Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Taipei City and Taichung

For one person, living is cheaper in Taichung: $1,112 a month against $1,185 in New Taipei City, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in New Taipei City
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New Taipei City Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index

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New Taipei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,185

/mo nomad

Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,112

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,185 in New Taipei City versus $1,112 in Taichung.

New Taipei City $1,185
Taichung $1,112

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,998 in New Taipei City versus $1,856 in Taichung.

New Taipei City $1,998
Taichung $1,856

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,810 in New Taipei City versus $2,601 in Taichung.

New Taipei City $2,810
Taichung $2,601

Living in New Taipei City is roughly 7% more expensive than in Taichung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: New Taipei City 13% lower, Taichung 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.67 NT$152

$4.69 NT$153

-0.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.83 NT$1,005

$31.30 NT$1,021

-1.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.18 NT$169

$4.64 NT$151

11.64%

Cappuccino

$2.31 NT$75.4

$2.89 NT$94.4

-20.07%

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

$0.82 NT$26.80

$1.03 NT$33.52

-20.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 NT$17.19

$0.76 NT$24.62

-30.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 NT$51.7

$1.50 NT$48.83

5.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 NT$79.3

$2.66 NT$86.8

-8.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.13 NT$102

$3.08 NT$101

1.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 NT$60.4

$1.65 NT$53.7

12.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 NT$69.6

$2.59 NT$84.3

-17.76%

Eggs

$2.15 NT$70.1

$2.54 NT$82.9

-15.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.36 NT$794

$28.53 NT$930

-14.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.65 NT$347

$7.76 NT$253

37.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.90 NT$616

$16.59 NT$541

13.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.01 NT$131

$4.21 NT$137

-4.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 NT$81.2

$1.94 NT$63.2

28.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 NT$89.9

$3.01 NT$98.2

-8.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.01 NT$131

$2.13 NT$69.5

88.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.96 NT$129

$1.21 NT$39.53

227.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 NT$67.8

$1.93 NT$63.0

7.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 NT$51.9

$2.25 NT$73.5

-29.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 NT$32.93

$0.89 NT$29.05

13.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 NT$140

$3.79 NT$124

13.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.16 NT$299

$15.10 NT$492

-39.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 NT$44.40

$1.60 NT$52.0

-15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 NT$74.3

$2.43 NT$79.1

-6.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 NT$20.66

$0.63 NT$20.59

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.16 NT$1,212

$18.67 NT$609

99.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 NT$86.7

$2.58 NT$84.0

3.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 NT$30.71

$0.90 NT$29.30

4.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.35 NT$305

$9.19 NT$300

1.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 NT$32.28

$1.04 NT$33.92

-4.81%

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

$33.2K NT$1.1M

$35.3K NT$1.2M

-6.00%

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

$23.6K NT$768.0K

$22.2K NT$725.0K

5.93%

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

$112 NT$3,650

$122 NT$3,981

-8.33%

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

$16.63 NT$542

$14.52 NT$473

14.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.01 NT$750

$20.46 NT$667

12.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.65 NT$1,227

$31.28 NT$1,020

20.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.72 NT$252

$11.39 NT$372

-32.22%

Cinema Ticket

$10.65 NT$347

$10.22 NT$333

4.21%

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

$634 NT$20.7K

$326 NT$10.6K

94.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K NT$683.8K

$16.5K NT$536.4K

27.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.02 NT$1,142

$71.8 NT$2,340

-51.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.03 NT$1,012

$35.78 NT$1,167

-13.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 NT$2,910

$81.7 NT$2,662

9.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.2 NT$3,202

$111 NT$3,610

-11.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 NT$20.0K

$382 NT$12.5K

60.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$335 NT$10.9K

$266 NT$8,667

25.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,377 NT$44.9K

$1,188 NT$38.7K

15.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$920 NT$30.0K

$739 NT$24.1K

24.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.2K NT$331.8K

$5,811 NT$189.5K

75.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,980 NT$195.0K

$4,266 NT$139.1K

40.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,359 NT$44.3K

$1,400 NT$45.6K

-2.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.81

2.27

23.79%

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

Last update for New Taipei City: October 27, 2026

Last update for Taichung: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

New Taipei City

$380 32.1%

Taichung

$368 33.1% 3.3% $13

Accommodation & Living

New Taipei City

$335 28.2%

Taichung

$266 23.9% 20.6% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Taipei City

$152 12.8%

Taichung

$157 14.1% 3.6% $5.5

Clothing & Footwear

New Taipei City

$114 9.6%

Taichung

$135 12.1% 18.3% $21

Eating Out

New Taipei City

$99 8.3%

Taichung

$106 9.6% 7.4% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

New Taipei City

$59 5%

Taichung

$52 4.7% 12.3% $7.2

Getting Around

New Taipei City

$47 4%

Taichung

$28 2.5% 39.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in New Taipei City and $382 in Taichung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taichung pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31 in New Taipei City vs $31 in Taichung. Groceries flip the comparison at $380 vs $368, with Taichung cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 New Taipei City

🇹🇼 Taichung

🕒 Local time

15:53 3:53 PM

Same time as New Taipei City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,004,367

2,767,239

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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New Taipei City Taichung 110 km

From you

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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

New Taipei City vs Taichung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,185 in New Taipei City and $1,112 in Taichung, so Taichung is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in New Taipei City. 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: $613 in New Taipei City versus $382 in Taichung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in New Taipei City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,185 per month in New Taipei City versus $1,112 in Taichung – Taichung is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Taichung is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Taichung is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in New Taipei City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, New Taipei City and Taichung are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.