Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Taichung: $1,145 a month against $1,368 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

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Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,145

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taichung and in Taipei

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,145 in Taichung versus $1,368 in Taipei.

Taichung $1,145
Taipei $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,901 in Taichung versus $2,202 in Taipei.

Taichung $1,901
Taipei $2,202

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,657 in Taichung versus $3,036 in Taipei.

Taichung $2,657
Taipei $3,036

Living in Taichung costs roughly 16% less than in Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Taichung is 15% below, Taipei is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.67 NT$151

$4.60 NT$149

1.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.15 NT$1,010

$47.13 NT$1,528

-33.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.60 NT$149

$5.58 NT$181

-17.56%

Cappuccino

$2.71 NT$87.8

$3.45 NT$112

-21.45%

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

$0.99 NT$31.98

$0.94 NT$30.61

5.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 NT$23.04

$0.67 NT$21.73

5.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 NT$51.4

$2.86 NT$92.7

-44.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NT$93.6

$3.70 NT$120

-21.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.14 NT$102

$3.12 NT$101

0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 NT$56.6

$1.97 NT$64.0

-11.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 NT$84.0

$3.16 NT$103

-18.04%

Eggs

$2.59 NT$83.9

$2.68 NT$86.9

-3.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.15 NT$913

$19.90 NT$645

41.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 NT$256

$9.85 NT$319

-19.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.90 NT$548

$21.51 NT$698

-21.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 NT$137

$4.85 NT$157

-12.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 NT$63.4

$3.25 NT$105

-39.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NT$97.4

$3.03 NT$98.2

-0.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 NT$69.9

$4.53 NT$147

-52.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 NT$38.55

$2.79 NT$90.4

-57.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 NT$61.4

$2.34 NT$75.9

-19.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 NT$75.1

$1.68 NT$54.5

38.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 NT$29.66

$1.10 NT$35.62

-17.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 NT$122

$3.80 NT$123

-0.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.59 NT$506

$14.17 NT$460

10.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 NT$50.8

$1.63 NT$53.0

-3.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 NT$79.8

$2.29 NT$74.3

7.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 NT$21.69

$0.65 NT$21.04

3.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 NT$1,017

$37.88 NT$1,228

-17.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 NT$86.7

$2.68 NT$86.8

-0.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 NT$31.57

$0.82 NT$26.55

18.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.65 NT$313

$9.17 NT$297

5.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 NT$34.36

$1.02 NT$32.93

3.92%

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

$33.9K NT$1.1M

$32.8K NT$1.1M

3.42%

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

$22.7K NT$735.4K

$24.5K NT$795.1K

-7.50%

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

$122 NT$3,945

$87.7 NT$2,843

38.74%

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

$15.08 NT$489

$17.28 NT$560

-12.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.01 NT$681

$27.38 NT$888

-23.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.97 NT$1,037

$40.32 NT$1,308

-20.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.54 NT$374

$15.94 NT$517

-27.60%

Cinema Ticket

$9.53 NT$309

$9.83 NT$319

-3.05%

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

$333 NT$10.8K

$663 NT$21.5K

-49.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$537.7K

$16.6K NT$538.4K

-0.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.7 NT$2,326

$62.4 NT$2,025

14.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.65 NT$1,156

$39.51 NT$1,281

-9.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 NT$2,706

$84.5 NT$2,740

-1.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 NT$3,768

$106 NT$3,424

10.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 NT$12.7K

$999 NT$32.4K

-60.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$281 NT$9,111

$473 NT$15.3K

-40.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 NT$39.5K

$1,565 NT$50.8K

-22.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 NT$24.6K

$948 NT$30.7K

-20.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,582 NT$278.3K

$11.9K NT$385.6K

-27.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,309 NT$172.2K

$7,306 NT$236.9K

-27.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,443 NT$46.8K

$1,760 NT$57.1K

-18.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

2.4

-5.42%

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

Last update for Taichung: October 11, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taichung

$371 32.4%

Taipei

$400 29.3% 7.8% $29

Accommodation & Living

Taichung

$281 24.5%

Taipei

$473 34.6% 68.5% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taichung

$158 13.8%

Taipei

$132 9.7% 16.1% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Taichung

$138 12.1%

Taipei

$131 9.6% 4.9% $6.7

Eating Out

Taichung

$104 9.1%

Taipei

$123 9% 18.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Taichung

$51 4.5%

Taipei

$60 4.4% 17.6% $9

Getting Around

Taichung

$42 3.6%

Taipei

$47 3.5% 13.6% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $391 in Taichung and $999 in Taipei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taipei pays 22% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $31.00 in Taichung vs $47.00 in Taipei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $371 vs $400 per month, with Taichung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taichung

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

22:24 10:24 PM

Same time as Taichung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,767,239

2,635,286 Capital

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taichung wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Taipei. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Taichung the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Taipei. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $391 in Taichung versus $999 in Taipei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Taichung – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $47.00 in Taipei. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,145 per month in Taichung versus $1,368 in Taipei – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,145 in Taichung versus $1,368 in Taipei, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taichung but tight or insufficient in Taipei. The gap between the two cities makes Taichung the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Taichung and Taipei are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Taichung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Taipei. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.