Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Taoyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Taichung: $1,112 a month against $1,183 in Taoyuan, rent and utilities included – about $850 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Taoyuan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

54

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Taoyuan
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Taoyuan Living Index

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Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,112

/mo nomad

Taoyuan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taichung and in Taoyuan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,112 in Taichung versus $1,183 in Taoyuan.

Taichung $1,112
Taoyuan $1,183

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,856 in Taichung versus $1,731 in Taoyuan.

Taichung $1,856
Taoyuan $1,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,601 in Taichung versus $2,278 in Taoyuan.

Taichung $2,601
Taoyuan $2,278

Living in Taichung costs roughly 6% less than in Taoyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taichung 18% lower, Taoyuan 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 NT$153

$4.13 NT$135

13.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.30 NT$1,021

$24.84 NT$810

26.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.64 NT$151

$5.46 NT$178

-15.02%

Cappuccino

$2.89 NT$94.4

$3.00 NT$97.8

-3.67%

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

$1.03 NT$33.52

$1.00 NT$32.66

3.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 NT$24.62

$0.69 NT$22.65

10.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.50 NT$48.83

$1.81 NT$58.9

-17.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 NT$86.8

$2.25 NT$73.3

18.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.08 NT$101

$2.76 NT$89.9

11.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 NT$53.7

$1.16 NT$37.73

42.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 NT$84.3

$2.58 NT$84.0

0.39%

Eggs

$2.54 NT$82.9

$2.14 NT$69.9

18.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.53 NT$930

$8.84 NT$288

222.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 NT$253

$7.14 NT$233

8.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.59 NT$541

$21.23 NT$692

-21.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 NT$137

$3.77 NT$123

11.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 NT$63.2

$1.94 NT$63.3

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 NT$98.2

$3.05 NT$99.4

-1.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 NT$69.5

$3.05 NT$99.5

-30.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 NT$39.53

$2.44 NT$79.5

-50.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 NT$63.0

$1.91 NT$62.2

1.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 NT$73.5

$2.29 NT$74.6

-1.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 NT$29.05

$0.87 NT$28.21

2.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 NT$124

$4.85 NT$158

-21.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 NT$492

$10.78 NT$351

40.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 NT$52.0

$1.48 NT$48.27

8.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 NT$79.1

$2.03 NT$66.3

19.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 NT$20.59

$0.52 NT$17.07

21.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.67 NT$609

$37.11 NT$1,210

-49.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 NT$84.0

$2.83 NT$92.3

-8.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 NT$29.30

$0.81 NT$26.32

11.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.19 NT$300

$6.89 NT$225

33.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 NT$33.92

$0.95 NT$31.03

9.47%

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

$35.3K NT$1.2M

$36.5K NT$1.2M

-3.29%

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

$22.2K NT$725.0K

$23.0K NT$748.9K

-3.19%

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

$122 NT$3,981

$66.9 NT$2,180

82.64%

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

$14.52 NT$473

$17.45 NT$569

-16.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.46 NT$667

$21.84 NT$712

-6.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.28 NT$1,020

$30.19 NT$984

3.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 NT$372

$7.09 NT$231

60.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 NT$333

$10.80 NT$352

-5.37%

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

$326 NT$10.6K

$521 NT$17.0K

-37.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K NT$536.4K

$31.3K NT$1.0M

-47.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 NT$2,340

$88.0 NT$2,871

-18.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.78 NT$1,167

$24.36 NT$794

46.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 NT$2,662

$83.0 NT$2,707

-1.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NT$3,610

$96.0 NT$3,129

15.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$382 NT$12.5K

$641 NT$20.9K

-40.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 NT$8,667

$437 NT$14.2K

-39.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 NT$38.7K

$777 NT$25.3K

52.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 NT$24.1K

$610 NT$19.9K

21.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,811 NT$189.5K

$6,226 NT$203.0K

-6.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,266 NT$139.1K

$4,079 NT$133.0K

4.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,400 NT$45.6K

$1,507 NT$49.1K

-7.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

2.38

-4.62%

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

Last update for Taichung: October 25, 2026

Last update for Taoyuan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taichung

$368 33.1%

Taoyuan

$306 25.8% 16.9% $62

Accommodation & Living

Taichung

$266 23.9%

Taoyuan

$437 36.9% 64.4% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taichung

$157 14.1%

Taoyuan

$106 9% 32.4% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Taichung

$135 12.1%

Taoyuan

$131 11.1% 2.8% $3.8

Eating Out

Taichung

$106 9.6%

Taoyuan

$106 8.9% 0.4% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Taichung

$52 4.7%

Taoyuan

$52 4.4% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Taichung

$28 2.5%

Taoyuan

$46 3.9% 63% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $382 in Taichung and $641 in Taoyuan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taoyuan pays 8% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $31 in Taichung vs $25 in Taoyuan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $306 per month, with Taoyuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taichung

🇹🇼 Taoyuan

🕒 Local time

03:39 3:39 AM

Same time as Taichung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,767,239

2,147,763

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 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 Taoyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taichung wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Taoyuan. 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 7% lower in Taichung. 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: $382 in Taichung versus $641 in Taoyuan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Taoyuan – 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 $1,183 in Taoyuan – Taichung is about 6% 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.

For families, Taichung is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Taoyuan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

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