Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tainan and Taichung

For one person, living is cheaper in Tainan: $1,068 a month against $1,145 in Taichung, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Taichung outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

52

Cost of Living Index in Tainan
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Tainan Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index

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Tainan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,068

/mo nomad

Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,145

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tainan and in Taichung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,068 in Tainan versus $1,145 in Taichung.

Tainan $1,068
Taichung $1,145

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,837 in Tainan versus $1,901 in Taichung.

Tainan $1,837
Taichung $1,901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,606 in Tainan versus $2,657 in Taichung.

Tainan $2,606
Taichung $2,657

Living in Tainan costs roughly 7% less than in Taichung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tainan 21% lower, Taichung 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 NT$121

$4.67 NT$151

-19.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.62 NT$799

$31.15 NT$1,010

-20.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 NT$155

$4.60 NT$149

4.13%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NT$106

$2.71 NT$87.8

20.66%

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

$0.95 NT$30.66

$0.99 NT$31.98

-4.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 NT$20.54

$0.71 NT$23.04

-11.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.6

$1.58 NT$51.4

81.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 NT$113

$2.89 NT$93.6

20.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 NT$100

$3.14 NT$102

-1.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 NT$57.5

$1.74 NT$56.6

1.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 NT$102

$2.59 NT$84.0

21.62%

Eggs

$2.75 NT$89.3

$2.59 NT$83.9

6.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.50 NT$632

$28.15 NT$913

-30.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.88 NT$320

$7.89 NT$256

25.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.04 NT$682

$16.90 NT$548

24.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 NT$161

$4.22 NT$137

17.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$1.96 NT$63.4

45.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NT$97.4

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 NT$145

$2.16 NT$69.9

107.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 NT$86.4

$1.19 NT$38.55

123.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 NT$73.6

$1.89 NT$61.4

20.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 NT$55.3

$2.32 NT$75.1

-26.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NT$37.31

$0.91 NT$29.66

26.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 NT$124

$3.78 NT$122

0.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.94 NT$452

$15.59 NT$506

-10.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 NT$53.4

$1.57 NT$50.8

5.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 NT$70.3

$2.46 NT$79.8

-11.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.68

$0.67 NT$21.69

-8.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.89 NT$1,099

$31.36 NT$1,017

8.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 NT$82.2

$2.67 NT$86.7

-5.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 NT$24.92

$0.97 NT$31.57

-20.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 NT$186

$9.65 NT$313

-40.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 NT$32.90

$1.06 NT$34.36

-4.72%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$33.9K NT$1.1M

-3.35%

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

$24.1K NT$780.6K

$22.7K NT$735.4K

6.14%

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

$87.2 NT$2,828

$122 NT$3,945

-28.31%

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

$17.51 NT$568

$15.08 NT$489

16.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.30 NT$691

$21.01 NT$681

1.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.65 NT$1,480

$31.97 NT$1,037

42.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.54 NT$374

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 NT$311

$9.53 NT$309

0.73%

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

$433 NT$14.1K

$333 NT$10.8K

30.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,413 NT$175.5K

$16.6K NT$537.7K

-67.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 NT$2,050

$71.7 NT$2,326

-11.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.20 NT$1,271

$35.65 NT$1,156

9.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.7 NT$2,716

$83.4 NT$2,706

0.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NT$3,353

$116 NT$3,768

-11.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 NT$9,624

$391 NT$12.7K

-24.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 NT$6,470

$281 NT$9,111

-28.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 NT$27.4K

$1,218 NT$39.5K

-30.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 NT$22.6K

$758 NT$24.6K

-8.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,123 NT$133.7K

$8,582 NT$278.3K

-51.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,022 NT$98.0K

$5,309 NT$172.2K

-43.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,376 NT$44.6K

$1,443 NT$46.8K

-4.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

2.27

5.73%

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

Last update for Tainan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Taichung: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tainan

$393 36.9%

Taichung

$371 32.4% 5.6% $22

Accommodation & Living

Tainan

$200 18.7%

Taichung

$281 24.5% 40.8% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Tainan

$130 12.2%

Taichung

$138 12.1% 6% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tainan

$126 11.8%

Taichung

$158 13.8% 25.2% $32

Eating Out

Tainan

$111 10.4%

Taichung

$104 9.1% 6.3% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Tainan

$65 6.1%

Taichung

$51 4.5% 21.3% $14

Getting Around

Tainan

$43 4%

Taichung

$42 3.6% 2.6% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $297 in Tainan and $391 in Taichung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taichung pays 5% 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 $31.00 in Taichung. Groceries flip the comparison at $393 vs $371, with Taichung cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Tainan

🇹🇼 Taichung

🕒 Local time

07:21 7:21 AM

Same time as Tainan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,886,033

2,767,239

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 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

Tainan vs Taichung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tainan wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Taichung. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tainan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 5% 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: $297 in Tainan versus $391 in Taichung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tainan – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $31.00 in Taichung. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,068 per month in Tainan versus $1,145 in Taichung – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,068 in Tainan versus $1,145 in Taichung, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tainan but tight or insufficient in Taichung. 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 Taichung 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 7% less than in Taichung. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.