Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Taipei Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Taipei

🙂 Solo nomad: Taichung is 3.1% cheaper than Taipei without rent, and 19.6% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Taichung is 8.4% cheaper than Taipei without rent, and 13.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Taichung
Taipei
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.03 NT$160
$6.91 NT$219
-27.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.17 NT$957
$40.76 NT$1,292
-25.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.27 NT$167
$5.61 NT$178
-6.06%
Cappuccino
$2.96 NT$93.9
$3.80 NT$120
-22.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.16 NT$36.63
$1.12 NT$35.43
3.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 NT$24.94
$0.78 NT$24.89
1.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.09 NT$66.2
$3.41 NT$108
-38.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 NT$89.2
$3.48 NT$110
-19.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Taichung
Taipei
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.74 NT$119
$3.21 NT$102
16.51%
White Bread (500g)
$1.75 NT$55.4
$1.90 NT$60.3
-7.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.85 NT$90.4
$3.09 NT$97.9
-7.77%
Eggs
$3.14 NT$99.5
$2.78 NT$88.3
12.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$31.61 NT$1,002
$20.30 NT$644
55.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.12 NT$257
$10.16 NT$322
-20.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.54 NT$493
$20.02 NT$635
-22.38%
Apples (1kg)
$4.65 NT$148
$5.21 NT$165
-10.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.80 NT$57.0
$2.86 NT$90.6
-37.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.17 NT$68.9
$2.81 NT$89.1
-22.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.01 NT$95.4
$4.18 NT$133
-27.99%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 NT$41.92
$2.91 NT$92.3
-54.64%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 NT$61.4
$2.26 NT$71.6
-14.16%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.39 NT$75.9
$1.96 NT$62.1
21.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 NT$39.29
$1.33 NT$42.18
-6.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.02 NT$127
$3.95 NT$125
1.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.53 NT$493
$15.12 NT$480
2.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 NT$54.0
$1.81 NT$57.4
-6.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 NT$81.6
$2.44 NT$77.4
5.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Taichung
Taipei
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 NT$28.08
$0.84 NT$26.57
5.95%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.24 NT$927
$41.01 NT$1,300
-28.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.92 NT$92.6
$2.91 NT$92.2
0.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.19 NT$37.85
$0.78 NT$24.84
52.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.30 NT$326
$10.19 NT$323
1.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.06 NT$33.49
$1.02 NT$32.45
3.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K NT$1.1M
$37.9K NT$1.2M
-9.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.7K NT$815.4K
$27.3K NT$865.4K
-5.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taichung
Taipei
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$94.9 NT$3,010
$84.2 NT$2,670
12.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.97 NT$792
$19.21 NT$609
29.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.95 NT$696
$25.20 NT$799
-12.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Taichung
Taipei
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.08 NT$1,144
$40.90 NT$1,297
-11.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.11 NT$320
$13.60 NT$431
-25.66%
Cinema Ticket
$10.65 NT$338
$12.03 NT$382
-11.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Taichung
Taipei
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$354 NT$11.2K
$640 NT$20.3K
-44.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.8K NT$658.4K
$19.0K NT$602.4K
9.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Taichung
Taipei
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.5 NT$2,648
$59.6 NT$1,890
40.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.55 NT$1,096
$33.91 NT$1,075
1.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.9 NT$3,040
$94.1 NT$2,985
1.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$127 NT$4,020
$122 NT$3,861
4.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Taichung
Taipei
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$374 NT$11.9K
$791 NT$25.1K
-52.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$286 NT$9,081
$533 NT$16.9K
-46.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,025 NT$32.5K
$1,650 NT$52.3K
-37.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$726 NT$23.0K
$1,097 NT$34.8K
-33.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,928 NT$219.7K
$14.1K NT$448.5K
-51.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,922 NT$251.2K
$8,275 NT$262.4K
-4.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Taichung
Taipei
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,431 NT$45.4K
$1,649 NT$52.3K
-13.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.18
2.19
-0.46%

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

Last update for Taichung: March 1, 2026

Last update for Taipei: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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