Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Pingtung city

For one person, living is cheaper in Pingtung city: $890 a month against $1,112 in Taichung, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Pingtung city
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Pingtung city Living Index

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Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,112

/mo nomad

Pingtung city

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$890

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taichung and in Pingtung 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 Pingtung city actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,112 per month in Taichung vs $890 in Pingtung city, rent included.

Taichung $1,112
Pingtung city $890

A couple spends around $1,856 per month in Taichung vs $1,441 in Pingtung city, rent included.

Taichung $1,856
Pingtung city $1,441

A family of three spends $2,601 per month in Taichung vs $1,993 in Pingtung city, rent included.

Taichung $2,601
Pingtung city $1,993

Taichung costs about 25% more than Pingtung city, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Taichung and Pingtung city are more affordable than the global median – Taichung 18% lower, Pingtung city 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 NT$153

$4.51 NT$147

3.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.30 NT$1,021

$30.78 NT$1,003

1.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.64 NT$151

$4.74 NT$154

-2.11%

Cappuccino

$2.89 NT$94.4

$2.95 NT$96.3

-2.03%

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

$1.03 NT$33.52

$1.02 NT$33.23

0.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 NT$24.62

$0.64 NT$20.76

18.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.50 NT$48.83

$1.46 NT$47.49

2.74%

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

$3.22 NT$105

-4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 NT$53.7

$1.87 NT$60.8

-11.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 NT$84.3

$2.54 NT$82.9

1.97%

Eggs

$2.54 NT$82.9

$2.55 NT$83.3

-0.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.53 NT$930

$15.44 NT$504

84.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 NT$253

$7.67 NT$250

1.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.59 NT$541

$14.97 NT$488

10.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 NT$137

$4.32 NT$141

-2.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 NT$63.2

$1.92 NT$62.7

1.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 NT$98.2

$2.53 NT$82.5

18.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 NT$69.5

$3.02 NT$98.6

-29.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 NT$39.53

$1.22 NT$39.81

-0.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 NT$63.0

$1.86 NT$60.8

3.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 NT$73.5

$2.26 NT$73.8

-0.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 NT$29.05

$0.84 NT$27.39

5.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 NT$124

$3.72 NT$121

1.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 NT$492

$15.66 NT$511

-3.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 NT$52.0

$1.54 NT$50.2

3.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 NT$79.1

$2.16 NT$70.6

12.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 NT$20.59

$0.48 NT$15.66

31.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.67 NT$609

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 NT$84.0

$2.63 NT$85.7

-1.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 NT$29.30

$0.80 NT$26.00

12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.19 NT$300

$6.25 NT$204

47.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 NT$33.92

$0.99 NT$32.36

5.05%

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

$35.3K NT$1.2M

$34.7K NT$1.1M

1.55%

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

$22.2K NT$725.0K

$22.2K NT$722.4K

0.36%

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

$122 NT$3,981

$108 NT$3,527

12.90%

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

$14.52 NT$473

$14.35 NT$468

1.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.46 NT$667

$25.28 NT$824

-19.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.28 NT$1,020

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 NT$372

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 NT$333

$9.96 NT$325

2.61%

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

$326 NT$10.6K

$328 NT$10.7K

-0.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K NT$536.4K

$13.6K NT$443.2K

21.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 NT$2,340

$69.5 NT$2,267

3.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.78 NT$1,167

$30.29 NT$988

18.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 NT$2,662

$80.8 NT$2,635

1.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NT$3,610

$100 NT$3,268

10.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$382 NT$12.5K

$243 NT$7,923

57.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 NT$8,667

$153 NT$5,000

73.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 NT$38.7K

$713 NT$23.2K

66.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 NT$24.1K

$372 NT$12.1K

98.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,811 NT$189.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,266 NT$139.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,400 NT$45.6K

$1,946 NT$63.4K

-28.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

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

Last update for Taichung: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pingtung city: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taichung

$368 33.1%

Pingtung city

$329 37% 10.5% $39

Accommodation & Living

Taichung

$266 23.9%

Pingtung city

$153 17.2% 42.3% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taichung

$157 14.1%

Pingtung city

$148 16.6% 5.9% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Taichung

$135 12.1%

Pingtung city

$126 14.2% 6.4% $8.6

Eating Out

Taichung

$106 9.6%

Pingtung city

$105 11.8% 1.5% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Taichung

$52 4.7%

Pingtung city

$20 * 2.2% 61.5% $32

Getting Around

Taichung

$28 2.5%

Pingtung city

$8.5 * 1% 69.8% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $382 in Taichung versus $243 in Pingtung city. 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 39% higher in Pingtung city, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31 in Taichung versus $31 in Pingtung city. Groceries tell a different story – $368 in Taichung vs $329 in Pingtung city – so Pingtung city wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taichung

🇹🇼 Pingtung city

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

Same time as Taichung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,767,239

201,644

💱 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 Pingtung city 170 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 Pingtung city: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,112 in Taichung, $890 in Pingtung city – Pingtung city comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,667 per month in Taichung and $1,334 in Pingtung city. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pingtung city, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $243 there versus $382 in Taichung.

Kindergarten costs $326 per month in Taichung and $328 in Pingtung city. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,112 in Taichung and $890 in Pingtung city. That makes Pingtung city about 20% cheaper.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.