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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Taichung is 1.6% more expensive than Messina without rent, and 18% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Taichung is 15% cheaper than Messina without rent, and 15.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Taichung
Messina
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.16 NT$162
$13.69 โ‚ฌ11.61
-62.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.33 NT$954
$56.9 โ‚ฌ48.24
-46.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.57 NT$175
$11.56 โ‚ฌ9.80
-51.82%
Cappuccino
$3.03 NT$95.2
$2.01 โ‚ฌ1.71
50.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.15 NT$36.12
$2.30 โ‚ฌ1.95
-50.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 NT$26.18
$1.27 โ‚ฌ1.07
-34.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 NT$68.9
$3.37 โ‚ฌ2.85
-35.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.94 NT$92.6
$3.43 โ‚ฌ2.91
-14.29%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Taichung
Messina
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.84 NT$121
$1.33 โ‚ฌ1.13
188.72%
White Bread (500g)
$1.72 NT$54.0
$2.18 โ‚ฌ1.85
-21.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.77 NT$87.1
$2.70 โ‚ฌ2.29
2.59%
Eggs
$3.17 NT$99.9
$3.48 โ‚ฌ2.95
-8.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$31.24 NT$983
$9.89 โ‚ฌ8.38
215.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.34 NT$262
$10.30 โ‚ฌ8.73
-19.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.65 NT$493
$17.48 โ‚ฌ14.82
-10.47%
Apples (1kg)
$4.69 NT$148
$2.74 โ‚ฌ2.32
71.17%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 NT$57.0
$1.77 โ‚ฌ1.50
2.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 NT$68.8
$1.14 โ‚ฌ0.96
92.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.07 NT$96.7
$3.09 โ‚ฌ2.62
-0.65%
Potato (1kg)
$1.30 NT$40.78
$0.66 โ‚ฌ0.56
96.97%
Onion (1kg)
$1.96 NT$61.8
$1.25 โ‚ฌ1.06
56.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.29 NT$72.1
$1.14 โ‚ฌ0.96
100.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 NT$40.40
$0.41 โ‚ฌ0.34
212.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.10 NT$129
$6.47 โ‚ฌ5.49
-36.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.89 NT$500
$5.82 โ‚ฌ4.94
173.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 NT$52.3
$1.52 โ‚ฌ1.29
9.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 NT$79.5
$2.39 โ‚ฌ2.03
5.86%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Taichung
Messina
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 NT$27.69
$1.69 โ‚ฌ1.44
-47.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.32 NT$923
$43.65 โ‚ฌ37.01
-32.83%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.95 NT$92.9
$4.52 โ‚ฌ3.83
-34.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.19 NT$37.48
$1.47 โ‚ฌ1.24
-19.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.12 NT$319
$45.79 โ‚ฌ38.83
-77.90%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.01 NT$31.72
$1.98 โ‚ฌ1.68
-48.99%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K NT$1.1M
$35.4K โ‚ฌ30.0K
-3.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.4K NT$829.9K
$29.4K โ‚ฌ24.9K
-10.29%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taichung
Messina
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$94.3 NT$2,966
$192 โ‚ฌ162
-50.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.30 NT$765
$14.29 โ‚ฌ12.12
70.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.75 NT$685
$26.50 โ‚ฌ22.47
-17.92%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Taichung
Messina
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.14 NT$1,137
$49.40 โ‚ฌ41.89
-26.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.08 NT$317
$17.68 โ‚ฌ14.99
-42.99%
Cinema Ticket
$10.60 NT$334
$9.95 โ‚ฌ8.43
6.53%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Taichung
Messina
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$358 NT$11.3K
$354 โ‚ฌ300
1.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.8K NT$654.5K
$10.8K โ‚ฌ9,156
92.63%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Taichung
Messina
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.7 NT$2,634
$89.2 โ‚ฌ75.6
-6.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.37 NT$1,081
$31.75 โ‚ฌ26.92
8.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.8 NT$2,951
$91.5 โ‚ฌ77.6
2.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$129 NT$4,049
$129 โ‚ฌ109
0.07%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Taichung
Messina
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$379 NT$11.9K
$642 โ‚ฌ545
-41.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$291 NT$9,161
$466 โ‚ฌ395
-37.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,053 NT$33.1K
$1,015 โ‚ฌ861
3.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$735 NT$23.1K
$879 โ‚ฌ745
-16.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,082 NT$222.9K
$2,169 โ‚ฌ1,839
226.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,358 NT$168.6K
$1,742 โ‚ฌ1,477
207.61%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Taichung
Messina
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,494 NT$47.0K
$1,810 โ‚ฌ1,535
-17.47%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Messina: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities