Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Taitung

For one person, living is cheaper in Taitung: $1,035 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Taitung
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Taitung Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Taitung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Taitung

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 Taitung actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $1,035 in Taitung, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Taitung $1,035

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,802 in Taitung, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Taitung $1,802

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $2,569 in Taitung, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Taitung $2,569

Sydney costs about 205% more than Taitung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Taitung is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.82 NT$124

359.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$48.18 NT$1,562

89.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$5.56 NT$180

115.11%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.45 NT$112

17.97%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.95 NT$30.66

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.68 NT$22.00

230.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$2.88 NT$93.3

163.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$3.76 NT$122

97.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$3.09 NT$100

-46.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.87 NT$60.7

48.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$3.12 NT$101

-22.44%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$2.33 NT$75.4

142.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$19.49 NT$632

-39.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$3.89 NT$126

148.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$21.88 NT$709

-23.45%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.92 NT$62.1

111.98%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$2.92 NT$94.6

11.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$1.93 NT$62.5

78.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$4.50 NT$146

-4.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.73 NT$88.4

20.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$2.36 NT$76.5

-2.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.78 NT$57.7

29.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$1.11 NT$35.94

9.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$4.00 NT$130

992.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$14.07 NT$456

-1.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$1.64 NT$53.3

137.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$2.28 NT$73.8

71.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.65 NT$20.95

367.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$36.43 NT$1,181

312.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$2.72 NT$88.3

24.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.78 NT$25.14

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$9.18 NT$298

335.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.90 NT$29.33

55.56%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$33.2K NT$1.1M

-12.39%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$24.1K NT$781.5K

25.02%

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

$223 A$320

$85.6 NT$2,777

159.93%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$17.66 NT$573

53.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$27.09 NT$878

106.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$36.70 NT$1,190

103.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$9.25 NT$300

89.84%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$677 NT$21.9K

224.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$17.0K NT$550.6K

66.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$28.52 NT$925

175.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$15.68 NT$508

336.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$49.43 NT$1,603

125.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$105 NT$3,410

27.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$412 NT$13.4K

506.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$251 NT$8,133

581.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$983 NT$31.9K

403.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$747 NT$24.2K

304.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$7,734 NT$250.8K

70.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$5,021 NT$162.8K

66.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$637 NT$20.7K

545.62%

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 Taitung: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Taitung

$251 24.2% 85.3% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Taitung

$346 33.5% 8.5% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Taitung

$130 12.6% 57.3% $175

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Taitung

$117 11.3% 60.8% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Taitung

$89 8.6% 49.4% $87

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Taitung

$46 4.4% 73.7% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Taitung

$55 5.3% 49.7% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $412 in Taitung. 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 546% 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 $48.00 in Taitung. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $346 – making Taitung the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇹🇼 Taitung

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

02:09 2:09 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

106,368

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Taitung 7,050 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Taitung

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 Taitung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $1,035 in Taitung – roughly 205% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $1,552 in Taitung. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taitung, 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 $48.00 in Taitung. 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 $1,035 in Taitung. That's a gap of about 205%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Taitung, where all-in costs run around $1,035, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Taitung it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taitung – 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 Taitung. 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.