Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Miaoli and Taichung

For one person, living is cheaper in Miaoli: $778 a month against $1,145 in Taichung, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Miaoli
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Miaoli Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index

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Miaoli

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$778

/mo nomad

Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,145

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $778 in Miaoli versus $1,145 in Taichung.

Miaoli $778
Taichung $1,145

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,084 in Miaoli versus $1,901 in Taichung.

Miaoli $1,084
Taichung $1,901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,390 in Miaoli versus $2,657 in Taichung.

Miaoli $1,390
Taichung $2,657

Living in Miaoli costs roughly 32% less than in Taichung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Miaoli 42% lower, Taichung 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.47 NT$80.0

$4.67 NT$151

-47.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.21 NT$753

$31.15 NT$1,010

-25.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.60 NT$149

Cappuccino

$3.03 NT$98.3

$2.71 NT$87.8

11.81%

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

$0.88 NT$28.54

$0.99 NT$31.98

-11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 NT$17.33

$0.71 NT$23.04

-25.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.28 NT$41.50

$1.58 NT$51.4

-18.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 NT$42.43

$2.89 NT$93.6

-54.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.78 NT$90.0

$3.14 NT$102

-11.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 NT$38.51

$1.74 NT$56.6

-31.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 NT$84.9

$2.59 NT$84.0

1.16%

Eggs

$2.11 NT$68.5

$2.59 NT$83.9

-18.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 NT$290

$28.15 NT$913

-68.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.56 NT$245

$7.89 NT$256

-4.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.27 NT$690

$16.90 NT$548

25.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 NT$124

$4.22 NT$137

-9.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 NT$67.7

$1.96 NT$63.4

6.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 NT$99.3

$3.00 NT$97.4

2.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.99 NT$97.1

$2.16 NT$69.9

38.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 NT$83.0

$1.19 NT$38.55

115.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 NT$65.3

$1.89 NT$61.4

6.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 NT$76.6

$2.32 NT$75.1

1.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 NT$28.72

$0.91 NT$29.66

-2.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 NT$128

$3.78 NT$122

4.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.11 NT$360

$15.59 NT$506

-28.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 NT$46.30

$1.57 NT$50.8

-8.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NT$67.9

$2.46 NT$79.8

-15.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 NT$21.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 NT$1,017

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 NT$88.9

$2.67 NT$86.7

2.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 NT$26.02

$0.97 NT$31.57

-17.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.88 NT$223

$9.65 NT$313

-28.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 NT$33.59

$1.06 NT$34.36

-1.89%

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

$33.8K NT$1.1M

$33.9K NT$1.1M

-0.31%

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

$24.0K NT$778.4K

$22.7K NT$735.4K

5.84%

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

$68.1 NT$2,208

$122 NT$3,945

-44.02%

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

$17.87 NT$580

$15.08 NT$489

18.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.40 NT$726

$21.01 NT$681

6.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.97 NT$1,037

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.54 NT$374

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 NT$350

$9.53 NT$309

13.12%

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

$520 NT$16.9K

$333 NT$10.8K

56.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K NT$1.0M

$16.6K NT$537.7K

86.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.39 NT$402

$71.7 NT$2,326

-82.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.37 NT$790

$35.65 NT$1,156

-31.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.8 NT$2,004

$83.4 NT$2,706

-25.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.2 NT$3,152

$116 NT$3,768

-16.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 NT$7,234

$391 NT$12.7K

-42.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 NT$5,109

$281 NT$9,111

-43.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 NT$39.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 NT$24.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,582 NT$278.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,309 NT$172.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,429 NT$78.8K

$1,443 NT$46.8K

68.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.38

2.27

4.85%

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

Last update for Miaoli: October 12, 2026

Last update for Taichung: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Miaoli

$311 40%

Taichung

$371 32.4% 19.3% $60

Accommodation & Living

Miaoli

$158 20.3%

Taichung

$281 24.5% 78.3% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Miaoli

$108 13.9%

Taichung

$158 13.8% 45.5% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Miaoli

$88 11.3%

Taichung

$138 12.1% 56.8% $50

Eating Out

Miaoli

$85 10.9%

Taichung

$104 9.1% 23.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Miaoli

$22 * 2.8%

Taichung

$51 4.5% 137% $29

Getting Around

Miaoli

$6.8 * 0.9%

Taichung

$42 3.6% 516% $35

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 $223 in Miaoli and $391 in Taichung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Miaoli pays 68% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Miaoli vs $31.00 in Taichung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $311 vs $371 per month, with Miaoli cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Miaoli

🇹🇼 Taichung

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

Same time as Miaoli

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,892

2,767,239

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Miaoli Taichung 48 km

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Miaoli
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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 Taichung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Miaoli and Taichung differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($778 vs $1,145 including rent). Miaoli is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 68% higher in Miaoli, 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: $223 in Miaoli versus $391 in Taichung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Taichung. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $778 per month in Miaoli versus $1,145 in Taichung – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $778 in Miaoli versus $1,145 in Taichung, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Miaoli but tight or insufficient in Taichung. 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 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 Miaoli gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Taichung. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.