Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Keelung

For one person, living is cheaper in Keelung: $932 a month against $1,112 in Taichung, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Keelung
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Keelung Living Index

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Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,112

/mo nomad

Keelung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taichung and in Keelung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,112 in Taichung versus $932 in Keelung.

Taichung $1,112
Keelung $932

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,856 in Taichung versus $1,652 in Keelung.

Taichung $1,856
Keelung $1,652

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,601 in Taichung versus $2,372 in Keelung.

Taichung $2,601
Keelung $2,372

Living in Taichung is roughly 19% more expensive than in Keelung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taichung 18% lower, Keelung 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 NT$153

$4.54 NT$148

3.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.30 NT$1,021

$31.22 NT$1,018

0.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.64 NT$151

$4.90 NT$160

-5.31%

Cappuccino

$2.89 NT$94.4

$2.81 NT$91.5

2.85%

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

$1.03 NT$33.52

$0.99 NT$32.15

4.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 NT$24.62

$0.70 NT$22.95

8.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.50 NT$48.83

$1.52 NT$49.44

-1.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 NT$86.8

$2.66 NT$86.6

Milk (1 liter)

$3.08 NT$101

$3.05 NT$99.4

0.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 NT$53.7

$1.42 NT$46.36

16.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 NT$84.3

$1.17 NT$38.08

121.37%

Eggs

$2.54 NT$82.9

$2.26 NT$73.7

12.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.53 NT$930

$28.14 NT$918

1.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 NT$253

$5.52 NT$180

40.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.59 NT$541

$16.09 NT$525

3.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 NT$137

$4.29 NT$140

-1.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 NT$63.2

$1.87 NT$61.1

3.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 NT$98.2

$3.06 NT$99.7

-1.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 NT$69.5

$2.10 NT$68.3

1.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 NT$39.53

$1.21 NT$39.50

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 NT$63.0

$1.93 NT$63.1

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 NT$73.5

$2.35 NT$76.6

-4.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 NT$29.05

$0.84 NT$27.50

5.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 NT$124

$3.70 NT$121

2.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 NT$492

$9.37 NT$305

61.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 NT$52.0

$1.07 NT$34.78

49.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 NT$79.1

$2.44 NT$79.4

-0.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 NT$20.59

$0.60 NT$19.44

5.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.67 NT$609

$34.32 NT$1,119

-45.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 NT$84.0

$2.55 NT$83.2

1.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 NT$29.30

$0.90 NT$29.44

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.19 NT$300

$9.37 NT$305

-1.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 NT$33.92

$1.03 NT$33.67

0.97%

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

$35.3K NT$1.2M

$35.3K NT$1.1M

0.07%

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

$22.2K NT$725.0K

$23.1K NT$752.3K

-3.63%

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

$122 NT$3,981

$40.48 NT$1,320

201.66%

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

$14.52 NT$473

$14.89 NT$485

-2.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.46 NT$667

$10.96 NT$358

86.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.28 NT$1,020

$34.53 NT$1,126

-9.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 NT$372

$30.95 NT$1,009

-63.20%

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 NT$333

$7.84 NT$256

30.36%

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

$326 NT$10.6K

$339 NT$11.0K

-3.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K NT$536.4K

$16.6K NT$542.2K

-1.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 NT$2,340

$71.5 NT$2,331

0.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.78 NT$1,167

$34.89 NT$1,137

2.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 NT$2,662

$45.95 NT$1,498

77.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NT$3,610

$31.00 NT$1,011

257.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$382 NT$12.5K

$403 NT$13.2K

-5.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 NT$8,667

$254 NT$8,292

4.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 NT$38.7K

$1,022 NT$33.3K

16.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 NT$24.1K

$747 NT$24.3K

-1.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,811 NT$189.5K

$3,319 NT$108.2K

75.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,266 NT$139.1K

$2,300 NT$75.0K

85.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,400 NT$45.6K

$2,427 NT$79.1K

-42.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

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

Last update for Taichung: October 25, 2026

Last update for Keelung: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taichung

$368 33.1%

Keelung

$330 35.4% 10.2% $38

Accommodation & Living

Taichung

$266 23.9%

Keelung

$254 27.3% 4.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taichung

$157 14.1%

Keelung

$66 7.1% 57.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Taichung

$135 12.1%

Keelung

$82 8.9% 38.9% $52

Eating Out

Taichung

$106 9.6%

Keelung

$104 11.2% 1.6% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Taichung

$52 4.7%

Keelung

$50 5.4% 3% $1.5

Getting Around

Taichung

$28 2.5%

Keelung

$44 4.7% 54.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $382 in Taichung and $403 in Keelung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Keelung pays 73% 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 $31 in Keelung. Groceries flip the comparison at $368 vs $330, with Keelung cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taichung

🇹🇼 Keelung

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

Same time as Taichung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,767,239

372,100

💱 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

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Taichung Keelung 150 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 Keelung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,112 in Taichung and $932 in Keelung, so Keelung is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 42% 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 $403 in Keelung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $326 in Taichung versus $339 in Keelung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Taichung runs roughly 46% less than in Keelung. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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