Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Miaoli and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Miaoli: $794 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Miaoli
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Miaoli Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Miaoli

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$794

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Miaoli and in Austin, TX

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Miaoli and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $794 in Miaoli versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Miaoli $794
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,109 in Miaoli versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Miaoli $1,109
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,425 in Miaoli versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Miaoli $1,425
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Miaoli costs roughly 71% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Miaoli is 41% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.46 NT$78.6

$20.22 $20.22

-87.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.69 NT$756

$85.0 $85.0

-72.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 NT$150

$12.35 $12.35

-62.02%

Cappuccino

$3.01 NT$96.1

$5.47 $5.47

-44.97%

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

$0.86 NT$27.33

$3.82 $3.82

-77.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 NT$16.97

$2.50 $2.50

-78.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 NT$39.22

$8.06 $8.06

-84.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 NT$43.36

$8.99 $8.99

-84.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.69 NT$86.0

$1.13 $1.13

138.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 NT$39.79

$3.78 $3.78

-66.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.72 NT$86.7

$3.25 $3.25

-16.31%

Eggs

$2.21 NT$70.5

$4.14 $4.14

-46.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.25 NT$295

$13.08 $13.08

-29.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.54 NT$241

$14.31 $14.31

-47.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.84 NT$697

$15.96 $15.96

36.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 NT$119

$4.38 $4.38

-14.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 NT$63.2

$1.45 $1.45

36.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 NT$97.3

$4.54 $4.54

-32.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 NT$98.5

$4.19 $4.19

-26.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 NT$78.9

$2.63 $2.63

-6.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 NT$65.2

$2.36 $2.36

-13.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NT$73.5

$1.76 $1.76

30.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 NT$27.78

$2.16 $2.16

-59.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 NT$129

$9.81 $9.81

-58.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.99 NT$351

$14.72 $14.72

-25.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 NT$47.39

$2.78 $2.78

-46.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 NT$66.5

$3.48 $3.48

-40.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 NT$92.6

$2.67 $2.67

8.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$23.97

$1.58 $1.58

-52.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.05 NT$225

$35.29 $35.29

-80.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$32.92

$0.99 $0.99

4.04%

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

$33.3K NT$1.1M

$35.8K $35.8K

-7.06%

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

$23.8K NT$758.4K

$27.2K $27.2K

-12.54%

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

$69.0 NT$2,201

$219 $219

-68.55%

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

$18.41 NT$587

$58.0 $58.0

-68.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.34 NT$713

$68.4 $68.4

-67.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$10.97 NT$350

$14.13 $14.13

-22.36%

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

$517 NT$16.5K

$1,509 $1,509

-65.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.7K NT$1.0M

$21.5K $21.5K

47.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.55 NT$400

$51.7 $51.7

-75.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.14 NT$802

$44.05 $44.05

-42.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.8 NT$2,036

$85.1 $85.1

-25.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 NT$3,172

$105 $105

-5.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$217 NT$6,917

$1,932 $1,932

-88.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 NT$5,030

$1,272 $1,272

-87.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,500 NT$79.8K

$5,105 $5,105

-51.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.38

6.79

-64.95%

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

Last update for Miaoli: October 6, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Miaoli

$313 39.9%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 28.7% $90

Accommodation & Living

Miaoli

$158 20.1%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 707% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Miaoli

$110 14%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 215% $236

Clothing & Footwear

Miaoli

$90 11.5%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 42.4% $38

Eating Out

Miaoli

$84 10.8%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 313% $264

Sport & Entertainment

Miaoli

$22 * 2.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 293% $64

Getting Around

Miaoli

$6.7 * 0.9%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 756% $50

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 $217 in Miaoli and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 104% 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: $24.00 in Miaoli vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $403 per month, with Miaoli cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Miaoli

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

11:29 11:29 AM

13 h behind Miaoli

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,892

974,447

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Miaoli Austin, TX 12,660 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Miaoli
Austin, TX

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

Miaoli vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Miaoli wins on cost – living expenses run 241% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Miaoli the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 104% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $217 in Miaoli versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $517 in Miaoli versus $1,509 in Austin, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Miaoli – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $794 in Miaoli versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Miaoli but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. 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, Miaoli and Austin, TX 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 241% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.