Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Carlton

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,368 a month against $2,287 in Carlton, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
110

Cost of Living Index in Carlton
Learn more

Carlton Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Carlton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,287

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Carlton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Taipei versus $2,287 in Carlton.

Taipei $1,368
Carlton $2,287

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,202 in Taipei versus $3,321 in Carlton.

Taipei $2,202
Carlton $3,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,036 in Taipei versus $4,355 in Carlton.

Taipei $3,036
Carlton $4,355

Living in Taipei costs roughly 40% less than in Carlton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Taipei 1% above, Carlton 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 NT$149

$17.71 A$25.48

-74.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 NT$1,528

$68.7 A$98.9

-31.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 NT$181

$9.96 A$14.34

-43.98%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NT$112

$2.92 A$4.21

18.15%

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

$0.94 NT$30.61

$2.63 A$3.78

-64.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.73

$2.13 A$3.06

-68.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$6.76 A$9.73

-57.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 NT$120

$6.54 A$9.41

-43.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 NT$101

$1.32 A$1.90

136.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 NT$64.0

$2.05 A$2.95

-3.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 NT$103

$1.32 A$1.90

139.39%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$3.20 A$4.60

-16.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.90 NT$645

$10.28 A$14.79

93.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NT$319

$9.99 A$14.38

-1.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.51 NT$698

$15.28 A$21.98

40.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 NT$157

$3.32 A$4.78

46.08%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 NT$105

$2.81 A$4.05

15.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 NT$98.2

$3.20 A$4.60

-5.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 NT$147

$4.48 A$6.44

1.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$2.46 A$3.54

13.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$2.22 A$3.19

5.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.5

$2.13 A$3.07

-21.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.62

$0.90 A$1.29

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 NT$123

$25.25 A$36.33

-84.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 NT$460

$10.62 A$15.28

33.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$53.0

$5.74 A$8.26

-71.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.3

$5.12 A$7.37

-55.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$21.04

$3.05 A$4.38

-78.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,228

$80.9 A$116

-53.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 NT$86.8

$3.72 A$5.36

-27.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 NT$26.55

$1.26 A$1.82

-34.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.17 NT$297

$26.18 A$37.68

-64.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.93

$1.36 A$1.95

-25.00%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$18.4K A$26.5K

78.23%

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

$24.5K NT$795.1K

$13.8K A$19.9K

77.31%

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

$87.7 NT$2,843

$89.5 A$129

-2.07%

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

$17.28 NT$560

$27.31 A$39.31

-36.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.38 NT$888

$45.80 A$65.9

-40.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 NT$1,308

$31.60 A$45.47

27.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

$17.32 A$24.92

-7.97%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 NT$319

$12.96 A$18.64

-24.15%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

$2,061 A$2,965

-67.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$538.4K

$12.6K A$18.1K

31.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 NT$2,025

$79.1 A$114

-21.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 NT$1,281

$49.37 A$71.1

-19.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 NT$2,740

$70.0 A$101

20.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,424

$134 A$193

-21.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 NT$32.4K

$1,391 A$2,001

-28.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 NT$15.3K

$1,204 A$1,732

-60.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 NT$50.8K

$2,150 A$3,093

-27.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$30.7K

$1,829 A$2,631

-48.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NT$385.6K

$5,647 A$8,126

110.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,306 NT$236.9K

$5,209 A$7,496

40.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 NT$57.1K

$5,717 A$8,227

-69.22%

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 Taipei: October 11, 2026

Last update for Carlton: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$473 34.6%

Carlton

$1.2K 52.6% 154% $730

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$400 29.3%

Carlton

$338 14.8% 15.5% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$132 9.7%

Carlton

$163 7.1% 22.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$131 9.6%

Carlton

$150 6.5% 13.9% $18

Eating Out

Taipei

$123 9%

Carlton

$273 11.9% 121% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Carlton

$58 2.5% 4.1% $2.5

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Carlton

$103 4.5% 118% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $999 in Taipei and $1,391 in Carlton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carlton pays 225% 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: $47.00 in Taipei vs $69.0 in Carlton. Groceries flip the comparison at $400 vs $338, with Carlton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇦🇺 Carlton

🕒 Local time

06:07 6:07 AM

09:07 9:07 AM

3 h ahead of Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

19,001

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taipei Carlton 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Taipei
Carlton

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 Carlton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipei and Carlton differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($1,368 vs $2,287 including rent). Taipei is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 225% lower in Carlton. 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: $999 in Taipei versus $1,391 in Carlton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $663 in Taipei versus $2,061 in Carlton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Carlton pay roughly 18% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,368 in Taipei versus $2,287 in Carlton, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Taipei but tight or insufficient in Carlton. 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 Carlton 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 67% less than in Carlton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.