Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sale and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,368 a month against $2,445 in Sale, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Sale
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Sale Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

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Sale

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,445

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,445 per month in Sale vs $1,368 in Taipei, rent included.

Sale $2,445
Taipei $1,368

A couple spends around $3,589 per month in Sale vs $2,202 in Taipei, rent included.

Sale $3,589
Taipei $2,202

A family of three spends $4,732 per month in Sale vs $3,036 in Taipei, rent included.

Sale $4,732
Taipei $3,036

Sale costs about 79% more than Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sale and Taipei sit above the global median – Sale by 81%, Taipei by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 A$21.72

$4.60 NT$148

229.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 A$118

$47.13 NT$1,515

74.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.48 A$16.45

$5.58 NT$179

105.73%

Cappuccino

$3.80 A$5.44

$3.45 NT$111

10.14%

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

$3.10 A$4.44

$0.94 NT$30.34

229.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 A$3.02

$0.67 NT$21.55

213.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.47 A$12.13

$2.86 NT$91.9

196.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.86 A$11.25

$3.70 NT$119

112.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 A$2.29

$3.12 NT$100

-48.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 A$3.56

$1.97 NT$63.5

26.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 A$3.26

$3.16 NT$102

-28.16%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.94

$2.68 NT$86.1

106.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.18 A$13.15

$19.90 NT$640

-53.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 A$12.85

$9.85 NT$317

-8.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.39 A$22.05

$21.51 NT$692

-28.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 A$5.15

$4.85 NT$156

-25.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.89 A$4.15

$3.25 NT$104

-11.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.28

$3.03 NT$97.4

-1.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 A$6.02

$4.53 NT$146

-7.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 A$3.94

$2.79 NT$89.6

-1.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.28

$2.34 NT$75.2

-2.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 A$3.04

$1.68 NT$54.1

26.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 A$1.95

$1.10 NT$35.31

23.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.03 A$63.1

$3.80 NT$122

1058.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 A$21.52

$14.17 NT$456

6.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.58 A$6.56

$1.63 NT$52.5

180.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.49

$2.29 NT$73.7

128.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 A$4.17

$0.65 NT$20.86

347.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.6 A$121

$37.88 NT$1,218

123.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 A$5.62

$2.68 NT$86.1

46.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 A$2.13

$0.82 NT$26.32

81.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.41 A$65.1

$9.17 NT$295

395.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 A$1.64

$1.02 NT$32.65

12.75%

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

$26.1K A$37.4K

$32.8K NT$1.1M

-20.39%

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

$28.3K A$40.5K

$24.5K NT$788.3K

15.25%

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

$210 A$301

$87.7 NT$2,819

139.38%

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

$31.51 A$45.14

$17.28 NT$556

82.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.5 A$86.7

$27.38 NT$880

120.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.9 A$90.1

$40.32 NT$1,296

55.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.87 A$24.17

$15.94 NT$512

5.83%

Cinema Ticket

$15.86 A$22.72

$9.83 NT$316

61.34%

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

$2,317 A$3,319

$663 NT$21.3K

249.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K A$31.2K

$16.6K NT$533.8K

31.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.7 A$106

$62.4 NT$2,007

18.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 A$72.4

$39.51 NT$1,270

27.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 A$147

$84.5 NT$2,716

21.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 A$153

$106 NT$3,394

1.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,502 A$2,151

$999 NT$32.1K

50.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 A$1,648

$473 NT$15.2K

143.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,440 A$3,496

$1,565 NT$50.3K

55.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,855 A$2,657

$948 NT$30.5K

95.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,605 A$9,462

$11.9K NT$382.3K

-44.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,309 A$6,173

$7,306 NT$234.9K

-41.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 NT$56.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

2.4

143.33%

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

Last update for Sale: October 13, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sale

$1.2K 47.1%

Taipei

$473 34.6% 58.8% $677

Groceries & Markets

Sale

$360 14.7%

Taipei

$400 29.3% 11.2% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sale

$302 12.4%

Taipei

$132 9.7% 56.2% $170

Eating Out

Sale

$280 11.5%

Taipei

$123 9% 56.1% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Sale

$150 6.1%

Taipei

$131 9.6% 12.5% $19

Getting Around

Sale

$108 4.4%

Taipei

$47 3.5% 56.1% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Sale

$95 3.9%

Taipei

$60 4.4% 36.6% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,502 in Sale 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Sale versus $47.00 in Taipei. Groceries tell a different story – $360 in Sale vs $400 in Taipei – so Sale wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sale

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

06:21 6:21 AM

3 h behind Sale

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,673

2,635,286 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

100 TWD = 3.11 USD

100 TWD = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 32.15 TWD (100 TWD = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 35.98 TWD (100 TWD = 2.78 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sale Taipei 7,510 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sale
Taipei

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

Sale vs Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,445 in Sale, $1,368 in Taipei – roughly 79% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,667 per month in Sale 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 Taipei, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Sale – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Sale and $47.00 in Taipei. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Taipei, where all-in costs run around $1,368, than in Sale at $2,445. In Taipei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sale it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taipei – 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 Taipei. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sale makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.