Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto and Chiayi Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto and Chiayi

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,848 in Porto versus $1,151 in Chiayi.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,758 in Porto versus $1,940 in Chiayi.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,669 in Porto versus $2,729 in Chiayi.

Living in Porto is roughly 61% more expensive than in Chiayi, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Porto is 38% above, Chiayi is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.75 €10.28

$6.62 NT$214

77.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.8 €49.73

$40.40 NT$1,305

40.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.25 €8.09

$5.88 NT$190

57.31%

Cappuccino

$2.29 €2.00

$2.22 NT$71.8

3.15%

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

$2.08 €1.82

$1.14 NT$36.81

82.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.37

$0.80 NT$25.69

95.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 €2.95

$1.88 NT$60.8

79.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €2.98

$3.14 NT$101

8.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.97

$3.13 NT$101

-64.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 €1.27

$1.97 NT$63.6

-26.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.45

$3.16 NT$102

-47.78%

Eggs

$3.15 €2.75

$2.93 NT$94.8

7.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.06 €10.55

$20.43 NT$660

-40.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.44 €6.51

$9.89 NT$319

-24.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.11 €13.22

$20.47 NT$661

-26.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 €1.94

$5.29 NT$171

-58.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 €1.21

$2.91 NT$93.9

-52.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 €1.55

$2.89 NT$93.3

-38.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.35 €2.05

$4.24 NT$137

-44.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 €1.47

$2.83 NT$91.6

-40.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.65

$2.16 NT$69.9

-12.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.32

$1.98 NT$64.0

-23.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.74

$1.33 NT$42.95

-36.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.39 €5.59

$4.09 NT$132

56.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 €5.08

$4.79 NT$155

21.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.03

$1.82 NT$58.9

-35.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €1.99

$2.44 NT$78.8

-6.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 €1.84

$0.89 NT$28.72

137.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.25 €40.47

$39.14 NT$1,265

18.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 €3.57

$2.84 NT$91.7

43.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 €0.67

$0.44 NT$14.25

72.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.63 €15.42

$10.33 NT$334

70.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.78

$1.03 NT$33.22

98.06%

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

$35.3K €30.9K

$38.2K NT$1.2M

-7.56%

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

$38.4K €33.6K

$27.6K NT$892.0K

39.22%

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

$141 €123

$73.4 NT$2,371

91.81%

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

$22.30 €19.51

$18.60 NT$601

19.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.35 €38.80

$25.22 NT$815

75.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.35 €37.92

$37.61 NT$1,215

15.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.34 €14.30

$15.08 NT$487

8.36%

Cinema Ticket

$9.03 €7.90

$11.90 NT$385

-24.12%

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

$516 €451

$626 NT$20.2K

-17.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €9,187

$18.8K NT$606.7K

-44.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 €97.8

$57.6 NT$1,860

94.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.15 €30.75

$32.82 NT$1,060

7.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 €80.0

$92.6 NT$2,991

-1.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €97.0

$123 NT$3,962

-9.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 €1,040

$435 NT$14.1K

173.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$913 €799

$286 NT$9,237

219.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,182 €1,909

$1,027 NT$33.2K

112.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,573 €1,377

$735 NT$23.7K

114.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,297 €4,634

$3,047 NT$98.5K

73.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,990 €3,491

$1,898 NT$61.3K

110.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,590 €1,391

$2,100 NT$67.9K

-24.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

2.19

73.06%

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

Last update for Porto: July 14, 2026

Last update for Chiayi: July 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,188 in Porto and $435 in Chiayi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiayi pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $57.0 in Porto vs $40.00 in Chiayi. Groceries flip the comparison at $249 vs $384, with Porto cheaper for home cooking.

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

Porto vs Chiayi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiayi wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Porto. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chiayi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Chiayi. 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: $1,188 in Porto versus $435 in Chiayi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,848 per month in Porto versus $1,151 in Chiayi – a 61% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chiayi runs roughly 18% less than in Porto. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,151 in Chiayi versus $1,848 in Porto, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiayi but tight or insufficient in Porto. The gap between the two cities makes Chiayi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chiayi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,151 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chiayi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Porto and Chiayi 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 Chiayi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Porto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.