Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Taichung: $1,143 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
Learn more

Taichung Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,143

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taichung and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,143 in Taichung versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Taichung $1,143
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,887 in Taichung versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Taichung $1,887
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,631 in Taichung versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Taichung $2,631
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Taichung costs roughly 58% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Taichung is 15% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.68 NT$149

$20.22 $20.22

-76.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.12 NT$1,025

$85.0 $85.0

-62.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 NT$155

$12.35 $12.35

-60.73%

Cappuccino

$2.75 NT$87.6

$5.47 $5.47

-49.73%

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

$1.03 NT$32.80

$3.82 $3.82

-73.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 NT$23.56

$2.50 $2.50

-70.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.56 NT$49.69

$8.06 $8.06

-80.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 NT$88.7

$8.99 $8.99

-69.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.27 NT$104

$1.13 $1.13

189.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 NT$56.2

$3.78 $3.78

-53.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 NT$84.7

$3.25 $3.25

-18.15%

Eggs

$2.62 NT$83.7

$4.14 $4.14

-36.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.33 NT$936

$13.08 $13.08

124.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.13 NT$259

$14.31 $14.31

-43.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.14 NT$547

$15.96 $15.96

7.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 NT$135

$4.38 $4.38

-3.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 NT$61.3

$1.45 $1.45

32.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 NT$95.3

$4.54 $4.54

-34.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 NT$68.6

$4.19 $4.19

-48.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 NT$38.28

$2.63 $2.63

-54.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 NT$62.9

$2.36 $2.36

-16.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 NT$76.7

$1.76 $1.76

36.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 NT$28.80

$2.16 $2.16

-58.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 NT$120

$9.81 $9.81

-61.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.53 NT$495

$14.72 $14.72

5.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 NT$52.3

$2.78 $2.78

-41.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 NT$78.8

$3.48 $3.48

-29.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 NT$23.05

$1.49 $1.49

-51.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.97 NT$1,020

$40.51 $40.51

-21.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 NT$86.1

$2.67 $2.67

1.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 NT$29.49

$1.58 $1.58

-41.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.61 NT$307

$35.29 $35.29

-72.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$32.76

$0.99 $0.99

4.04%

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

$33.0K NT$1.1M

$35.8K $35.8K

-7.74%

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

$22.7K NT$725.9K

$27.2K $27.2K

-16.29%

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

$127 NT$4,037

$219 $219

-42.30%

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

$14.84 NT$474

$58.0 $58.0

-74.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.00 NT$670

$68.4 $68.4

-69.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.96 NT$1,052

$57.9 $57.9

-43.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.63 NT$371

$14.82 $14.82

-21.52%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 NT$320

$14.13 $14.13

-29.09%

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

$347 NT$11.1K

$1,509 $1,509

-77.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K NT$537.2K

$21.5K $21.5K

-21.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 NT$2,314

$51.7 $51.7

40.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.93 NT$1,147

$44.05 $44.05

-18.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 NT$2,738

$85.1 $85.1

0.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 NT$3,727

$105 $105

10.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 NT$12.6K

$1,932 $1,932

-79.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 NT$8,722

$1,272 $1,272

-78.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 NT$38.8K

$3,670 $3,670

-66.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 NT$24.7K

$2,525 $2,525

-69.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,642 NT$275.8K

$7,617 $7,617

13.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,368 NT$171.3K

$3,199 $3,199

67.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,432 NT$45.7K

$5,105 $5,105

-71.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

6.79

-66.57%

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

Last update for Taichung: October 4, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taichung

$379 32.8%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 6.3% $24

Accommodation & Living

Taichung

$273 23.7%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 366% $999

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taichung

$162 14.1%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 113% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Taichung

$140 12.1%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 8% $11

Eating Out

Taichung

$105 9.1%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 230% $243

Sport & Entertainment

Taichung

$53 4.6%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 62.6% $33

Getting Around

Taichung

$42 3.7%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 35.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $396 in Taichung and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 256% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Taichung vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $403 per month, with Taichung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taichung

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

18:27 6:27 PM

05:27 5:27 AM

13 h behind Taichung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,767,239

974,447

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.76 TWD (100 TWD = 2.8 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taichung Austin, TX 12,710 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Taichung
Austin, TX

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

Taichung vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taichung wins on cost – living expenses run 137% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Taichung the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 256% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $396 in Taichung versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,143 per month in Taichung versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 137% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Taichung runs roughly 27% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,143 in Taichung versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taichung but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Taichung the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Taichung and Austin, TX are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Taichung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 137% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.