Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Chiayi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiayi: $1,041 a month against $1,112 in Taichung, rent and utilities included – about $850 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Taichung outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

54

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
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Chiayi Living Index

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Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,112

/mo nomad

Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,041

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taichung and in Chiayi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,112 in Taichung versus $1,041 in Chiayi.

Taichung $1,112
Chiayi $1,041

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,856 in Taichung versus $1,471 in Chiayi.

Taichung $1,856
Chiayi $1,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,601 in Taichung versus $1,901 in Chiayi.

Taichung $2,601
Chiayi $1,901

Living in Taichung is roughly 7% more expensive than in Chiayi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taichung 18% lower, Chiayi 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 NT$153

$4.59 NT$150

2.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.30 NT$1,021

$46.34 NT$1,511

-32.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.64 NT$151

$5.65 NT$184

-17.88%

Cappuccino

$2.89 NT$94.4

$3.29 NT$107

-12.16%

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

$1.03 NT$33.52

$0.85 NT$27.72

21.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 NT$24.62

$0.67 NT$21.81

13.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.50 NT$48.83

$2.98 NT$97.2

-49.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 NT$86.8

$3.58 NT$117

-25.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.08 NT$101

$2.95 NT$96.2

4.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 NT$53.7

$1.95 NT$63.5

-15.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 NT$84.3

$3.05 NT$99.5

-15.08%

Eggs

$2.54 NT$82.9

$2.63 NT$85.8

-3.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.53 NT$930

$18.97 NT$619

50.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 NT$253

$9.89 NT$322

-21.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.59 NT$541

$21.28 NT$694

-22.04%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 NT$137

$4.72 NT$154

-10.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 NT$63.2

$3.28 NT$107

-40.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 NT$98.2

$2.87 NT$93.5

4.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 NT$69.5

$4.23 NT$138

-49.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 NT$39.53

$2.65 NT$86.2

-54.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 NT$63.0

$2.20 NT$71.6

-12.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 NT$73.5

$1.72 NT$56.1

30.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 NT$29.05

$1.12 NT$36.48

-20.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 NT$124

$3.75 NT$122

1.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 NT$492

$4.48 NT$146

237.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 NT$52.0

$1.58 NT$51.4

1.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 NT$79.1

$2.13 NT$69.5

14.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 NT$20.59

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.67 NT$609

$12.12 NT$395

54.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 NT$84.0

$2.54 NT$82.8

1.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 NT$29.30

$0.45 NT$14.70

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.19 NT$300

$8.97 NT$292

2.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 NT$33.92

$1.00 NT$32.62

4.00%

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

$35.3K NT$1.2M

$34.1K NT$1.1M

3.56%

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

$22.2K NT$725.0K

$23.5K NT$765.9K

-5.34%

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

$122 NT$3,981

$64.7 NT$2,108

88.85%

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

$14.52 NT$473

$17.55 NT$572

-17.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.46 NT$667

$26.76 NT$872

-23.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.28 NT$1,020

$30.55 NT$996

2.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 NT$372

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 NT$333

$9.62 NT$314

6.24%

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

$326 NT$10.6K

$712 NT$23.2K

-54.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K NT$536.4K

$16.1K NT$525.9K

2.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 NT$2,340

$62.2 NT$2,027

15.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.78 NT$1,167

$39.01 NT$1,272

-8.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 NT$2,662

$82.8 NT$2,698

-1.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NT$3,610

$102 NT$3,317

8.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$382 NT$12.5K

$374 NT$12.2K

2.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 NT$8,667

$244 NT$7,940

9.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 NT$38.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 NT$24.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,811 NT$189.5K

$3,070 NT$100.1K

89.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,266 NT$139.1K

$1,843 NT$60.1K

131.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,400 NT$45.6K

$2,038 NT$66.4K

-31.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

2.4

-5.42%

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

Last update for Taichung: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiayi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taichung

$368 33.1%

Chiayi

$372 35.7% 1.1% $3.9

Accommodation & Living

Taichung

$266 23.9%

Chiayi

$244 23.4% 8.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taichung

$157 14.1%

Chiayi

$109 10.5% 30.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Taichung

$135 12.1%

Chiayi

$129 12.4% 4.7% $6.4

Eating Out

Taichung

$106 9.6%

Chiayi

$121 11.7% 14.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Taichung

$52 4.7%

Chiayi

$50 4.8% 3.8% $1.9

Getting Around

Taichung

$28 2.5%

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6% 40.1% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $382 in Taichung and $374 in Chiayi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiayi pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31 in Taichung vs $46 in Chiayi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $372 per month, with Taichung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taichung

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🕒 Local time

20:13 8:13 PM

Same time as Taichung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,767,239

269,874

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Taichung Chiayi 78 km

From you

Taichung
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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

Taichung vs Chiayi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiayi wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Taichung. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiayi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Taichung. 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: $382 in Taichung versus $374 in Chiayi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $326 in Taichung versus $712 in Chiayi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Taichung – a meal for two runs $31 versus $46 in Chiayi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Chiayi is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Safety-wise, Taichung and Chiayi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.