Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pingtung city and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Pingtung city: $909 a month against $1,368 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

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Pingtung city

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$909

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $909 per month in Pingtung city vs $1,368 in Taipei, rent included.

Pingtung city $909
Taipei $1,368

A couple spends around $1,474 per month in Pingtung city vs $2,202 in Taipei, rent included.

Pingtung city $1,474
Taipei $2,202

A family of three spends $2,038 per month in Pingtung city vs $3,036 in Taipei, rent included.

Pingtung city $2,038
Taipei $3,036

Pingtung city is about 34% cheaper than Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Pingtung city sits 33% below the global median, while Taipei is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.52 NT$179

$4.60 NT$149

20.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.64 NT$1,026

$47.13 NT$1,528

-32.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.71 NT$153

$5.58 NT$181

-15.59%

Cappuccino

$2.87 NT$93.1

$3.45 NT$112

-16.81%

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

$0.98 NT$31.82

$0.94 NT$30.61

4.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 NT$21.92

$0.67 NT$21.73

1.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.54 NT$49.83

$2.86 NT$92.7

-46.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 NT$81.6

$3.70 NT$120

-31.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.22 NT$104

$3.12 NT$101

3.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 NT$62.0

$1.97 NT$64.0

-3.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 NT$84.2

$3.16 NT$103

-17.72%

Eggs

$2.65 NT$86.0

$2.68 NT$86.9

-1.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.60 NT$506

$19.90 NT$645

-21.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.06 NT$261

$9.85 NT$319

-18.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.09 NT$489

$21.51 NT$698

-29.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 NT$140

$4.85 NT$157

-10.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 NT$60.7

$3.25 NT$105

-42.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 NT$80.8

$3.03 NT$98.2

-17.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 NT$104

$4.53 NT$147

-29.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 NT$38.37

$2.79 NT$90.4

-57.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 NT$62.7

$2.34 NT$75.9

-17.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 NT$75.6

$1.68 NT$54.5

38.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 NT$27.60

$1.10 NT$35.62

-22.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 NT$123

$3.80 NT$123

0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.42 NT$500

$14.17 NT$460

8.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 NT$50.2

$1.63 NT$53.0

-4.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 NT$72.5

$2.29 NT$74.3

-2.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 NT$15.89

$0.65 NT$21.04

-24.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 NT$87.5

$2.68 NT$86.8

0.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 NT$24.04

$0.82 NT$26.55

-9.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.40 NT$207

$9.17 NT$297

-30.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$33.32

$1.02 NT$32.93

0.98%

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

$34.1K NT$1.1M

$32.8K NT$1.1M

3.81%

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

$23.0K NT$746.1K

$24.5K NT$795.1K

-6.16%

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

$111 NT$3,590

$87.7 NT$2,843

26.25%

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

$15.11 NT$490

$17.28 NT$560

-12.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 NT$833

$27.38 NT$888

-6.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 NT$1,308

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 NT$311

$9.83 NT$319

-2.54%

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

$344 NT$11.2K

$663 NT$21.5K

-48.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K NT$453.1K

$16.6K NT$538.4K

-15.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 NT$2,297

$62.4 NT$2,025

13.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.23 NT$1,013

$39.51 NT$1,281

-20.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 NT$2,670

$84.5 NT$2,740

-2.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,359

$106 NT$3,424

-1.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$247 NT$8,018

$999 NT$32.4K

-75.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$155 NT$5,023

$473 NT$15.3K

-67.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 NT$24.2K

$1,565 NT$50.8K

-52.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 NT$12.2K

$948 NT$30.7K

-60.44%

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)

$1,912 NT$62.0K

$1,760 NT$57.1K

8.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

2.4

-5.42%

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

Last update for Pingtung city: October 13, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pingtung city

$334 36.7%

Taipei

$400 29.3% 20% $67

Accommodation & Living

Pingtung city

$155 17%

Taipei

$473 34.6% 206% $318

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pingtung city

$152 16.7%

Taipei

$132 9.7% 12.6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Pingtung city

$130 14.3%

Taipei

$131 9.6% 1.4% $1.8

Eating Out

Pingtung city

$112 12.3%

Taipei

$123 9% 9.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Pingtung city

$19 * 2.1%

Taipei

$60 4.4% 213% $41

Getting Around

Pingtung city

$8.4 * 0.9%

Taipei

$47 3.5% 465% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $247 in Pingtung city versus $999 in Taipei. 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 9% 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 $32.00 in Pingtung city versus $47.00 in Taipei. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $400 – making Pingtung city the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Pingtung city

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

05:12 5:12 AM

Same time as Pingtung city

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

201,644

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

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Pingtung city Taipei 290 km

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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 Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $909 in Pingtung city, $1,368 in Taipei – roughly 50% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,364 per month in Pingtung city and $2,052 in Taipei. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $909 in Pingtung city and $1,368 in Taipei. That's a gap of about 50%.

Kindergarten costs $344 per month in Pingtung city and $663 in Taipei. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pingtung city, where all-in costs run around $909, than in Taipei at $1,368. In Pingtung city it covers expenses comfortably, while in Taipei it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pingtung city – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Pingtung city. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Taipei makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.