Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Hua-lien

For one person, living is cheaper in Hua-lien: $1,076 a month against $1,145 in Taichung, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Hua-lien
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Hua-lien Living Index

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Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,145

/mo nomad

Hua-lien

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,076

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taichung and in Hua-lien

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 Hua-lien actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,145 in Taichung versus $1,076 in Hua-lien.

Taichung $1,145
Hua-lien $1,076

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,901 in Taichung versus $1,820 in Hua-lien.

Taichung $1,901
Hua-lien $1,820

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,657 in Taichung versus $2,563 in Hua-lien.

Taichung $2,657
Hua-lien $2,563

Living in Taichung is roughly 6% more expensive than in Hua-lien, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taichung 15% lower, Hua-lien 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.67 NT$151

$3.99 NT$129

17.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.15 NT$1,010

$28.74 NT$932

8.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.60 NT$149

$4.28 NT$139

7.48%

Cappuccino

$2.71 NT$87.8

$2.78 NT$90.3

-2.52%

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

$0.99 NT$31.98

$0.93 NT$30.01

6.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 NT$23.04

$0.56 NT$18.18

26.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 NT$51.4

$1.33 NT$43.12

18.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NT$93.6

$2.09 NT$67.6

38.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.14 NT$102

$2.93 NT$95.1

7.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 NT$56.6

$1.76 NT$56.9

-1.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 NT$84.0

$4.50 NT$146

-42.44%

Eggs

$2.59 NT$83.9

$1.98 NT$64.1

30.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.15 NT$913

$19.63 NT$636

43.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 NT$256

$6.20 NT$201

27.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.90 NT$548

$25.54 NT$828

-33.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 NT$137

$2.66 NT$86.3

58.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 NT$63.4

$2.50 NT$80.9

-21.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NT$97.4

$3.21 NT$104

-6.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 NT$69.9

$3.18 NT$103

-32.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 NT$38.55

$2.43 NT$78.7

-51.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 NT$61.4

$2.30 NT$74.6

-17.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 NT$75.1

$2.02 NT$65.5

14.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 NT$29.66

$0.98 NT$31.72

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 NT$122

$3.88 NT$126

-2.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.59 NT$506

$12.63 NT$410

23.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 NT$50.8

$1.91 NT$62.1

-17.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 NT$79.8

$2.35 NT$76.1

4.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 NT$21.69

$0.61 NT$19.64

9.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 NT$1,017

$36.66 NT$1,189

-14.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 NT$86.7

$3.08 NT$99.8

-13.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 NT$31.57

$0.31 NT$9.91

212.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.65 NT$313

$10.36 NT$336

-6.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 NT$34.36

$0.89 NT$28.98

19.10%

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

$33.9K NT$1.1M

$33.7K NT$1.1M

0.61%

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

$22.7K NT$735.4K

$26.6K NT$862.6K

-14.74%

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

$122 NT$3,945

$103 NT$3,332

18.38%

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

$15.08 NT$489

$19.48 NT$632

-22.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.01 NT$681

$12.54 NT$407

67.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.97 NT$1,037

$36.61 NT$1,187

-12.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.54 NT$374

Cinema Ticket

$9.53 NT$309

$10.12 NT$328

-5.83%

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

$333 NT$10.8K

$767 NT$24.9K

-56.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$537.7K

$16.4K NT$533.1K

0.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.7 NT$2,326

$57.1 NT$1,850

25.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.65 NT$1,156

$36.07 NT$1,170

-1.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 NT$2,706

$79.5 NT$2,576

5.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 NT$3,768

$107 NT$3,455

9.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 NT$12.7K

$404 NT$13.1K

-3.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$281 NT$9,111

$253 NT$8,204

11.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 NT$39.5K

$985 NT$31.9K

23.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 NT$24.6K

$740 NT$24.0K

2.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,582 NT$278.3K

$7,755 NT$251.5K

10.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,309 NT$172.2K

$4,989 NT$161.8K

6.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,443 NT$46.8K

$2,940 NT$95.3K

-50.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

2.13

6.57%

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

Last update for Taichung: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hua-lien: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taichung

$371 32.4%

Hua-lien

$368 34.2% 1% $3.9

Accommodation & Living

Taichung

$281 24.5%

Hua-lien

$253 23.5% 10% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taichung

$158 13.8%

Hua-lien

$135 12.5% 14.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Taichung

$138 12.1%

Hua-lien

$126 11.7% 9.1% $13

Eating Out

Taichung

$104 9.1%

Hua-lien

$95 8.8% 8.8% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Taichung

$51 4.5%

Hua-lien

$57 5.3% 11.4% $5.8

Getting Around

Taichung

$42 3.6%

Hua-lien

$44 4.1% 5.1% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $391 in Taichung and $404 in Hua-lien. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hua-lien pays 104% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31.00 in Taichung vs $29.00 in Hua-lien for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $371 vs $368 per month, with Hua-lien cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taichung

🇹🇼 Hua-lien

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

Same time as Taichung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,767,239

105,034

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Taichung Hua-lien 99 km

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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 Hua-lien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 104% lower in Hua-lien. 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: $391 in Taichung versus $404 in Hua-lien. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Taichung. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Hua-lien – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $31.00 in Taichung. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,076 in Hua-lien versus $1,145 in Taichung, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hua-lien but tight or insufficient in Taichung. The gap between the two cities makes Hua-lien 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 Hua-lien 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 Hua-lien gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Taichung. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.