Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Taichung: $1,143 a month against $2,203 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,143

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taichung and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,143 in Taichung versus $2,203 in Lisbon.

Taichung $1,143
Lisbon $2,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,887 in Taichung versus $3,237 in Lisbon.

Taichung $1,887
Lisbon $3,237

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,631 in Taichung versus $4,272 in Lisbon.

Taichung $2,631
Lisbon $4,272

Living in Taichung costs roughly 48% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Taichung is 15% below, Lisbon is 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.68 NT$149

$17.01 €15.18

-72.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.12 NT$1,025

$62.7 €56.0

-48.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 NT$155

$11.42 €10.19

-57.53%

Cappuccino

$2.75 NT$87.6

$3.09 €2.76

-11.00%

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

$1.03 NT$32.80

$2.37 €2.11

-56.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 NT$23.56

$1.66 €1.48

-55.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.56 NT$49.69

$3.46 €3.09

-54.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 NT$88.7

$3.29 €2.93

-15.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.27 NT$104

$1.17 €1.04

179.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 NT$56.2

$1.87 €1.66

-5.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 NT$84.7

$1.52 €1.36

75.00%

Eggs

$2.62 NT$83.7

$3.88 €3.46

-32.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.33 NT$936

$12.87 €11.49

127.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.13 NT$259

$7.94 €7.08

2.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.14 NT$547

$17.63 €15.73

-2.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 NT$135

$2.26 €2.01

86.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 NT$61.3

$1.76 €1.57

9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 NT$95.3

$1.88 €1.68

59.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 NT$68.6

$2.47 €2.20

-12.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 NT$38.28

$1.86 €1.66

-35.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 NT$62.9

$2.07 €1.85

-4.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 NT$76.7

$1.39 €1.24

72.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 NT$28.80

$0.81 €0.73

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 NT$120

$6.89 €6.15

-45.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.53 NT$495

$5.53 €4.93

180.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 NT$52.3

$1.33 €1.19

23.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 NT$78.8

$2.17 €1.93

13.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 NT$23.05

$2.24 €2.00

-67.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.97 NT$1,020

$45.14 €40.29

-29.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 NT$86.1

$4.00 €3.57

-32.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 NT$29.49

$1.07 €0.95

-14.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.61 NT$307

$16.53 €14.75

-41.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$32.76

$2.26 €2.02

-54.42%

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

$33.0K NT$1.1M

$33.5K €29.9K

-1.42%

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

$22.7K NT$725.9K

$40.5K €36.1K

-43.80%

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

$127 NT$4,037

$164 €146

-22.67%

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

$14.84 NT$474

$18.54 €16.55

-19.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.00 NT$670

$33.21 €29.64

-36.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.96 NT$1,052

$46.01 €41.06

-28.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.63 NT$371

$18.80 €16.78

-38.14%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 NT$320

$9.47 €8.45

5.81%

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

$347 NT$11.1K

$690 €615

-49.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K NT$537.2K

$16.9K €15.0K

-0.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 NT$2,314

$105 €93.4

-30.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.93 NT$1,147

$45.27 €40.40

-20.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 NT$2,738

$99.0 €88.3

-13.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 NT$3,727

$124 €111

-5.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 NT$12.6K

$1,583 €1,413

-75.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 NT$8,722

$1,209 €1,079

-77.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 NT$38.8K

$2,833 €2,528

-57.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 NT$24.7K

$1,964 €1,753

-60.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,642 NT$275.8K

$7,643 €6,821

13.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,368 NT$171.3K

$4,431 €3,954

21.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,432 NT$45.7K

$1,573 €1,403

-8.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

3.79

-40.11%

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

Last update for Taichung: October 4, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taichung

$379 32.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.1% 28.2% $107

Accommodation & Living

Taichung

$273 23.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 54% 342% $936

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taichung

$162 14.1%

Lisbon

$215 9.6% 32.6% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Taichung

$140 12.1%

Lisbon

$168 7.5% 19.9% $28

Eating Out

Taichung

$105 9.1%

Lisbon

$247 11% 135% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Taichung

$53 4.6%

Lisbon

$65 2.9% 22.5% $12

Getting Around

Taichung

$42 3.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 50.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $396 in Taichung and $1,583 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 10% 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 $63.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $379 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taichung

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

07:42 7:42 AM

7 h behind Taichung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,767,239

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.79 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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 = 35.79 TWD (100 TWD = 2.79 EUR).

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

USD to TWD in detail →

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Between locations

Taichung Lisbon 11,290 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taichung and Lisbon differ by about 93% in total monthly costs ($1,143 vs $2,203 including rent). Taichung is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Lisbon. 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 $1,583 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $347 in Taichung versus $690 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 39% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,143 in Taichung versus $2,203 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taichung but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. 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 Lisbon 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 93% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.