Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tainan and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Tainan: $1,068 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Tainan
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Tainan Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Tainan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,068

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tainan and in Melbourne

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tainan and in Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,068 in Tainan versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Tainan $1,068
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,837 in Tainan versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Tainan $1,837
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,606 in Tainan versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Tainan $2,606
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Tainan costs roughly 62% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tainan is 21% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 NT$121

$17.43 A$25.08

-78.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.62 NT$799

$84.6 A$122

-70.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 NT$155

$12.46 A$17.92

-61.56%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NT$106

$4.11 A$5.91

-20.44%

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

$0.95 NT$30.66

$3.06 A$4.40

-68.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 NT$20.54

$2.52 A$3.62

-75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.6

$9.80 A$14.10

-70.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 NT$113

$8.57 A$12.33

-59.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 NT$100

$1.48 A$2.14

108.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 NT$57.5

$2.94 A$4.23

-39.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 NT$102

$2.66 A$3.82

18.42%

Eggs

$2.75 NT$89.3

$5.54 A$7.97

-50.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.50 NT$632

$10.51 A$15.13

85.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.88 NT$320

$9.65 A$13.89

2.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.04 NT$682

$15.22 A$21.91

38.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 NT$161

$3.99 A$5.75

24.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$3.02 A$4.34

-5.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NT$97.4

$3.10 A$4.46

-3.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 NT$145

$4.82 A$6.93

-7.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 NT$86.4

$3.03 A$4.36

-12.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 NT$73.6

$2.44 A$3.52

-6.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 NT$55.3

$2.46 A$3.54

-30.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NT$37.31

$1.63 A$2.34

-29.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 NT$124

$44.07 A$63.4

-91.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.94 NT$452

$12.70 A$18.28

9.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 NT$53.4

$5.54 A$7.97

-70.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 NT$70.3

$5.23 A$7.52

-58.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.68

$3.74 A$5.38

-83.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.89 NT$1,099

$138 A$198

-75.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 NT$82.2

$4.51 A$6.50

-43.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 NT$24.92

$1.36 A$1.96

-43.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 NT$186

$30.45 A$43.81

-81.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 NT$32.90

$1.47 A$2.12

-31.29%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$29.0K A$41.7K

13.10%

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

$24.1K NT$780.6K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-9.08%

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

$87.2 NT$2,828

$234 A$336

-62.68%

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

$17.51 NT$568

$27.93 A$40.19

-37.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.30 NT$691

$55.7 A$80.2

-61.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.65 NT$1,480

$49.40 A$71.1

-7.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 NT$311

$15.09 A$21.72

-36.38%

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

$433 NT$14.1K

$2,371 A$3,412

-81.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,413 NT$175.5K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-82.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 NT$2,050

$80.0 A$115

-20.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.20 NT$1,271

$50.7 A$73.0

-22.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.7 NT$2,716

$121 A$174

-30.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NT$3,353

$130 A$188

-20.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 NT$9,624

$1,759 A$2,531

-83.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 NT$6,470

$1,390 A$2,000

-85.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 NT$27.4K

$3,494 A$5,027

-75.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 NT$22.6K

$2,493 A$3,588

-72.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,123 NT$133.7K

$6,926 A$9,967

-40.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,022 NT$98.0K

$6,445 A$9,274

-53.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,376 NT$44.6K

$4,383 A$6,307

-68.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

5.9

-59.32%

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

Last update for Tainan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tainan

$393 36.9%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 2.4% $9.4

Accommodation & Living

Tainan

$200 18.7%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 597% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Tainan

$130 12.2%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 31.8% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tainan

$126 11.8%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 152% $191

Eating Out

Tainan

$111 10.4%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 183% $203

Sport & Entertainment

Tainan

$65 6.1%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 22.7% $15

Getting Around

Tainan

$43 4%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 284% $121

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $297 in Tainan and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 218% 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: $25.00 in Tainan vs $85.0 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $393 vs $384, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Tainan

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

08:50 8:50 AM

11:50 11:50 AM

3 h ahead of Tainan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,886,033

5,031,195

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tainan Melbourne 7,240 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tainan
Melbourne

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

Tainan vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tainan and Melbourne differ by about 164% in total monthly costs ($1,068 vs $2,821 including rent). Tainan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 218% lower in Melbourne. 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: $297 in Tainan versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $433 in Tainan versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,068 in Tainan versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tainan but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Tainan 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, Tainan and Melbourne 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 Tainan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 164% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.