Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tainan and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Tainan: $1,068 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 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
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Tainan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,068

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tainan and in Sydney

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

A single person spends $1,068 per month in Tainan vs $3,152 in Sydney, rent included.

Tainan $1,068
Sydney $3,152

A couple spends around $1,837 per month in Tainan vs $4,710 in Sydney, rent included.

Tainan $1,837
Sydney $4,710

A family of three spends $2,606 per month in Tainan vs $6,268 in Sydney, rent included.

Tainan $2,606
Sydney $6,268

Tainan is about 66% cheaper than Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tainan sits 21% below the global median, while Sydney is 133% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 NT$121

$17.57 A$25.29

-78.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.62 NT$799

$91.5 A$132

-73.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 NT$155

$11.96 A$17.21

-59.95%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NT$106

$4.07 A$5.85

-19.66%

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

$0.95 NT$30.66

$2.85 A$4.10

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 NT$20.54

$2.25 A$3.24

-72.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.6

$7.60 A$10.94

-62.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 NT$113

$7.43 A$10.69

-53.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 NT$100

$1.66 A$2.38

86.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 NT$57.5

$2.78 A$4.00

-36.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 NT$102

$2.42 A$3.49

30.17%

Eggs

$2.75 NT$89.3

$5.64 A$8.12

-51.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.50 NT$632

$11.71 A$16.85

66.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.88 NT$320

$9.66 A$13.89

2.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.04 NT$682

$16.75 A$24.10

25.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 NT$161

$4.07 A$5.85

21.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$3.25 A$4.68

-12.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NT$97.4

$3.44 A$4.96

-12.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 NT$145

$4.28 A$6.16

4.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 NT$86.4

$3.28 A$4.72

-18.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 NT$73.6

$2.30 A$3.30

-1.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 NT$55.3

$2.30 A$3.31

-25.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NT$37.31

$1.21 A$1.74

-4.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 NT$124

$43.71 A$62.9

-91.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.94 NT$452

$13.88 A$19.97

0.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 NT$53.4

$3.90 A$5.62

-57.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 NT$70.3

$3.91 A$5.63

-44.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.68

$3.04 A$4.38

-79.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.89 NT$1,099

$150 A$216

-77.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 NT$82.2

$3.38 A$4.86

-25.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 NT$24.92

$1.56 A$2.24

-50.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 NT$186

$40.01 A$57.6

-85.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 NT$32.90

$1.40 A$2.01

-27.86%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$29.1K A$41.9K

12.63%

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

$24.1K NT$780.6K

$30.1K A$43.4K

-20.11%

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

$87.2 NT$2,828

$223 A$320

-60.82%

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

$17.51 NT$568

$27.16 A$39.08

-35.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.30 NT$691

$55.8 A$80.3

-61.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.65 NT$1,480

$74.6 A$107

-38.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 NT$311

$17.56 A$25.27

-45.33%

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

$433 NT$14.1K

$2,196 A$3,160

-80.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,413 NT$175.5K

$28.2K A$40.6K

-80.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 NT$2,050

$78.4 A$113

-19.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.20 NT$1,271

$68.4 A$98.5

-42.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.7 NT$2,716

$111 A$160

-24.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NT$3,353

$134 A$193

-23.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 NT$9,624

$2,500 A$3,598

-88.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 NT$6,470

$1,709 A$2,460

-88.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 NT$27.4K

$4,946 A$7,117

-82.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 NT$22.6K

$3,022 A$4,349

-76.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,123 NT$133.7K

$13.2K A$18.9K

-68.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,022 NT$98.0K

$8,370 A$12.0K

-63.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,376 NT$44.6K

$4,113 A$5,919

-66.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

5.84

-58.90%

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

Last update for Tainan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tainan

$393 36.9%

Sydney

$379 12% 3.8% $15

Accommodation & Living

Tainan

$200 18.7%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2% 757% $1.5K

Clothing & Footwear

Tainan

$130 12.2%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 35.6% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tainan

$126 11.8%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 143% $180

Eating Out

Tainan

$111 10.4%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 169% $187

Sport & Entertainment

Tainan

$65 6.1%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 69.2% $45

Getting Around

Tainan

$43 4%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 307% $131

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $297 in Tainan versus $2,500 in Sydney. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 199% higher in Sydney, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Tainan versus $91.0 in Sydney. Groceries tell a different story – $393 in Tainan vs $379 in Sydney – so Sydney wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Tainan

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

09:27 9:27 AM

12:27 12:27 PM

3 h ahead of Tainan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,886,033

4,840,600

💱 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 Sydney 7,120 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tainan
Sydney

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 Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,068 in Tainan, $3,152 in Sydney – roughly 195% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,602 per month in Tainan and $4,728 in Sydney. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tainan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Tainan and $91.0 in Sydney. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,068 in Tainan and $3,152 in Sydney. That's a gap of about 195%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tainan, where all-in costs run around $1,068, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Tainan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tainan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Tainan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.