Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Miaoli and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Miaoli: $778 a month against $1,368 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

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Miaoli

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$778

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $778 in Miaoli versus $1,368 in Taipei.

Miaoli $778
Taipei $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,084 in Miaoli versus $2,202 in Taipei.

Miaoli $1,084
Taipei $2,202

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,390 in Miaoli versus $3,036 in Taipei.

Miaoli $1,390
Taipei $3,036

Living in Miaoli costs roughly 43% less than in Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Miaoli is 42% below, Taipei is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.47 NT$80.0

$4.60 NT$149

-46.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.21 NT$753

$47.13 NT$1,528

-50.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.60 NT$149

$5.58 NT$181

-17.56%

Cappuccino

$3.03 NT$98.3

$3.45 NT$112

-12.17%

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

$0.88 NT$28.54

$0.94 NT$30.61

-6.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 NT$17.33

$0.67 NT$21.73

-20.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.28 NT$41.50

$2.86 NT$92.7

-55.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 NT$42.43

$3.70 NT$120

-64.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.78 NT$90.0

$3.12 NT$101

-10.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 NT$38.51

$1.97 NT$64.0

-39.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 NT$84.9

$3.16 NT$103

-17.09%

Eggs

$2.11 NT$68.5

$2.68 NT$86.9

-21.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 NT$290

$19.90 NT$645

-54.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.56 NT$245

$9.85 NT$319

-23.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.27 NT$690

$21.51 NT$698

-1.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 NT$124

$4.85 NT$157

-21.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 NT$67.7

$3.25 NT$105

-35.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 NT$99.3

$3.03 NT$98.2

0.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.99 NT$97.1

$4.53 NT$147

-34.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 NT$83.0

$2.79 NT$90.4

-8.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 NT$65.3

$2.34 NT$75.9

-14.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 NT$76.6

$1.68 NT$54.5

40.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 NT$28.72

$1.10 NT$35.62

-19.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 NT$128

$3.80 NT$123

3.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.11 NT$360

$14.17 NT$460

-21.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 NT$46.30

$1.63 NT$53.0

-12.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NT$67.9

$2.29 NT$74.3

-8.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$21.04

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 NT$88.9

$2.68 NT$86.8

2.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 NT$26.02

$0.82 NT$26.55

-2.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.88 NT$223

$9.17 NT$297

-24.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 NT$33.59

$1.02 NT$32.93

1.96%

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

$33.8K NT$1.1M

$32.8K NT$1.1M

3.10%

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

$24.0K NT$778.4K

$24.5K NT$795.1K

-2.10%

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

$68.1 NT$2,208

$87.7 NT$2,843

-22.33%

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

$17.87 NT$580

$17.28 NT$560

3.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.40 NT$726

$27.38 NT$888

-18.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 NT$1,308

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 NT$350

$9.83 NT$319

9.66%

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

$520 NT$16.9K

$663 NT$21.5K

-21.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K NT$1.0M

$16.6K NT$538.4K

86.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.39 NT$402

$62.4 NT$2,025

-80.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.37 NT$790

$39.51 NT$1,281

-38.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.8 NT$2,004

$84.5 NT$2,740

-26.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.2 NT$3,152

$106 NT$3,424

-7.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 NT$7,234

$999 NT$32.4K

-77.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 NT$5,109

$473 NT$15.3K

-66.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 NT$50.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$30.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NT$385.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,306 NT$236.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,429 NT$78.8K

$1,760 NT$57.1K

37.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.38

2.4

-0.83%

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

Last update for Miaoli: October 12, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Miaoli

$311 40%

Taipei

$400 29.3% 28.6% $89

Accommodation & Living

Miaoli

$158 20.3%

Taipei

$473 34.6% 200% $316

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Miaoli

$108 13.9%

Taipei

$132 9.7% 22.1% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Miaoli

$88 11.3%

Taipei

$131 9.6% 49.2% $43

Eating Out

Miaoli

$85 10.9%

Taipei

$123 9% 45.5% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Miaoli

$22 * 2.8%

Taipei

$60 4.4% 178% $38

Getting Around

Miaoli

$6.8 * 0.9%

Taipei

$47 3.5% 600% $41

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 $999 in Taipei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Miaoli pays 38% 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 $47.00 in Taipei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $311 vs $400 per month, with Miaoli cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Miaoli

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

Same time as Miaoli

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,892

2,635,286 Capital

💱 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

On the map

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Miaoli Taipei 92 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 Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Miaoli and Taipei differ by about 76% in total monthly costs ($778 vs $1,368 including rent). Miaoli is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 38% 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 $999 in Taipei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Taipei. 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 $1,368 in Taipei – a 76% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $778 in Miaoli versus $1,368 in Taipei, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Miaoli but tight or insufficient in Taipei. 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 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 Miaoli gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Taipei. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.