Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pingtung city and Taichung

For one person, living is cheaper in Pingtung city: $890 a month against $1,112 in Taichung, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Pingtung city
Learn more

Pingtung city Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
Learn more

Taichung Living Index

Jump to prices

Pingtung city

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$890

/mo nomad

Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,112

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $890 per month in Pingtung city vs $1,112 in Taichung, rent included.

Pingtung city $890
Taichung $1,112

A couple spends around $1,441 per month in Pingtung city vs $1,856 in Taichung, rent included.

Pingtung city $1,441
Taichung $1,856

A family of three spends $1,993 per month in Pingtung city vs $2,601 in Taichung, rent included.

Pingtung city $1,993
Taichung $2,601

Pingtung city is about 20% cheaper than Taichung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Pingtung city and Taichung are more affordable than the global median – Pingtung city 35% lower, Taichung 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.51 NT$147

$4.69 NT$153

-3.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.78 NT$1,003

$31.30 NT$1,021

-1.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.74 NT$154

$4.64 NT$151

2.16%

Cappuccino

$2.95 NT$96.3

$2.89 NT$94.4

2.08%

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

$1.02 NT$33.23

$1.03 NT$33.52

-0.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 NT$20.76

$0.76 NT$24.62

-15.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 NT$47.49

$1.50 NT$48.83

-2.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 NT$79.3

$2.66 NT$86.8

-8.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.22 NT$105

$3.08 NT$101

4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 NT$60.8

$1.65 NT$53.7

13.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 NT$82.9

$2.59 NT$84.3

-1.93%

Eggs

$2.55 NT$83.3

$2.54 NT$82.9

0.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.44 NT$504

$28.53 NT$930

-45.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.67 NT$250

$7.76 NT$253

-1.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 NT$488

$16.59 NT$541

-9.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.32 NT$141

$4.21 NT$137

2.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 NT$62.7

$1.94 NT$63.2

-1.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 NT$82.5

$3.01 NT$98.2

-15.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 NT$98.6

$2.13 NT$69.5

41.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 NT$39.81

$1.21 NT$39.53

0.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 NT$60.8

$1.93 NT$63.0

-3.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 NT$73.8

$2.25 NT$73.5

0.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 NT$27.39

$0.89 NT$29.05

-5.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 NT$121

$3.79 NT$124

-1.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.66 NT$511

$15.10 NT$492

3.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 NT$50.2

$1.60 NT$52.0

-3.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 NT$70.6

$2.43 NT$79.1

-11.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 NT$15.66

$0.63 NT$20.59

-23.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.67 NT$609

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 NT$85.7

$2.58 NT$84.0

1.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 NT$26.00

$0.90 NT$29.30

-11.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.25 NT$204

$9.19 NT$300

-31.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 NT$32.36

$1.04 NT$33.92

-4.81%

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

$34.7K NT$1.1M

$35.3K NT$1.2M

-1.53%

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

$22.2K NT$722.4K

$22.2K NT$725.0K

-0.36%

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

$108 NT$3,527

$122 NT$3,981

-11.42%

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

$14.35 NT$468

$14.52 NT$473

-1.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.28 NT$824

$20.46 NT$667

23.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.28 NT$1,020

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 NT$372

Cinema Ticket

$9.96 NT$325

$10.22 NT$333

-2.54%

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

$328 NT$10.7K

$326 NT$10.6K

0.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K NT$443.2K

$16.5K NT$536.4K

-17.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.5 NT$2,267

$71.8 NT$2,340

-3.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.29 NT$988

$35.78 NT$1,167

-15.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.8 NT$2,635

$81.7 NT$2,662

-1.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 NT$3,268

$111 NT$3,610

-9.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$243 NT$7,923

$382 NT$12.5K

-36.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 NT$5,000

$266 NT$8,667

-42.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 NT$23.2K

$1,188 NT$38.7K

-40.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 NT$12.1K

$739 NT$24.1K

-49.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,811 NT$189.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,266 NT$139.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,946 NT$63.4K

$1,400 NT$45.6K

39.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

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

Last update for Pingtung 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

Pingtung city

$329 37%

Taichung

$368 33.1% 11.7% $39

Accommodation & Living

Pingtung city

$153 17.2%

Taichung

$266 23.9% 73.3% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pingtung city

$148 16.6%

Taichung

$157 14.1% 6.3% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Pingtung city

$126 14.2%

Taichung

$135 12.1% 6.8% $8.6

Eating Out

Pingtung city

$105 11.8%

Taichung

$106 9.6% 1.5% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Pingtung city

$20 * 2.2%

Taichung

$52 4.7% 160% $32

Getting Around

Pingtung city

$8.5 * 1%

Taichung

$28 2.5% 231% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $243 in Pingtung city versus $382 in Taichung. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 39% higher in Pingtung city, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31 in Pingtung city versus $31 in Taichung. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $329 vs $368 – making Pingtung city the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Pingtung city

🇹🇼 Taichung

🕒 Local time

16:32 4:32 PM

Same time as Pingtung city

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

201,644

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pingtung city Taichung 170 km

From you

Pingtung city
Taichung

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 Taichung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $890 in Pingtung city, $1,112 in Taichung – Pingtung city comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,334 per month in Pingtung city and $1,667 in Taichung. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pingtung city, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $243 there versus $382 in Taichung.

Kindergarten costs $328 per month in Pingtung city and $326 in Taichung. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $890 in Pingtung city and $1,112 in Taichung. That makes Pingtung city about 20% cheaper.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.