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: $1,860 in Porto versus $1,169 in Chiayi.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,769 in Porto versus $1,949 in Chiayi.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,677 in Porto versus $2,730 in Chiayi.

Living in Porto is roughly 59% more expensive than Chiayi, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Porto is 39% above, Chiayi is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.39 €9.80

$6.86 NT$216

66.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.8 €50.6

$40.64 NT$1,279

44.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 €7.77

$5.63 NT$177

60.39%

Cappuccino

$2.28 €1.96

$2.18 NT$68.5

4.59%

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

$2.15 €1.85

$1.16 NT$36.66

85.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.30

$0.74 NT$23.31

104.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.57 €3.07

$1.85 NT$58.1

92.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 €2.91

$3.10 NT$97.6

9.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.95

$3.16 NT$99.5

-64.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 €1.25

$1.88 NT$59.2

-22.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 €1.37

$3.06 NT$96.2

-48.04%

Eggs

$2.98 €2.57

$2.84 NT$89.5

4.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 €10.07

$19.79 NT$623

-40.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.29 €6.27

$10.05 NT$316

-27.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.55 €13.38

$20.14 NT$634

-22.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 €1.88

$5.05 NT$159

-56.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 €1.21

$2.98 NT$93.8

-52.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.57

$2.89 NT$91.0

-37.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 €2.10

$4.13 NT$130

-40.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.47

$2.83 NT$89.0

-39.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$2.25 NT$70.7

-14.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.30

$1.95 NT$61.4

-22.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.68

$1.39 NT$43.70

-43.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.49 €5.58

$4.03 NT$127

61.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.69 €4.90

$4.76 NT$150

19.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.01

$1.76 NT$55.4

-32.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 €2.00

$2.40 NT$75.4

-2.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 €1.74

$0.87 NT$27.43

133.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.83 €39.43

$38.39 NT$1,208

19.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 €3.42

$2.90 NT$91.3

36.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 €0.65

$0.41 NT$12.92

82.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.64 €15.17

$9.97 NT$314

76.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.76

$0.99 NT$31.21

106.06%

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

$35.2K €30.3K

$38.8K NT$1.2M

-9.32%

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

$38.5K €33.1K

$27.9K NT$878.1K

38.08%

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

$137 €118

$72.9 NT$2,294

88.36%

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

$22.26 €19.15

$18.60 NT$585

19.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.05 €37.89

$25.38 NT$799

73.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.92 €38.64

$36.80 NT$1,159

22.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.83 €13.61

$15.14 NT$476

4.56%

Cinema Ticket

$9.45 €8.13

$11.77 NT$370

-19.71%

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

$519 €447

$641 NT$20.2K

-18.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K €9,194

$19.1K NT$601.0K

-44.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €92.8

$59.6 NT$1,875

81.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.21 €30.29

$33.07 NT$1,041

6.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.5 €81.3

$92.0 NT$2,896

2.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €96.8

$124 NT$3,917

-9.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 €1,004

$437 NT$13.8K

167.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$938 €807

$292 NT$9,199

220.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,258 €1,942

$1,035 NT$32.6K

118.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,543 €1,328

$722 NT$22.7K

113.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,425 €4,666

$8,190 NT$257.8K

-33.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,043 €3,478

$4,884 NT$153.7K

-17.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,663 €1,431

$2,172 NT$68.4K

-23.41%

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: June 2, 2026

Last update for Chiayi: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,168 in Porto and $437 in Chiayi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiayi pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in Porto vs $41.00 in Chiayi. Groceries flip the comparison at $247 vs $380, 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 59% 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, Chiayi earns 31% less. 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: $1,168 in Porto versus $437 in Chiayi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,860 per month in Porto versus $1,169 in Chiayi – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chiayi runs roughly 19% less than in Porto. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,169 in Chiayi versus $1,860 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 $1,169 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 59% less than in Porto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.