Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Douliu

For one person, living is cheaper in Douliu: $1,138 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $24,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Douliu
Learn more

Douliu Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Douliu

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Douliu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sydney and in Douliu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $1,138 in Douliu, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Douliu $1,138

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,894 in Douliu, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Douliu $1,894

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $2,650 in Douliu, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Douliu $2,650

Sydney costs about 177% more than Douliu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Douliu is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.85 NT$125

356.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$22.40 NT$726

308.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$5.81 NT$189

105.85%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.40 NT$110

19.71%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.94 NT$30.58

203.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.67 NT$21.86

235.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$2.79 NT$90.4

172.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$3.73 NT$121

99.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$3.09 NT$100

-46.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$2.01 NT$65.1

38.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$3.17 NT$103

-23.66%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$2.76 NT$89.4

104.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$19.44 NT$631

-39.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$9.97 NT$323

-3.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$21.44 NT$695

-21.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$4.79 NT$155

-15.03%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$3.29 NT$107

-1.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$3.08 NT$99.9

11.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$4.34 NT$141

-1.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.82 NT$91.3

16.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$2.34 NT$75.9

-1.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.71 NT$55.6

34.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$1.10 NT$35.65

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$3.85 NT$125

1035.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$14.46 NT$469

-4.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$1.63 NT$52.9

139.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$2.31 NT$75.0

69.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.61 NT$19.89

398.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$35.53 NT$1,152

322.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$2.66 NT$86.3

27.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.77 NT$24.82

102.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$9.46 NT$307

322.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.03 NT$33.56

35.92%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$34.0K NT$1.1M

-14.32%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$24.0K NT$777.6K

25.64%

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

$223 A$320

$86.6 NT$2,807

157.19%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$17.15 NT$556

58.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$27.79 NT$901

100.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$36.37 NT$1,179

105.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$9.54 NT$309

84.07%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$663 NT$21.5K

231.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$17.0K NT$550.7K

65.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$64.5 NT$2,091

21.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$40.75 NT$1,321

67.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$85.0 NT$2,756

30.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$105 NT$3,408

27.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$404 NT$13.1K

518.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$257 NT$8,334

565.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$982 NT$31.8K

403.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$730 NT$23.7K

314.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$7,836 NT$254.1K

68.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$4,924 NT$159.7K

70.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$2,544 NT$82.5K

61.68%

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 Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Douliu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Douliu

$257 22.6% 85% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Douliu

$400 35.1% 5.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Douliu

$132 11.6% 57% $174

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Douliu

$117 10.3% 60.9% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Douliu

$133 11.7% 24.8% $44

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Douliu

$44 3.9% 74.4% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Douliu

$55 4.9% 49.5% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $404 in Douliu. 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 62% higher in Sydney, 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 $91.0 in Sydney versus $22.00 in Douliu. Groceries tell a different story – $379 in Sydney vs $400 in Douliu – so Sydney wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇹🇼 Douliu

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

10:51 10:51 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

108,401

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Sydney Douliu 7,180 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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

Sydney vs Douliu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney costs about 177% more than Douliu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $1,707 in Douliu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Douliu, 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 $91.0 in Sydney and $22.00 in Douliu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,152 in Sydney and $1,138 in Douliu. That's a gap of about 177%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Douliu, where all-in costs run around $1,138, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Douliu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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