Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Taichung: $1,143 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $24,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,143

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taichung and in Sydney

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

A single person spends $1,143 per month in Taichung vs $3,182 in Sydney, rent included.

Taichung $1,143
Sydney $3,182

A couple spends around $1,887 per month in Taichung vs $4,696 in Sydney, rent included.

Taichung $1,887
Sydney $4,696

A family of three spends $2,631 per month in Taichung vs $6,210 in Sydney, rent included.

Taichung $2,631
Sydney $6,210

Taichung is about 64% cheaper than Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Taichung sits 15% below the global median, while Sydney is 137% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.68 NT$149

$17.66 A$25.28

-73.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.12 NT$1,025

$97.1 A$139

-66.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 NT$155

$11.94 A$17.09

-59.38%

Cappuccino

$2.75 NT$87.6

$4.00 A$5.72

-31.25%

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

$1.03 NT$32.80

$2.84 A$4.06

-63.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 NT$23.56

$2.27 A$3.25

-67.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.56 NT$49.69

$7.89 A$11.29

-80.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 NT$88.7

$7.13 A$10.20

-61.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.27 NT$104

$1.66 A$2.38

96.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 NT$56.2

$2.79 A$4.00

-36.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 NT$84.7

$2.32 A$3.33

14.66%

Eggs

$2.62 NT$83.7

$5.53 A$7.92

-52.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.33 NT$936

$12.08 A$17.28

142.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.13 NT$259

$9.84 A$14.09

-17.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.14 NT$547

$16.61 A$23.78

3.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 NT$135

$4.02 A$5.76

4.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 NT$61.3

$3.15 A$4.51

-39.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 NT$95.3

$3.50 A$5.01

-14.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 NT$68.6

$4.47 A$6.39

-51.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 NT$38.28

$3.32 A$4.76

-63.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 NT$62.9

$2.30 A$3.30

-14.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 NT$76.7

$2.34 A$3.35

2.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 NT$28.80

$1.15 A$1.65

-21.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 NT$120

$45.02 A$64.4

-91.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.53 NT$495

$13.96 A$19.97

11.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 NT$52.3

$3.98 A$5.70

-58.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 NT$78.8

$4.07 A$5.82

-39.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 NT$23.05

$3.16 A$4.52

-77.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.97 NT$1,020

$150 A$215

-78.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 NT$86.1

$3.45 A$4.94

-21.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 NT$29.49

$1.63 A$2.33

-43.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.61 NT$307

$39.98 A$57.2

-75.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$32.76

$1.40 A$2.01

-26.43%

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

$33.0K NT$1.1M

$28.4K A$40.7K

16.23%

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

$22.7K NT$725.9K

$29.4K A$42.1K

-22.63%

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

$127 NT$4,037

$220 A$315

-42.47%

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

$14.84 NT$474

$27.70 A$39.64

-46.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.00 NT$670

$55.5 A$79.5

-62.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.96 NT$1,052

$74.3 A$106

-55.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.63 NT$371

$23.95 A$34.28

-51.44%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 NT$320

$17.73 A$25.37

-43.49%

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

$347 NT$11.1K

$2,157 A$3,087

-83.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K NT$537.2K

$28.3K A$40.5K

-40.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 NT$2,314

$78.4 A$112

-7.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.93 NT$1,147

$70.5 A$101

-49.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 NT$2,738

$111 A$159

-22.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 NT$3,727

$132 A$189

-11.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 NT$12.6K

$2,514 A$3,598

-84.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 NT$8,722

$1,732 A$2,478

-84.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 NT$38.8K

$4,889 A$6,996

-75.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 NT$24.7K

$3,039 A$4,349

-74.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,642 NT$275.8K

$13.2K A$18.9K

-34.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,368 NT$171.3K

$8,117 A$11.6K

-33.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,432 NT$45.7K

$4,082 A$5,842

-64.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

5.84

-61.13%

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

Last update for Taichung: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taichung

$379 32.8%

Sydney

$380 12% 0.4% $1.4

Accommodation & Living

Taichung

$273 23.7%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5% 534% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taichung

$162 14.1%

Sydney

$303 9.6% 86.7% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Taichung

$140 12.1%

Sydney

$176 5.6% 26% $36

Eating Out

Taichung

$105 9.1%

Sydney

$299 9.4% 184% $194

Sport & Entertainment

Taichung

$53 4.6%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 107% $57

Getting Around

Taichung

$42 3.7%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 313% $132

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $396 in Taichung versus $2,514 in Sydney. 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 185% higher in Sydney, 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 $32.00 in Taichung versus $97.0 in Sydney. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $380 – making Taichung the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taichung

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

15:03 3:03 PM

18:03 6:03 PM

3 h ahead of Taichung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,767,239

4,840,600

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.79 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.79 TWD (100 TWD = 2.79 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

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Between locations

Taichung Sydney 7,220 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Taichung
Sydney

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 Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,143 in Taichung, $3,182 in Sydney – roughly 178% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,714 per month in Taichung and $4,774 in Sydney. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Taichung and $97.0 in Sydney. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,143 in Taichung and $3,182 in Sydney. That's a gap of about 178%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taichung, where all-in costs run around $1,143, than in Sydney at $3,182. In Taichung it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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