Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sapporo and Taipei

For one person, living costs are similar in Sapporo and in Taipei: $1,404 and $1,344 a month, rent and utilities included.

68

Cost of Living Index in Sapporo
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Sapporo Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

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Sapporo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,404

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,344

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,404 per month in Sapporo vs $1,344 in Taipei, rent included.

Sapporo $1,404
Taipei $1,344

A couple spends around $2,097 per month in Sapporo vs $2,156 in Taipei, rent included.

Sapporo $2,097
Taipei $2,156

A family of three spends $2,791 per month in Sapporo vs $2,967 in Taipei, rent included.

Sapporo $2,791
Taipei $2,967

Sapporo costs about 4% more than Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sapporo sits 4% above the global median, while Taipei is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.20 ¥980

$4.54 NT$147

36.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.04 ¥4,430

$46.57 NT$1,510

-39.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.30 ¥837

$5.66 NT$184

-6.36%

Cappuccino

$4.85 ¥767

$3.37 NT$109

43.92%

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

$1.65 ¥261

$0.92 NT$29.95

79.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥139

$0.68 NT$21.98

29.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.38 ¥693

$2.88 NT$93.5

52.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 ¥889

$3.67 NT$119

53.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥244

$2.91 NT$94.3

-46.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 ¥213

$2.00 NT$65.0

-32.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.91 ¥618

$2.97 NT$96.3

31.65%

Eggs

$1.76 ¥279

$2.69 NT$87.4

-34.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 ¥1,489

$19.07 NT$618

-50.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 ¥1,068

$9.58 NT$311

-29.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.61 ¥4,046

$21.37 NT$693

19.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 ¥504

$4.78 NT$155

-33.26%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 ¥494

$3.17 NT$103

-1.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 ¥506

$2.97 NT$96.4

7.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 ¥663

$4.42 NT$143

-5.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 ¥331

$2.67 NT$86.5

-21.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 ¥275

$2.29 NT$74.4

-24.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 ¥235

$1.65 NT$53.6

-9.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ¥70.8

$1.09 NT$35.23

-58.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ¥633

$3.81 NT$124

4.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.19 ¥1,293

$13.64 NT$442

-39.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥303

$1.65 NT$53.4

16.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ¥501

$2.21 NT$71.7

43.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 ¥253

$0.59 NT$19.15

171.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.16 ¥7,609

$37.39 NT$1,213

28.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 ¥635

$2.66 NT$86.4

51.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ¥257

$0.76 NT$24.61

114.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.05 ¥2,536

$9.48 NT$307

69.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.01 NT$32.60

9.90%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

$34.0K NT$1.1M

-36.07%

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

$14.5K ¥2.3M

$23.6K NT$764.4K

-38.57%

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

$336 ¥53.0K

$85.2 NT$2,764

294.02%

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

$25.59 ¥4,042

$17.20 NT$558

48.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.75 ¥7,544

$26.54 NT$861

79.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.58 ¥7,674

$40.54 NT$1,315

19.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.22 ¥509

$15.86 NT$514

-79.70%

Cinema Ticket

$12.12 ¥1,915

$9.61 NT$312

26.12%

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

$319 ¥50.4K

$651 NT$21.1K

-51.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,987 ¥1.6M

$16.4K NT$530.6K

-38.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.38 ¥5,905

$62.6 NT$2,031

-40.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.18 ¥3,978

$39.58 NT$1,283

-36.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.33 ¥7,478

$84.1 NT$2,728

-43.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 ¥18.0K

$104 NT$3,377

9.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥71.6K

$977 NT$31.7K

-53.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 ¥43.4K

$466 NT$15.1K

-41.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$824 ¥130.2K

$1,502 NT$48.7K

-45.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$641 ¥101.3K

$916 NT$29.7K

-29.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,168 ¥342.5K

$12.0K NT$388.7K

-81.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ¥246.4K

$7,082 NT$229.6K

-77.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,233 ¥352.9K

$1,728 NT$56.0K

29.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.57

2.4

7.08%

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

Last update for Sapporo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sapporo

$409 29.2%

Taipei

$129 9.6% 68.5% $280

Groceries & Markets

Sapporo

$312 22.3%

Taipei

$390 29% 24.9% $78

Accommodation & Living

Sapporo

$275 19.6%

Taipei

$466 34.7% 69.8% $192

Eating Out

Sapporo

$167 11.9%

Taipei

$122 9.1% 27% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Sapporo

$101 7.2%

Taipei

$131 9.7% 29.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Sapporo

$73 5.2%

Taipei

$60 4.5% 17.9% $13

Getting Around

Sapporo

$67 4.8%

Taipei

$46 3.4% 30.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $453 in Sapporo versus $977 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 29% higher in Sapporo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Sapporo versus $47.00 in Taipei. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $390 – making Sapporo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Sapporo

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

23:23 11:23 PM

22:23 10:23 PM

1 h behind Sapporo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,973,395

2,635,286 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sapporo Taipei 2,700 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sapporo
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

Sapporo vs Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sapporo is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,105 per month in Sapporo and $2,016 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Sapporo and $47.00 in Taipei. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,404 in Sapporo and $1,344 in Taipei. That's a gap of about 4%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Taipei, where all-in costs run around $1,344, than in Sapporo at $1,404. In Taipei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sapporo 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, Sapporo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.