Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Taitung

For one person, living is cheaper in Taitung: $1,040 a month against $1,112 in Taichung, rent and utilities included – about $860 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Taitung
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Taitung Living Index

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Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,112

/mo nomad

Taitung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taichung and in Taitung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,112 in Taichung versus $1,040 in Taitung.

Taichung $1,112
Taitung $1,040

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,848 in Taichung versus $1,750 in Taitung.

Taichung $1,848
Taitung $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,584 in Taichung versus $2,460 in Taitung.

Taichung $2,584
Taitung $2,460

Living in Taichung is roughly 7% more expensive than in Taitung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taichung 18% lower, Taitung 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.49 NT$147

$3.71 NT$122

21.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.20 NT$991

$46.72 NT$1,533

-35.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.63 NT$152

$5.82 NT$191

-20.45%

Cappuccino

$2.80 NT$91.9

$3.26 NT$107

-14.11%

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

$0.98 NT$32.12

$0.87 NT$28.50

12.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 NT$24.34

$0.67 NT$22.01

10.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 NT$49.67

$2.95 NT$96.8

-48.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 NT$86.6

$3.60 NT$118

-26.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.23 NT$106

$2.92 NT$95.9

10.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 NT$56.5

$1.79 NT$58.8

-3.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 NT$84.2

$3.07 NT$101

-16.61%

Eggs

$2.53 NT$83.0

$2.19 NT$71.7

15.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.44 NT$933

$19.44 NT$638

46.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.71 NT$253

$3.59 NT$118

114.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.09 NT$528

$21.06 NT$691

-23.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.25 NT$139

$1.87 NT$61.3

127.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 NT$63.0

$2.69 NT$88.2

-28.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 NT$101

$1.80 NT$59.2

70.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 NT$70.2

$4.43 NT$145

-51.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 NT$39.63

$2.76 NT$90.5

-56.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 NT$61.0

$2.19 NT$71.9

-15.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 NT$75.2

$1.64 NT$53.8

39.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 NT$29.21

$1.12 NT$36.74

-20.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.66 NT$120

$3.82 NT$125

-4.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.47 NT$508

$13.98 NT$459

10.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 NT$50.0

$1.61 NT$52.8

-5.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 NT$79.2

$2.12 NT$69.7

13.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 NT$20.50

$0.60 NT$19.75

3.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.41 NT$604

$34.09 NT$1,119

-46.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 NT$86.4

$2.56 NT$84.0

2.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$24.56

$0.81 NT$26.52

-7.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.26 NT$304

$9.37 NT$308

-1.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$33.92

$0.95 NT$31.13

8.42%

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

$34.0K NT$1.1M

$33.9K NT$1.1M

0.48%

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

$22.9K NT$751.8K

$23.0K NT$755.2K

-0.44%

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

$122 NT$3,990

$85.2 NT$2,795

42.75%

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

$14.50 NT$476

$17.57 NT$577

-17.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.56 NT$675

$26.85 NT$881

-23.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.13 NT$1,022

$35.26 NT$1,157

-11.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.34 NT$372

Cinema Ticket

$10.11 NT$332

$9.08 NT$298

11.34%

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

$337 NT$11.1K

$572 NT$18.8K

-41.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K NT$680.9K

$23.5K NT$771.6K

-11.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.5 NT$2,280

$27.39 NT$899

153.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.94 NT$1,147

$15.30 NT$502

128.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 NT$2,710

$48.97 NT$1,607

68.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 NT$3,682

$104 NT$3,408

8.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$384 NT$12.6K

$406 NT$13.3K

-5.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 NT$8,887

$277 NT$9,076

-2.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 NT$38.4K

$1,140 NT$37.4K

2.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$737 NT$24.2K

$691 NT$22.7K

6.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,799 NT$190.3K

$5,806 NT$190.6K

-0.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,113 NT$135.0K

$3,826 NT$125.6K

7.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,387 NT$45.5K

$613 NT$20.1K

126.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

2.37

-4.22%

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

Last update for Taichung: November 1, 2026

Last update for Taitung: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taichung

$368 33.1%

Taitung

$335 32.2% 8.9% $33

Accommodation & Living

Taichung

$271 24.4%

Taitung

$277 26.6% 2.1% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taichung

$157 14.1%

Taitung

$130 12.5% 17.3% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Taichung

$135 12.1%

Taitung

$88 8.5% 34.7% $47

Eating Out

Taichung

$103 9.3%

Taitung

$114 11% 10.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Taichung

$51 4.6%

Taitung

$53 5.1% 4.1% $2.1

Getting Around

Taichung

$27 2.5%

Taitung

$43 4.1% 57.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $384 in Taichung and $406 in Taitung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taichung pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Taichung vs $47 in Taitung. Groceries flip the comparison at $368 vs $335, with Taitung cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taichung

🇹🇼 Taitung

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

Same time as Taichung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,767,239

106,368

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.05 USD

100 TWD = 2.71 EUR

100 TWD = 3.05 USD

100 TWD = 2.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Taichung Taitung 160 km

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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 Taitung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taitung wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Taichung. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Taitung the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Taichung is about 2.3 times higher, 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: $384 in Taichung versus $406 in Taitung. 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 $30 versus $47 in Taitung. 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 $1,040 in Taitung – Taitung is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Taitung gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

It comes down to priorities – Taitung wins on affordability, Taichung on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.