Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Taoyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Taoyuan: $1,200 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Taoyuan
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Taoyuan Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Taoyuan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,200

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Taoyuan

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $1,200 in Taoyuan, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Taoyuan $1,200

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,816 in Taoyuan, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Taoyuan $1,816

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $2,433 in Taoyuan, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Taoyuan $2,433

Sydney costs about 163% more than Taoyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Taoyuan is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$4.23 NT$137

315.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$24.93 NT$808

266.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$5.74 NT$186

108.36%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.97 NT$96.2

37.04%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$1.02 NT$33.18

179.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.71 NT$22.97

216.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.84 NT$59.8

313.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$2.30 NT$74.6

223.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$2.84 NT$92.2

-41.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.22 NT$39.64

127.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$2.67 NT$86.5

-9.36%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$2.17 NT$70.4

159.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$9.22 NT$299

27.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$7.55 NT$245

27.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$21.09 NT$684

-20.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.83 NT$124

6.27%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$2.06 NT$66.8

57.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$3.11 NT$101

10.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$3.10 NT$101

38.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.47 NT$80.2

32.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$2.03 NT$65.9

13.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$2.33 NT$75.6

-1.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.88 NT$28.53

37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$5.02 NT$163

770.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$10.89 NT$353

27.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$1.43 NT$46.45

172.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$2.16 NT$69.9

81.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.55 NT$17.81

452.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$38.07 NT$1,234

294.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$2.74 NT$88.8

23.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.76 NT$24.51

105.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$6.99 NT$227

472.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.00 NT$32.37

40.00%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$32.8K NT$1.1M

-11.30%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$23.3K NT$755.7K

29.29%

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

$223 A$320

$69.5 NT$2,252

220.47%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$17.72 NT$574

53.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$21.93 NT$711

154.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$33.59 NT$1,089

122.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$7.07 NT$229

239.32%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$10.94 NT$355

60.51%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$517 NT$16.8K

324.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$31.3K NT$1.0M

-9.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$91.3 NT$2,959

-14.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$24.83 NT$805

175.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$81.9 NT$2,655

35.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$96.2 NT$3,119

39.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$646 NT$20.9K

287.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$436 NT$14.1K

291.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$964 NT$31.2K

413.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$729 NT$23.6K

314.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$7,498 NT$243.2K

75.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$4,782 NT$155.1K

75.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$1,549 NT$50.2K

165.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

2.38

145.38%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Taoyuan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Taoyuan

$436 36.3% 74.5% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Taoyuan

$313 26.1% 17.4% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Taoyuan

$109 9.1% 64.3% $196

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Taoyuan

$107 9% 64% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Taoyuan

$132 11% 25.1% $44

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Taoyuan

$47 3.9% 73% $127

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Taoyuan

$55 4.6% 49.5% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $646 in Taoyuan. 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 166% 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 $25.00 in Taoyuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $313 – making Taoyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇹🇼 Taoyuan

🕒 Local time

15:16 3:16 PM

12:16 12:16 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

2,147,763

💱 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 Taoyuan 7,270 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Taoyuan

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 Taoyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $1,200 in Taoyuan – roughly 163% 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 $1,800 in Taoyuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taoyuan, 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 $25.00 in Taoyuan. 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 $1,200 in Taoyuan. That's a gap of about 163%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taoyuan, where all-in costs run around $1,200, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Taoyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taoyuan – 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 Taoyuan. 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.