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Cost of Living Comparison Between Messina and Taichung Cost of Living Comparison Between Messina and Taichung

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Messina is 12.8% cheaper than Taichung without rent, and 21.7% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Messina is 21.9% more expensive than Taichung without rent, and 14.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Messina
Taichung
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.84 โ‚ฌ11.93
$5.10 NT$161
171.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.2 โ‚ฌ50.2
$29.95 NT$946
94.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.44 โ‚ฌ9.86
$5.43 NT$172
110.68%
Cappuccino
$2.01 โ‚ฌ1.74
$3.00 NT$94.7
-33.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 โ‚ฌ1.91
$1.10 NT$34.63
100.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.21 โ‚ฌ1.04
$0.85 NT$26.93
42.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 โ‚ฌ2.93
$2.07 NT$65.4
64.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.56 โ‚ฌ3.07
$2.81 NT$88.9
26.69%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Messina
Taichung
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 โ‚ฌ1.20
$3.86 NT$122
-63.99%
White Bread (500g)
$2.16 โ‚ฌ1.86
$1.76 NT$55.5
22.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.62 โ‚ฌ2.26
$2.72 NT$85.8
-3.68%
Eggs
$3.33 โ‚ฌ2.87
$3.30 NT$104
0.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.62 โ‚ฌ8.29
$31.25 NT$987
-69.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.22 โ‚ฌ8.81
$8.37 NT$264
22.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.61 โ‚ฌ15.18
$15.71 NT$496
12.09%
Apples (1kg)
$2.86 โ‚ฌ2.46
$4.71 NT$149
-39.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.76 โ‚ฌ1.52
$1.82 NT$57.6
-3.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.13 โ‚ฌ0.97
$2.26 NT$71.2
-50.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.14 โ‚ฌ2.70
$2.93 NT$92.6
7.17%
Potato (1kg)
$0.67 โ‚ฌ0.57
$1.29 NT$40.76
-48.06%
Onion (1kg)
$1.19 โ‚ฌ1.03
$1.88 NT$59.3
-36.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 โ‚ฌ1.01
$2.39 NT$75.4
-51.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.40 โ‚ฌ0.35
$1.28 NT$40.48
-68.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.66 โ‚ฌ5.74
$3.97 NT$126
67.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.88 โ‚ฌ5.07
$14.03 NT$443
-58.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.56 โ‚ฌ1.35
$1.70 NT$53.8
-8.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 โ‚ฌ2.04
$2.63 NT$83.0
-9.89%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Messina
Taichung
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.79 โ‚ฌ1.54
$0.86 NT$27.09
108.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.47 โ‚ฌ37.47
$29.19 NT$922
48.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.55 โ‚ฌ3.92
$2.90 NT$91.7
56.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.46 โ‚ฌ1.26
$1.18 NT$37.29
23.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$46.97 โ‚ฌ40.49
$10.04 NT$317
367.83%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.08 โ‚ฌ1.79
$1.05 NT$33.09
98.10%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.0K โ‚ฌ30.2K
$34.1K NT$1.1M
2.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.9K โ‚ฌ24.9K
$25.5K NT$805.0K
13.42%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Messina
Taichung
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$193 โ‚ฌ167
$94.2 NT$2,974
105.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.63 โ‚ฌ12.61
$24.59 NT$776
-40.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.70 โ‚ฌ23.01
$21.93 NT$693
21.75%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Messina
Taichung
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.39 โ‚ฌ42.57
$36.26 NT$1,145
36.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.52 โ‚ฌ15.11
$10.32 NT$326
69.77%
Cinema Ticket
$9.61 โ‚ฌ8.28
$10.69 NT$337
-10.10%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Messina
Taichung
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$349 โ‚ฌ301
$356 NT$11.2K
-2.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K โ‚ฌ9,198
$20.7K NT$652.7K
-48.37%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Messina
Taichung
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.4 โ‚ฌ77.1
$86.3 NT$2,726
3.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.56 โ‚ฌ27.20
$35.01 NT$1,105
-9.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.5 โ‚ฌ78.0
$93.7 NT$2,959
-3.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130 โ‚ฌ112
$127 NT$4,024
2.19%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Messina
Taichung
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$647 โ‚ฌ558
$382 NT$12.1K
69.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$471 โ‚ฌ406
$289 NT$9,111
63.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,015 โ‚ฌ875
$1,024 NT$32.3K
-0.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$874 โ‚ฌ754
$732 NT$23.1K
19.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,148 โ‚ฌ1,852
$6,965 NT$220.0K
-69.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,725 โ‚ฌ1,487
$7,846 NT$247.8K
-78.02%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Messina
Taichung
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,841 โ‚ฌ1,587
$1,449 NT$45.7K
27.11%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.72
2.18
116.51%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Messina: January 11, 2026

Last update for Taichung: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
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