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Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Messina Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Messina

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Taichung is 14.6% more expensive than Messina without rent, and 17.8% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Taichung is 18% cheaper than Messina without rent, and 12.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Taichung
Messina
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.10 NT$161
$13.84 โ‚ฌ11.93
-63.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.95 NT$946
$58.2 โ‚ฌ50.2
-48.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.43 NT$172
$11.44 โ‚ฌ9.86
-52.53%
Cappuccino
$3.00 NT$94.7
$2.01 โ‚ฌ1.74
49.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 NT$34.63
$2.21 โ‚ฌ1.91
-50.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 NT$26.93
$1.21 โ‚ฌ1.04
-29.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.07 NT$65.4
$3.40 โ‚ฌ2.93
-39.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 NT$88.9
$3.56 โ‚ฌ3.07
-21.07%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Taichung
Messina
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.86 NT$122
$1.39 โ‚ฌ1.20
177.70%
White Bread (500g)
$1.76 NT$55.5
$2.16 โ‚ฌ1.86
-18.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.72 NT$85.8
$2.62 โ‚ฌ2.26
3.82%
Eggs
$3.30 NT$104
$3.33 โ‚ฌ2.87
-0.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$31.25 NT$987
$9.62 โ‚ฌ8.29
224.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.37 NT$264
$10.22 โ‚ฌ8.81
-18.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.71 NT$496
$17.61 โ‚ฌ15.18
-10.79%
Apples (1kg)
$4.71 NT$149
$2.86 โ‚ฌ2.46
64.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.82 NT$57.6
$1.76 โ‚ฌ1.52
3.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.26 NT$71.2
$1.13 โ‚ฌ0.97
100.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.93 NT$92.6
$3.14 โ‚ฌ2.70
-6.69%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 NT$40.76
$0.67 โ‚ฌ0.57
92.54%
Onion (1kg)
$1.88 NT$59.3
$1.19 โ‚ฌ1.03
57.98%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.39 NT$75.4
$1.17 โ‚ฌ1.01
104.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 NT$40.48
$0.40 โ‚ฌ0.35
220.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.97 NT$126
$6.66 โ‚ฌ5.74
-40.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.03 NT$443
$5.88 โ‚ฌ5.07
138.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 NT$53.8
$1.56 โ‚ฌ1.35
8.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 NT$83.0
$2.37 โ‚ฌ2.04
10.97%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Taichung
Messina
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.86 NT$27.09
$1.79 โ‚ฌ1.54
-51.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.19 NT$922
$43.47 โ‚ฌ37.47
-32.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.90 NT$91.7
$4.55 โ‚ฌ3.92
-36.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.18 NT$37.29
$1.46 โ‚ฌ1.26
-19.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.04 NT$317
$46.97 โ‚ฌ40.49
-78.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.05 NT$33.09
$2.08 โ‚ฌ1.79
-49.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K NT$1.1M
$35.0K โ‚ฌ30.2K
-2.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.5K NT$805.0K
$28.9K โ‚ฌ24.9K
-11.84%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taichung
Messina
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$94.2 NT$2,974
$193 โ‚ฌ167
-51.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.59 NT$776
$14.63 โ‚ฌ12.61
68.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.93 NT$693
$26.70 โ‚ฌ23.01
-17.87%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Taichung
Messina
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.26 NT$1,145
$49.39 โ‚ฌ42.57
-26.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.32 NT$326
$17.52 โ‚ฌ15.11
-41.10%
Cinema Ticket
$10.69 NT$337
$9.61 โ‚ฌ8.28
11.24%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Taichung
Messina
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$356 NT$11.2K
$349 โ‚ฌ301
2.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.7K NT$652.7K
$10.7K โ‚ฌ9,198
93.70%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Taichung
Messina
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 NT$2,726
$89.4 โ‚ฌ77.1
-3.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.01 NT$1,105
$31.56 โ‚ฌ27.20
10.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.7 NT$2,959
$90.5 โ‚ฌ78.0
3.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$127 NT$4,024
$130 โ‚ฌ112
-2.14%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Taichung
Messina
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$382 NT$12.1K
$647 โ‚ฌ558
-41.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$289 NT$9,111
$471 โ‚ฌ406
-38.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,024 NT$32.3K
$1,015 โ‚ฌ875
0.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$732 NT$23.1K
$874 โ‚ฌ754
-16.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,965 NT$220.0K
$2,148 โ‚ฌ1,852
224.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,846 NT$247.8K
$1,725 โ‚ฌ1,487
354.92%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Taichung
Messina
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,449 NT$45.7K
$1,841 โ‚ฌ1,587
-21.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.18
4.72
-53.81%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Taichung: January 12, 2026

Last update for Messina: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
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