Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Messina

For one person, living is cheaper in Taichung: $1,112 a month against $1,379 in Messina, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Messina
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Messina Living Index

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Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,112

/mo nomad

Messina

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,379

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taichung and in Messina

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

A single person spends $1,112 per month in Taichung vs $1,379 in Messina, rent included.

Taichung $1,112
Messina $1,379

A couple spends around $1,856 per month in Taichung vs $2,392 in Messina, rent included.

Taichung $1,856
Messina $2,392

A family of three spends $2,601 per month in Taichung vs $3,404 in Messina, rent included.

Taichung $2,601
Messina $3,404

Taichung is about 19% cheaper than Messina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 NT$153

$16.90 €15.14

-72.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.30 NT$1,021

$67.8 €60.7

-53.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.64 NT$151

$12.41 €11.12

-62.61%

Cappuccino

$2.89 NT$94.4

$1.97 €1.77

46.70%

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

$1.03 NT$33.52

$2.36 €2.11

-56.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 NT$24.62

$1.19 €1.07

-36.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.50 NT$48.83

$4.55 €4.07

-67.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 NT$86.8

$3.33 €2.98

-20.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.08 NT$101

$1.30 €1.17

136.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 NT$53.7

$1.84 €1.65

-10.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 NT$84.3

$2.74 €2.45

-5.47%

Eggs

$2.54 NT$82.9

$2.89 €2.58

-12.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.53 NT$930

$14.49 €12.97

96.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 NT$253

$10.55 €9.45

-26.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.59 NT$541

$16.82 €15.06

-1.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 NT$137

$2.91 €2.61

44.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 NT$63.2

$1.65 €1.47

17.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 NT$98.2

$1.14 €1.02

164.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 NT$69.5

$3.40 €3.04

-37.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 NT$39.53

$0.65 €0.58

86.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 NT$63.0

$1.52 €1.36

26.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 NT$73.5

$1.42 €1.27

58.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 NT$29.05

$0.40 €0.36

122.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 NT$124

$6.87 €6.15

-44.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 NT$492

$5.75 €5.15

162.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 NT$52.0

$1.67 €1.50

-4.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 NT$79.1

$2.32 €2.08

4.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 NT$20.59

$1.65 €1.47

-61.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.67 NT$609

$41.21 €36.91

-54.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 NT$84.0

$5.72 €5.12

-54.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 NT$29.30

$1.14 €1.02

-21.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.19 NT$300

$38.73 €34.68

-76.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 NT$33.92

$2.05 €1.84

-49.27%

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

$35.3K NT$1.2M

$34.9K €31.3K

0.98%

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

$22.2K NT$725.0K

$31.2K €28.0K

-28.80%

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

$122 NT$3,981

$178 €159

-31.29%

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

$14.52 NT$473

$10.17 €9.11

42.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.46 NT$667

$25.62 €22.94

-20.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.28 NT$1,020

$46.70 €41.83

-33.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 NT$372

$16.57 €14.84

-31.26%

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 NT$333

$9.57 €8.58

6.79%

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

$326 NT$10.6K

$337 €302

-3.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K NT$536.4K

$5,512 €4,936

198.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 NT$2,340

$71.2 €63.8

0.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.78 NT$1,167

$30.95 €27.72

15.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 NT$2,662

$86.9 €77.8

-5.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NT$3,610

$125 €112

-11.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$382 NT$12.5K

$522 €468

-26.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 NT$8,667

$373 €334

-28.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 NT$38.7K

$1,199 €1,074

-0.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 NT$24.1K

$1,096 €981

-32.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,811 NT$189.5K

$2,011 €1,801

189.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,266 NT$139.1K

$1,655 €1,482

157.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,400 NT$45.6K

$1,675 €1,500

-16.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

3.39

-33.04%

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

Last update for Taichung: October 25, 2026

Last update for Messina: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taichung

$368 33.1%

Messina

$287 20.8% 22.1% $81

Accommodation & Living

Taichung

$266 23.9%

Messina

$373 27.1% 40.4% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taichung

$157 14.1%

Messina

$214 15.5% 35.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Taichung

$135 12.1%

Messina

$142 10.3% 4.8% $6.5

Eating Out

Taichung

$106 9.6%

Messina

$240 17.4% 126% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Taichung

$52 4.7%

Messina

$66 4.8% 27.3% $14

Getting Around

Taichung

$28 2.5%

Messina

$59 4.3% 110% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $382 in Taichung versus $522 in Messina. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 20% higher in Messina, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31 in Taichung versus $68 in Messina. Groceries tell a different story – $368 in Taichung vs $287 in Messina – so Messina wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taichung

🇮🇹 Messina

🕒 Local time

02:28 2:28 AM

19:28 7:28 PM

7 h behind Taichung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,767,239

217,734

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taichung Messina 9,580 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Taichung
Messina

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 Messina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Messina costs about 24% more than Taichung, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,667 per month in Taichung and $2,069 in Messina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taichung, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $382 there versus $522 in Messina.

Kindergarten costs $326 per month in Taichung and $337 in Messina. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 22% cheaper in Messina – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,112 in Taichung and $1,379 in Messina. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Taichung – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Taichung. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Messina makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.