Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and New Taipei City

For one person, living is cheaper in Taichung: $1,112 a month against $1,185 in New Taipei City, rent and utilities included – about $880 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
57

Cost of Living Index in New Taipei City
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New Taipei City Living Index

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Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,112

/mo nomad

New Taipei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taichung and in New Taipei City

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 New Taipei City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,112 in Taichung versus $1,185 in New Taipei City.

Taichung $1,112
New Taipei City $1,185

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,856 in Taichung versus $1,998 in New Taipei City.

Taichung $1,856
New Taipei City $1,998

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,601 in Taichung versus $2,810 in New Taipei City.

Taichung $2,601
New Taipei City $2,810

Living in Taichung costs roughly 6% less than in New Taipei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taichung 18% lower, New Taipei City 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 NT$153

$4.67 NT$152

0.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.30 NT$1,021

$30.83 NT$1,005

1.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.64 NT$151

$5.18 NT$169

-10.42%

Cappuccino

$2.89 NT$94.4

$2.31 NT$75.4

25.11%

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

$1.03 NT$33.52

$0.82 NT$26.80

25.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 NT$24.62

$0.53 NT$17.19

43.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.50 NT$48.83

$1.58 NT$51.7

-5.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 NT$86.8

$2.43 NT$79.3

9.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.08 NT$101

$3.13 NT$102

-1.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 NT$53.7

$1.85 NT$60.4

-10.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 NT$84.3

$2.13 NT$69.6

21.60%

Eggs

$2.54 NT$82.9

$2.15 NT$70.1

18.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.53 NT$930

$24.36 NT$794

17.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 NT$253

$10.65 NT$347

-27.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.59 NT$541

$18.90 NT$616

-12.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 NT$137

$4.01 NT$131

4.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 NT$63.2

$2.49 NT$81.2

-22.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 NT$98.2

$2.76 NT$89.9

9.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 NT$69.5

$4.01 NT$131

-46.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 NT$39.53

$3.96 NT$129

-69.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 NT$63.0

$2.08 NT$67.8

-7.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 NT$73.5

$1.59 NT$51.9

41.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 NT$29.05

$1.01 NT$32.93

-11.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 NT$124

$4.30 NT$140

-11.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 NT$492

$9.16 NT$299

64.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 NT$52.0

$1.36 NT$44.40

17.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 NT$79.1

$2.28 NT$74.3

6.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 NT$20.59

$0.63 NT$20.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.67 NT$609

$37.16 NT$1,212

-49.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 NT$84.0

$2.66 NT$86.7

-3.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 NT$29.30

$0.94 NT$30.71

-4.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.19 NT$300

$9.35 NT$305

-1.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 NT$33.92

$0.99 NT$32.28

5.05%

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

$35.3K NT$1.2M

$33.2K NT$1.1M

6.39%

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

$22.2K NT$725.0K

$23.6K NT$768.0K

-5.60%

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

$122 NT$3,981

$112 NT$3,650

9.09%

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

$14.52 NT$473

$16.63 NT$542

-12.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.46 NT$667

$23.01 NT$750

-11.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.28 NT$1,020

$37.65 NT$1,227

-16.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 NT$372

$7.72 NT$252

47.54%

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 NT$333

$10.65 NT$347

-4.04%

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

$326 NT$10.6K

$634 NT$20.7K

-48.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K NT$536.4K

$21.0K NT$683.8K

-21.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 NT$2,340

$35.02 NT$1,142

104.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.78 NT$1,167

$31.03 NT$1,012

15.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 NT$2,662

$89.3 NT$2,910

-8.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NT$3,610

$98.2 NT$3,202

12.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$382 NT$12.5K

$613 NT$20.0K

-37.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 NT$8,667

$335 NT$10.9K

-20.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 NT$38.7K

$1,377 NT$44.9K

-13.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 NT$24.1K

$920 NT$30.0K

-19.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,811 NT$189.5K

$10.2K NT$331.8K

-42.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,266 NT$139.1K

$5,980 NT$195.0K

-28.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,400 NT$45.6K

$1,359 NT$44.3K

2.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

2.81

-19.22%

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

Last update for Taichung: October 25, 2026

Last update for New Taipei City: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taichung

$368 33.1%

New Taipei City

$380 32.1% 3.4% $13

Accommodation & Living

Taichung

$266 23.9%

New Taipei City

$335 28.2% 25.9% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taichung

$157 14.1%

New Taipei City

$152 12.8% 3.5% $5.5

Clothing & Footwear

Taichung

$135 12.1%

New Taipei City

$114 9.6% 15.5% $21

Eating Out

Taichung

$106 9.6%

New Taipei City

$99 8.3% 6.9% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Taichung

$52 4.7%

New Taipei City

$59 5% 14% $7.2

Getting Around

Taichung

$28 2.5%

New Taipei City

$47 4% 66.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $382 in Taichung and $613 in New Taipei City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taichung pays 3% 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 $31 in New Taipei City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $380 per month, with Taichung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taichung

🇹🇼 New Taipei City

🕒 Local time

14:38 2:38 PM

Same time as Taichung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,767,239

4,004,367

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Taichung New Taipei City 110 km

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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 New Taipei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,112 in Taichung and $1,185 in New Taipei City, so Taichung is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,667 in Taichung and $1,778 in New Taipei City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $382 in Taichung versus $613 in New Taipei City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in New Taipei City. 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 $1,185 in New Taipei City – Taichung is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Taichung is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Taichung is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in New Taipei City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Taichung and New Taipei City are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.