Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Tainan

For one person, living is cheaper in Taichung: $1,112 a month against $1,148 in Tainan, rent and utilities included – about $430 less a year. The total is higher in Tainan despite lower rent and utilities.

54

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
Learn more

Taichung Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Tainan
Learn more

Tainan Living Index

Jump to prices

Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,112

/mo nomad

Tainan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taichung and in Tainan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,112 in Taichung versus $1,148 in Tainan.

Taichung $1,112
Tainan $1,148

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,856 in Taichung versus $1,985 in Tainan.

Taichung $1,856
Tainan $1,985

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,601 in Taichung versus $2,822 in Tainan.

Taichung $2,601
Tainan $2,822

Living in Taichung costs roughly 3% less than in Tainan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taichung 18% lower, Tainan 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 NT$152

$3.63 NT$118

29.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.30 NT$1,014

$25.03 NT$810

25.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.64 NT$150

$4.72 NT$153

-1.69%

Cappuccino

$2.89 NT$93.7

$3.09 NT$99.9

-6.47%

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

$1.03 NT$33.29

$1.35 NT$43.71

-23.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 NT$24.46

$0.82 NT$26.51

-7.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.50 NT$48.50

$3.06 NT$99.0

-50.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 NT$86.2

$3.33 NT$108

-20.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.08 NT$99.9

$3.00 NT$97.1

2.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 NT$53.4

$1.75 NT$56.7

-5.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 NT$83.8

$3.97 NT$129

-34.76%

Eggs

$2.54 NT$82.3

$2.90 NT$93.8

-12.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.53 NT$924

$21.70 NT$703

31.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 NT$251

$12.55 NT$406

-38.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.59 NT$537

$20.38 NT$660

-18.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 NT$136

$5.30 NT$172

-20.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 NT$62.7

$2.71 NT$87.8

-28.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 NT$97.6

$4.94 NT$160

-39.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 NT$69.0

$7.03 NT$228

-69.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 NT$39.26

$4.50 NT$146

-73.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 NT$62.6

$4.48 NT$145

-56.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 NT$73.0

$2.91 NT$94.1

-22.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 NT$28.86

$1.43 NT$46.33

-37.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 NT$123

$3.93 NT$127

-3.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 NT$489

$18.61 NT$603

-18.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 NT$51.7

$1.96 NT$63.4

-18.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 NT$78.6

$2.26 NT$73.2

7.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 NT$20.45

$0.54 NT$17.44

16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.67 NT$605

$19.90 NT$645

-6.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 NT$83.4

$2.58 NT$83.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 NT$29.10

$0.93 NT$30.24

-3.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.19 NT$298

$5.67 NT$184

62.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 NT$33.69

$1.01 NT$32.69

2.97%

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

$35.3K NT$1.1M

$35.9K NT$1.2M

-1.83%

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

$22.2K NT$720.0K

$23.0K NT$743.6K

-3.18%

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

$122 NT$3,954

$85.9 NT$2,781

42.20%

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

$14.52 NT$470

$17.17 NT$556

-15.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.46 NT$663

$20.75 NT$672

-1.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.28 NT$1,013

$44.23 NT$1,432

-29.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 NT$369

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 NT$331

$9.31 NT$302

9.77%

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

$326 NT$10.6K

$430 NT$13.9K

-24.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K NT$532.7K

$5,382 NT$174.3K

205.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 NT$2,324

$90.7 NT$2,938

-20.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.78 NT$1,159

$44.43 NT$1,439

-19.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 NT$2,644

$116 NT$3,747

-29.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NT$3,585

$121 NT$3,915

-8.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$382 NT$12.4K

$324 NT$10.5K

18.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 NT$8,608

$190 NT$6,140

40.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 NT$38.5K

$826 NT$26.8K

43.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 NT$23.9K

$707 NT$22.9K

4.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,811 NT$188.2K

$3,122 NT$101.1K

86.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,266 NT$138.1K

$2,148 NT$69.6K

98.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,400 NT$45.3K

$1,350 NT$43.7K

3.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

2.5

-9.20%

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

Last update for Taichung: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tainan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taichung

$368 33.1%

Tainan

$464 40.5% 26.3% $97

Accommodation & Living

Taichung

$266 23.9%

Tainan

$190 16.5% 28.7% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taichung

$157 14.1%

Tainan

$124 10.8% 21.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Taichung

$135 12.1%

Tainan

$167 14.6% 24% $32

Eating Out

Taichung

$106 9.6%

Tainan

$111 9.7% 4.4% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Taichung

$52 4.7%

Tainan

$63 5.5% 21.5% $11

Getting Around

Taichung

$28 2.5%

Tainan

$29 2.6% 3.7% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $382 in Taichung and $324 in Tainan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taichung pays 4% 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 $25 in Tainan. Groceries flip the comparison at $368 vs $464, with Taichung cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taichung

🇹🇼 Tainan

🕒 Local time

11:23 11:23 AM

Same time as Taichung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,767,239

1,886,033

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.09 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

100 TWD = 3.09 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taichung Tainan 140 km

From you

Taichung
Tainan

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 Tainan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taichung wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Tainan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Taichung the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Taichung, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $382 in Taichung versus $324 in Tainan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tainan – a meal for two runs $25 versus $31 in Taichung. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,112 per month in Taichung versus $1,148 in Tainan – Taichung is about 3% 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.

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