Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,395 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,395

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,395 in Taipei versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Taipei $1,395
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,227 in Taipei versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Taipei $2,227
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,059 in Taipei versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Taipei $3,059
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Taipei costs roughly 48% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Taipei 4% above, Austin, TX 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.76 NT$152

$20.22 $20.22

-76.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.18 NT$1,538

$85.0 $85.0

-43.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.75 NT$184

$12.35 $12.35

-53.44%

Cappuccino

$3.49 NT$112

$5.47 $5.47

-36.20%

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

$0.88 NT$28.04

$3.82 $3.82

-76.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 NT$20.62

$2.50 $2.50

-74.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$91.4

$8.06 $8.06

-64.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 NT$117

$8.99 $8.99

-59.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 NT$98.6

$1.13 $1.13

173.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 NT$65.5

$3.78 $3.78

-45.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 NT$97.6

$3.25 $3.25

-5.85%

Eggs

$2.70 NT$86.1

$4.14 $4.14

-34.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.66 NT$628

$13.08 $13.08

50.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.83 NT$314

$14.31 $14.31

-31.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.11 NT$674

$15.96 $15.96

32.27%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 NT$162

$4.38 $4.38

15.98%

Banana (1kg)

$3.39 NT$108

$1.45 $1.45

133.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NT$95.9

$4.54 $4.54

-33.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 NT$146

$4.19 $4.19

8.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 NT$86.8

$2.63 $2.63

3.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 NT$72.9

$2.36 $2.36

-3.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$53.7

$1.76 $1.76

-4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NT$36.82

$2.16 $2.16

-46.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 NT$129

$9.81 $9.81

-58.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.32 NT$457

$14.72 $14.72

-2.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 NT$54.2

$2.78 $2.78

-38.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$73.0

$3.48 $3.48

-34.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.47

$1.49 $1.49

-59.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.47 NT$1,228

$40.51 $40.51

-5.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 NT$87.0

$2.67 $2.67

2.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$24.03

$1.58 $1.58

-52.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.59 NT$306

$35.29 $35.29

-72.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.57

$0.99 $0.99

3.03%

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

$34.1K NT$1.1M

$35.8K $35.8K

-4.80%

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

$24.2K NT$772.3K

$27.2K $27.2K

-10.98%

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

$86.4 NT$2,757

$219 $219

-60.61%

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

$17.12 NT$547

$58.0 $58.0

-70.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.06 NT$864

$68.4 $68.4

-60.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 NT$1,302

$57.9 $57.9

-29.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.04 NT$512

$14.82 $14.82

8.23%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 NT$307

$14.13 $14.13

-31.85%

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

$656 NT$20.9K

$1,509 $1,509

-56.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K NT$524.3K

$21.5K $21.5K

-23.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 NT$2,002

$51.7 $51.7

21.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.50 NT$1,261

$44.05 $44.05

-10.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 NT$2,678

$85.1 $85.1

-1.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,393

$105 $105

0.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 NT$32.4K

$1,932 $1,932

-47.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$479 NT$15.3K

$1,272 $1,272

-62.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,568 NT$50.1K

$3,670 $3,670

-57.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$952 NT$30.4K

$2,525 $2,525

-62.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.2K NT$389.4K

$7,617 $7,617

60.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,207 NT$230.1K

$3,199 $3,199

125.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,772 NT$56.6K

$5,105 $5,105

-65.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

6.79

-64.65%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 4, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$479 34.8%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 166% $794

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$401 29.2%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 0.4% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$132 9.6%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 2.1% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$131 9.5%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 165% $215

Eating Out

Taipei

$125 9.1%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 178% $223

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 43.5% $26

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 20.3% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,016 in Taipei and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 188% 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: $48.00 in Taipei vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $403 per month, with Taipei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

17:40 5:40 PM

04:40 4:40 AM

13 h behind Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

974,447

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.92 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.77 TWD (100 TWD = 2.8 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taipei Austin, TX 12,570 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Taipei
Austin, TX

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

Taipei vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipei wins on cost – living expenses run 94% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Taipei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 188% lower in Austin, TX. 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: $1,016 in Taipei versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,395 per month in Taipei versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 94% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Taipei runs roughly 5% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,395 in Taipei versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Taipei but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Taipei 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, Taipei and Austin, TX 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 Taipei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 94% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.