Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Messina and Taichung

For one person, living is cheaper in Taichung: $1,112 a month against $1,379 in Messina, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Messina
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Messina Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index

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Messina

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,379

/mo nomad

Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,112

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,379 per month in Messina vs $1,112 in Taichung, rent included.

Messina $1,379
Taichung $1,112

A couple spends around $2,392 per month in Messina vs $1,856 in Taichung, rent included.

Messina $2,392
Taichung $1,856

A family of three spends $3,404 per month in Messina vs $2,601 in Taichung, rent included.

Messina $3,404
Taichung $2,601

Messina costs about 24% more than Taichung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.90 €15.15

$4.69 NT$153

260.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.8

$31.30 NT$1,021

116.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.41 €11.12

$4.64 NT$151

167.46%

Cappuccino

$1.97 €1.77

$2.89 NT$94.4

-31.83%

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

$2.36 €2.11

$1.03 NT$33.52

129.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.07

$0.76 NT$24.62

56.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.55 €4.08

$1.50 NT$48.83

203.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 €2.98

$2.66 NT$86.8

25.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.17

$3.08 NT$101

-57.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.65 NT$53.7

11.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 €2.45

$2.59 NT$84.3

5.79%

Eggs

$2.89 €2.59

$2.54 NT$82.9

13.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.49 €12.98

$28.53 NT$930

-49.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.55 €9.45

$7.76 NT$253

35.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.82 €15.07

$16.59 NT$541

1.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 €2.61

$4.21 NT$137

-30.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.94 NT$63.2

-14.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$3.01 NT$98.2

-62.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.13 NT$69.5

59.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 €0.58

$1.21 NT$39.53

-46.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.93 NT$63.0

-21.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.27

$2.25 NT$73.5

-36.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 €0.36

$0.89 NT$29.05

-55.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$3.79 NT$124

81.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.75 €5.15

$15.10 NT$492

-61.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.60 NT$52.0

4.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.08

$2.43 NT$79.1

-4.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.48

$0.63 NT$20.59

161.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.21 €36.93

$18.67 NT$609

120.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.72 €5.13

$2.58 NT$84.0

121.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.90 NT$29.30

26.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.73 €34.70

$9.19 NT$300

321.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.84

$1.04 NT$33.92

97.12%

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

$34.9K €31.3K

$35.3K NT$1.2M

-0.97%

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

$31.2K €28.0K

$22.2K NT$725.0K

40.44%

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

$178 €159

$122 NT$3,981

45.55%

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

$10.17 €9.12

$14.52 NT$473

-29.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.62 €22.96

$20.46 NT$667

25.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.70 €41.85

$31.28 NT$1,020

49.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.57 €14.85

$11.39 NT$372

45.48%

Cinema Ticket

$9.57 €8.58

$10.22 NT$333

-6.36%

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

$337 €302

$326 NT$10.6K

3.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,512 €4,939

$16.5K NT$536.4K

-66.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 €63.8

$71.8 NT$2,340

-0.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.95 €27.73

$35.78 NT$1,167

-13.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.9 €77.8

$81.7 NT$2,662

6.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €112

$111 NT$3,610

13.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$522 €468

$382 NT$12.5K

36.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 €334

$266 NT$8,667

40.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 €1,074

$1,188 NT$38.7K

0.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 €982

$739 NT$24.1K

48.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,011 €1,802

$5,811 NT$189.5K

-65.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,655 €1,483

$4,266 NT$139.1K

-61.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,675 €1,501

$1,400 NT$45.6K

19.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

2.27

49.34%

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

Last update for Messina: October 25, 2026

Last update for Taichung: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Messina

$373 27.1%

Taichung

$266 23.9% 28.8% $107

Groceries & Markets

Messina

$287 20.8%

Taichung

$368 33.1% 28.3% $81

Eating Out

Messina

$240 17.4%

Taichung

$106 9.6% 55.7% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Messina

$214 15.5%

Taichung

$157 14.1% 26.4% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Messina

$142 10.3%

Taichung

$135 12.1% 4.6% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Messina

$66 4.8%

Taichung

$52 4.7% 21.4% $14

Getting Around

Messina

$59 4.3%

Taichung

$28 2.5% 52.3% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $522 in Messina versus $382 in Taichung. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 20% higher in Messina, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Messina versus $31 in Taichung. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Messina vs $368 in Taichung – so Messina wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Messina

🇹🇼 Taichung

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

13:20 1:20 PM

7 h ahead of Messina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,734

2,767,239

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Messina Taichung 9,580 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Messina
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

Messina vs Taichung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Messina costs about 24% more than Taichung, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,069 per month in Messina and $1,667 in Taichung. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taichung, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $382 there versus $522 in Messina.

Kindergarten costs $337 per month in Messina and $326 in Taichung. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 22% cheaper in Messina – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,379 in Messina and $1,112 in Taichung. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Taichung – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Taichung. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Messina makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.