Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Miaoli

For one person, living is cheaper in Miaoli: $768 a month against $1,112 in Taichung, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Miaoli
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Miaoli Living Index

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Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,112

/mo nomad

Miaoli

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taichung and in Miaoli

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,112 in Taichung versus $768 in Miaoli.

Taichung $1,112
Miaoli $768

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,856 in Taichung versus $1,069 in Miaoli.

Taichung $1,856
Miaoli $1,069

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,601 in Taichung versus $1,370 in Miaoli.

Taichung $2,601
Miaoli $1,370

Living in Taichung is roughly 45% more expensive than in Miaoli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taichung 18% lower, Miaoli 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 NT$152

$2.53 NT$82.1

85.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.30 NT$1,015

$23.04 NT$747

35.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.64 NT$150

$4.69 NT$152

-1.07%

Cappuccino

$2.89 NT$93.9

$2.94 NT$95.4

-1.70%

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

$1.03 NT$33.34

$0.83 NT$26.77

24.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 NT$24.49

$0.55 NT$17.90

38.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.50 NT$48.56

$1.20 NT$38.81

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 NT$86.3

$1.28 NT$41.56

107.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.08 NT$100.0

$2.64 NT$85.6

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 NT$53.4

$1.22 NT$39.62

35.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 NT$83.9

$2.64 NT$85.7

-1.89%

Eggs

$2.54 NT$82.4

$2.05 NT$66.6

23.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.53 NT$925

$8.96 NT$290

218.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 NT$251

$7.43 NT$241

4.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.59 NT$538

$21.11 NT$685

-21.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 NT$137

$3.77 NT$122

11.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 NT$62.8

$1.96 NT$63.5

-1.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 NT$97.7

$2.91 NT$94.4

3.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 NT$69.1

$3.10 NT$101

-31.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 NT$39.31

$2.53 NT$81.9

-52.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 NT$62.7

$1.91 NT$61.8

1.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 NT$73.1

$2.20 NT$71.3

2.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 NT$28.89

$0.89 NT$29.00

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 NT$123

$3.86 NT$125

-1.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 NT$490

$10.90 NT$354

38.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 NT$51.7

$1.40 NT$45.44

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 NT$78.7

$2.10 NT$68.2

15.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 NT$20.48

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.67 NT$606

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 NT$83.5

$2.81 NT$91.2

-8.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 NT$29.13

$0.74 NT$23.97

21.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.19 NT$298

$7.07 NT$229

29.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 NT$33.74

$1.01 NT$32.81

2.97%

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

$35.3K NT$1.1M

$36.7K NT$1.2M

-3.80%

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

$22.2K NT$721.0K

$22.8K NT$738.9K

-2.43%

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

$122 NT$3,959

$68.0 NT$2,205

79.60%

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

$14.52 NT$471

$17.30 NT$561

-16.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.46 NT$663

$21.61 NT$701

-5.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.28 NT$1,014

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 NT$369

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 NT$332

$10.84 NT$351

-5.72%

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

$326 NT$10.6K

$508 NT$16.5K

-35.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K NT$533.5K

$30.8K NT$1.0M

-46.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 NT$2,327

$12.19 NT$395

488.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.78 NT$1,160

$23.87 NT$774

49.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 NT$2,647

$62.2 NT$2,016

31.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NT$3,590

$94.1 NT$3,052

17.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$382 NT$12.4K

$211 NT$6,840

81.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 NT$8,619

$156 NT$5,064

70.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 NT$38.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 NT$24.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,811 NT$188.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,266 NT$138.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,400 NT$45.4K

$2,374 NT$77.0K

-41.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

2.38

-4.62%

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

Last update for Taichung: October 25, 2026

Last update for Miaoli: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taichung

$368 33.1%

Miaoli

$306 39.9% 16.6% $61

Accommodation & Living

Taichung

$266 23.9%

Miaoli

$156 20.3% 41.2% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taichung

$157 14.1%

Miaoli

$107 13.9% 31.9% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Taichung

$135 12.1%

Miaoli

$87 11.3% 35.9% $48

Eating Out

Taichung

$106 9.6%

Miaoli

$84 10.9% 21.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Taichung

$52 4.7%

Miaoli

$22 * 2.8% 58.1% $30

Getting Around

Taichung

$28 2.5%

Miaoli

$6.5 * 0.9% 77% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $382 in Taichung and $211 in Miaoli. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Miaoli pays 70% 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 $23 in Miaoli for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $306 per month, with Miaoli cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taichung

🇹🇼 Miaoli

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

Same time as Taichung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,767,239

89,892

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Taichung Miaoli 48 km

From you

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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 Miaoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taichung and Miaoli differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($1,112 vs $768 including rent). Miaoli is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 41% 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 $211 in Miaoli. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Taichung. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,112 per month in Taichung versus $768 in Miaoli – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Safety-wise, Taichung and Miaoli are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.