Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Yilan

For one person, living is cheaper in Yilan: $984 a month against $1,112 in Taichung, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Yilan
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Yilan Living Index

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Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,112

/mo nomad

Yilan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taichung and in Yilan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,112 in Taichung versus $984 in Yilan.

Taichung $1,112
Yilan $984

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,856 in Taichung versus $1,699 in Yilan.

Taichung $1,856
Yilan $1,699

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,601 in Taichung versus $2,413 in Yilan.

Taichung $2,601
Yilan $2,413

Living in Taichung is roughly 13% more expensive than in Yilan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taichung 18% lower, Yilan 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 NT$153

$3.43 NT$112

36.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.30 NT$1,021

$29.68 NT$968

5.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.64 NT$151

$4.84 NT$158

-4.13%

Cappuccino

$2.89 NT$94.4

$2.86 NT$93.2

1.05%

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

$1.03 NT$33.52

$0.99 NT$32.29

4.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 NT$24.62

$0.69 NT$22.42

10.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.50 NT$48.83

$1.47 NT$47.96

2.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 NT$86.8

$2.57 NT$83.7

3.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.08 NT$101

$3.07 NT$100

0.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 NT$53.7

$1.74 NT$56.7

-5.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 NT$84.3

$2.65 NT$86.4

-2.26%

Eggs

$2.54 NT$82.9

$2.52 NT$82.0

0.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.53 NT$930

$28.23 NT$920

1.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 NT$253

$7.94 NT$259

-2.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.59 NT$541

$16.10 NT$525

3.04%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 NT$137

$4.31 NT$140

-2.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 NT$63.2

$1.83 NT$59.8

6.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 NT$98.2

$2.95 NT$96.2

2.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 NT$69.5

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 NT$39.53

$1.20 NT$39.13

0.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 NT$63.0

$1.94 NT$63.4

-0.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 NT$73.5

$2.35 NT$76.5

-4.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 NT$29.05

$0.88 NT$28.81

1.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 NT$124

$3.74 NT$122

1.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 NT$492

$15.68 NT$511

-3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 NT$52.0

$1.36 NT$44.45

17.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 NT$79.1

$2.50 NT$81.7

-2.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 NT$20.59

$0.76 NT$24.75

-17.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.67 NT$609

$33.33 NT$1,087

-43.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 NT$84.0

$2.69 NT$87.6

-4.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 NT$29.30

$0.95 NT$31.09

-5.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.19 NT$300

$9.33 NT$304

-1.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 NT$33.92

$0.95 NT$30.96

9.47%

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

$35.3K NT$1.2M

$25.1K NT$817.2K

40.77%

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

$22.2K NT$725.0K

$19.1K NT$621.9K

16.57%

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

$122 NT$3,981

$45.67 NT$1,489

167.37%

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

$14.52 NT$473

$14.60 NT$476

-0.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.46 NT$667

$20.72 NT$676

-1.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.28 NT$1,020

$30.18 NT$984

3.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 NT$372

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 NT$333

$7.76 NT$253

31.70%

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

$326 NT$10.6K

$329 NT$10.7K

-0.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K NT$536.4K

$16.1K NT$525.0K

2.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 NT$2,340

$54.4 NT$1,773

31.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.78 NT$1,167

$30.53 NT$995

17.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 NT$2,662

$84.1 NT$2,742

-2.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NT$3,610

$61.7 NT$2,013

79.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$382 NT$12.5K

$264 NT$8,607

44.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 NT$8,667

$247 NT$8,066

7.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 NT$38.7K

$1,047 NT$34.1K

13.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 NT$24.1K

$722 NT$23.5K

2.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,811 NT$189.5K

$7,590 NT$247.5K

-23.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,266 NT$139.1K

$4,807 NT$156.7K

-11.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,400 NT$45.6K

$1,016 NT$33.1K

37.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

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

Last update for Taichung: October 25, 2026

Last update for Yilan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taichung

$368 33.1%

Yilan

$367 37.3% 0.1% $0.5

Accommodation & Living

Taichung

$266 23.9%

Yilan

$247 25.1% 6.9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taichung

$157 14.1%

Yilan

$81 8.2% 48.4% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Taichung

$135 12.1%

Yilan

$104 10.6% 23.1% $31

Eating Out

Taichung

$106 9.6%

Yilan

$95 9.7% 10.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Taichung

$52 4.7%

Yilan

$46 4.6% 11.6% $6

Getting Around

Taichung

$28 2.5%

Yilan

$44 4.5% 55% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $382 in Taichung and $264 in Yilan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taichung pays 38% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $31 in Taichung vs $30 in Yilan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $367 per month, with Yilan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taichung

🇹🇼 Yilan

🕒 Local time

05:13 5:13 AM

Same time as Taichung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,767,239

95,907

💱 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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Taichung Yilan 130 km

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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 Yilan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yilan wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Taichung. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Yilan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 38% 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 $264 in Yilan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $326 in Taichung versus $329 in Yilan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Yilan – a meal for two runs $30 versus $31 in Taichung. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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