Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pingtung city and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Pingtung city: $909 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Pingtung city
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Pingtung city Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Pingtung city

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$909

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pingtung city and in Melbourne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $909 in Pingtung city versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Pingtung city $909
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,474 in Pingtung city versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Pingtung city $1,474
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,038 in Pingtung city versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Pingtung city $2,038
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Pingtung city costs roughly 68% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pingtung city is 33% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.52 NT$179

$17.43 A$25.08

-68.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.64 NT$1,026

$84.6 A$122

-62.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.71 NT$153

$12.46 A$17.92

-62.20%

Cappuccino

$2.87 NT$93.1

$4.11 A$5.91

-30.17%

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

$0.98 NT$31.82

$3.06 A$4.40

-67.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 NT$21.92

$2.52 A$3.62

-73.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.54 NT$49.83

$9.80 A$14.10

-84.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 NT$81.6

$8.57 A$12.33

-70.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.22 NT$104

$1.48 A$2.14

117.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 NT$62.0

$2.94 A$4.23

-35.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 NT$84.2

$2.66 A$3.82

-2.26%

Eggs

$2.65 NT$86.0

$5.54 A$7.97

-52.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.60 NT$506

$10.51 A$15.13

48.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.06 NT$261

$9.65 A$13.89

-16.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.09 NT$489

$15.22 A$21.91

-0.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 NT$140

$3.99 A$5.75

8.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 NT$60.7

$3.02 A$4.34

-38.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 NT$80.8

$3.10 A$4.46

-19.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 NT$104

$4.82 A$6.93

-33.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 NT$38.37

$3.03 A$4.36

-61.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 NT$62.7

$2.44 A$3.52

-20.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 NT$75.6

$2.46 A$3.54

-5.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 NT$27.60

$1.63 A$2.34

-47.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 NT$123

$44.07 A$63.4

-91.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.42 NT$500

$12.70 A$18.28

21.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 NT$50.2

$5.54 A$7.97

-72.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 NT$72.5

$5.23 A$7.52

-57.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 NT$15.89

$3.74 A$5.38

-86.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 NT$87.5

$4.51 A$6.50

-40.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 NT$24.04

$1.36 A$1.96

-45.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.40 NT$207

$30.45 A$43.81

-78.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$33.32

$1.47 A$2.12

-29.93%

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

$34.1K NT$1.1M

$29.0K A$41.7K

17.47%

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

$23.0K NT$746.1K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-13.09%

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

$111 NT$3,590

$234 A$336

-52.63%

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

$15.11 NT$490

$27.93 A$40.19

-45.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 NT$833

$55.7 A$80.2

-53.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 NT$311

$15.09 A$21.72

-36.51%

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

$344 NT$11.2K

$2,371 A$3,412

-85.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K NT$453.1K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-53.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 NT$2,297

$80.0 A$115

-11.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.23 NT$1,013

$50.7 A$73.0

-38.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 NT$2,670

$121 A$174

-31.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,359

$130 A$188

-20.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$247 NT$8,018

$1,759 A$2,531

-85.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$155 NT$5,023

$1,390 A$2,000

-88.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 NT$24.2K

$3,494 A$5,027

-78.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 NT$12.2K

$2,493 A$3,588

-84.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,912 NT$62.0K

$4,383 A$6,307

-56.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

5.9

-61.53%

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

Last update for Pingtung city: October 13, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pingtung city

$334 36.7%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 15.1% $50

Accommodation & Living

Pingtung city

$155 17%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 797% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pingtung city

$152 16.7%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 110% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Pingtung city

$130 14.3%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 32.5% $42

Eating Out

Pingtung city

$112 12.3%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 181% $202

Sport & Entertainment

Pingtung city

$19 * 2.1%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 315% $60

Getting Around

Pingtung city

$8.4 * 0.9%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 1859% $155

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 $247 in Pingtung city and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 129% 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: $32.00 in Pingtung city vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $334 vs $384 per month, with Pingtung city cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Pingtung city

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

10:57 10:57 AM

3 h ahead of Pingtung city

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

201,644

5,031,195

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Pingtung city Melbourne 7,190 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Pingtung city
Melbourne

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

Pingtung city vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pingtung city and Melbourne differ by about 210% in total monthly costs ($909 vs $2,821 including rent). Pingtung city is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 129% lower in Melbourne. 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: $247 in Pingtung city versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $909 per month in Pingtung city versus $2,821 in Melbourne – a 210% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $909 in Pingtung city versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pingtung city but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Pingtung city 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, Pingtung city and Melbourne 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 Pingtung city gentler on the wallet – expenses run 210% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.