$91.4

246.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.91

$3.67 NT$117

125.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.22

$3.09 NT$98.6

-49.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.32

$2.05 NT$65.5

46.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.14

$3.06 NT$97.6

-5.88%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.82

$2.70 NT$86.1

101.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.22

$19.66 NT$628

-46.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.81

$9.83 NT$314

-2.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.54

$21.11 NT$674

-28.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.96

$5.08 NT$162

-18.31%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.38

$3.39 NT$108

-10.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.74

$3.00 NT$95.9

10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.83

$4.56 NT$146

4.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.36

$2.72 NT$86.8

11.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.66

$2.28 NT$72.9

11.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.56

$1.68 NT$53.7

47.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.15 NT$36.82

41.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.3

$4.05 NT$129

988.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.85

$14.32 NT$457

-13.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.65

$1.70 NT$54.2

213.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.41

$2.29 NT$73.0

125.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.52

$0.61 NT$19.47

529.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$38.47 NT$1,228

267.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.32

$2.73 NT$87.0

61.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.75 NT$24.03

86.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.84

$9.59 NT$306

211.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.02 NT$32.57

43.14%

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

$28.1K A$40.4K

$34.1K NT$1.1M

-17.42%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$24.2K NT$772.3K

7.25%

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

$233 A$334

$86.4 NT$2,757

169.36%

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

$27.28 A$39.19

$17.12 NT$547

59.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.9

$27.06 NT$864

110.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.7

$40.77 NT$1,302

29.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.49

$16.04 NT$512

41.02%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.57

$9.63 NT$307

77.57%

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

$2,373 A$3,409

$656 NT$20.9K

261.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.8K

$16.4K NT$524.3K

85.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$62.7 NT$2,002

24.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.5

$39.50 NT$1,261

27.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$83.9 NT$2,678

43.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$106 NT$3,393

25.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,460

$1,016 NT$32.4K

68.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,014

$479 NT$15.3K

192.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,796

$1,568 NT$50.1K

112.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,632

$952 NT$30.4K

165.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.1K

$12.2K NT$389.4K

-42.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,721

$7,207 NT$230.1K

-6.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,074

$1,772 NT$56.6K

138.64%

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 6, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Taipei

$479 34.8% 65.9% $923

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Taipei

$401 29.2% 4.2% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Taipei

$131 9.5% 58.8% $186

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Taipei

$125 9.1% 60.2% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Taipei

$132 9.6% 23.5% $41

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Taipei

$47 3.5% 71.8% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Taipei

$60 4.4% 30.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $1,016 in Taipei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 139% 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 $48.00 in Taipei. Groceries flip the comparison at $385 vs $401, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

14:44 2:44 PM

11:44 11:44 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

2,635,286 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 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 = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.92 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.81 TWD (100 TWD = 2.79 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Melbourne Taipei 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Melbourne vs Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Taipei differ by about 104% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $1,395 including rent). Taipei is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 139% 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 $1,016 in Taipei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $656 in Taipei. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,395 in Taipei versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Taipei but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Taipei 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 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 Taipei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 104% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.