Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Brookvale

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,368 a month against $2,494 in Brookvale, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Brookvale
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Brookvale Living Index

Jump to prices

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Brookvale

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,494

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Brookvale

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Taipei versus $2,494 in Brookvale.

Taipei $1,368
Brookvale $2,494

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,202 in Taipei versus $3,614 in Brookvale.

Taipei $2,202
Brookvale $3,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,036 in Taipei versus $4,735 in Brookvale.

Taipei $3,036
Brookvale $4,735

Living in Taipei costs roughly 45% less than in Brookvale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Taipei 1% above, Brookvale 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 NT$149

$17.59 A$25.32

-73.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 NT$1,528

$89.7 A$129

-47.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 NT$181

$10.27 A$14.78

-45.67%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NT$112

$4.03 A$5.80

-14.39%

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

$0.94 NT$30.61

$2.89 A$4.16

-67.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.73

$2.20 A$3.16

-69.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$7.77 A$11.18

-63.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 NT$120

$7.39 A$10.63

-49.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 NT$101

$1.56 A$2.24

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 NT$64.0

$2.77 A$3.99

-28.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 NT$103

$2.44 A$3.51

29.51%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$5.30 A$7.62

-49.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.90 NT$645

$11.66 A$16.78

70.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NT$319

$9.84 A$14.16

0.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.51 NT$698

$15.48 A$22.27

38.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 NT$157

$3.87 A$5.57

25.32%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 NT$105

$3.21 A$4.62

1.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 NT$98.2

$3.39 A$4.87

-10.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 NT$147

$5.29 A$7.62

-14.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$3.19 A$4.59

-12.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$2.81 A$4.04

-16.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.5

$2.26 A$3.25

-25.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.62

$1.33 A$1.92

-17.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 NT$123

$44.16 A$63.6

-91.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 NT$460

$13.65 A$19.64

3.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$53.0

$4.04 A$5.82

-59.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.3

$4.08 A$5.87

-43.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$21.04

$2.95 A$4.25

-77.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,228

$77.0 A$111

-50.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 NT$86.8

$3.41 A$4.90

-21.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 NT$26.55

$1.55 A$2.23

-47.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.17 NT$297

$39.18 A$56.4

-76.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.93

$1.30 A$1.88

-21.54%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$26.9K A$38.8K

21.82%

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

$24.5K NT$795.1K

$29.6K A$42.7K

-17.29%

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

$87.7 NT$2,843

$185 A$266

-52.52%

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

$17.28 NT$560

$26.75 A$38.49

-35.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.38 NT$888

$57.3 A$82.5

-52.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 NT$1,308

$50.7 A$73.0

-20.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

$17.56 A$25.27

-9.23%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 NT$319

$15.52 A$22.33

-36.66%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

$2,158 A$3,105

-69.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$538.4K

$20.2K A$29.0K

-17.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 NT$2,025

$76.9 A$111

-18.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 NT$1,281

$57.1 A$82.2

-30.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 NT$2,740

$107 A$154

-20.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,424

$131 A$188

-19.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 NT$32.4K

$974 A$1,402

2.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 NT$15.3K

$1,203 A$1,731

-60.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 NT$50.8K

$2,148 A$3,091

-27.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$30.7K

$1,773 A$2,552

-46.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NT$385.6K

$5,763 A$8,293

106.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,306 NT$236.9K

$5,012 A$7,212

45.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 NT$57.1K

$1,381 A$1,988

27.42%

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 Taipei: October 11, 2026

Last update for Brookvale: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$473 34.6%

Brookvale

$1.2K 48.2% 154% $729

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$400 29.3%

Brookvale

$379 15.2% 5.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$132 9.7%

Brookvale

$269 10.8% 103% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$131 9.6%

Brookvale

$167 6.7% 27.3% $36

Eating Out

Taipei

$123 9%

Brookvale

$294 11.8% 139% $171

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Brookvale

$82 3.3% 36.3% $22

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Brookvale

$100 4% 112% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $999 in Taipei and $974 in Brookvale. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taipei pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Taipei vs $90.0 in Brookvale. Groceries flip the comparison at $400 vs $379, with Brookvale cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇦🇺 Brookvale

🕒 Local time

02:09 2:09 AM

05:09 5:09 AM

3 h ahead of Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

3,127

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 →

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Between locations

Taipei Brookvale 7,250 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Taipei
Brookvale

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 Brookvale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipei and Brookvale differ by about 82% in total monthly costs ($1,368 vs $2,494 including rent). Taipei is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Taipei, 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: $999 in Taipei versus $974 in Brookvale. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,368 per month in Taipei versus $2,494 in Brookvale – a 82% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Taipei runs roughly 103% less than in Brookvale. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,368 in Taipei versus $2,494 in Brookvale, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Taipei but tight or insufficient in Brookvale. 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 Brookvale 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 82% less than in Brookvale. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.