Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Chang-hua

For one person, living is cheaper in Chang-hua: $864 a month against $1,368 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Chang-hua
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Chang-hua Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Chang-hua

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$864

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Chang-hua

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 Chang-hua actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,368 per month in Taipei vs $864 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Taipei $1,368
Chang-hua $864

A couple spends around $2,202 per month in Taipei vs $1,343 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Taipei $2,202
Chang-hua $1,343

A family of three spends $3,036 per month in Taipei vs $1,822 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Taipei $3,036
Chang-hua $1,822

Taipei costs about 58% more than Chang-hua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Taipei sits 1% above the global median, while Chang-hua is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 NT$149

$3.83 NT$124

20.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 NT$1,528

$32.76 NT$1,062

43.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 NT$181

$5.53 NT$179

0.90%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NT$112

$1.63 NT$52.7

111.66%

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

$0.94 NT$30.61

$0.96 NT$30.99

-2.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.73

$0.56 NT$18.01

19.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$1.36 NT$44.21

110.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 NT$120

$2.17 NT$70.3

70.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 NT$101

$2.38 NT$77.1

31.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 NT$64.0

$2.07 NT$67.2

-4.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 NT$103

$2.94 NT$95.5

7.48%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$2.76 NT$89.5

-2.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.90 NT$645

$16.19 NT$525

22.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NT$319

$9.51 NT$308

3.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.51 NT$698

$21.23 NT$688

1.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 NT$157

$4.82 NT$156

0.62%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 NT$105

$3.38 NT$110

-3.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 NT$98.2

$2.93 NT$95.1

3.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 NT$147

$3.17 NT$103

42.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$2.77 NT$89.8

0.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$2.11 NT$68.4

10.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.5

$1.69 NT$54.9

-0.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.62

$0.77 NT$24.97

42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 NT$123

$3.96 NT$128

-4.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 NT$460

$9.43 NT$306

50.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$53.0

$1.38 NT$44.70

18.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.3

$2.29 NT$74.4

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$21.04

$1.55 NT$50.4

-58.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,228

$34.80 NT$1,129

8.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 NT$86.8

$2.65 NT$85.9

1.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 NT$26.55

$0.76 NT$24.71

7.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.17 NT$297

$9.29 NT$301

-1.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.93

$1.06 NT$34.39

-3.77%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$33.1K NT$1.1M

-0.98%

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

$24.5K NT$795.1K

$24.3K NT$787.5K

0.97%

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

$87.7 NT$2,843

$31.62 NT$1,025

177.29%

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

$17.28 NT$560

$16.99 NT$551

1.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.38 NT$888

$18.71 NT$607

46.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 NT$1,308

$31.75 NT$1,029

26.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 NT$319

$9.38 NT$304

4.80%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

$636 NT$20.6K

4.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$538.4K

$7,946 NT$257.7K

108.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 NT$2,025

$49.35 NT$1,600

26.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 NT$1,281

$15.47 NT$502

155.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 NT$2,740

$78.1 NT$2,534

8.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,424

$49.57 NT$1,607

112.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 NT$32.4K

$252 NT$8,160

296.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 NT$15.3K

$170 NT$5,528

177.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 NT$50.8K

$509 NT$16.5K

207.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$30.7K

$169 NT$5,480

460.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NT$385.6K

$2,959 NT$96.0K

301.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,306 NT$236.9K

$1,631 NT$52.9K

347.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 NT$57.1K

$2,011 NT$65.2K

-12.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

2.2

9.09%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chang-hua: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$473 34.6%

Chang-hua

$170 19.7% 64% $303

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$400 29.3%

Chang-hua

$358 41.4% 10.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$132 9.7%

Chang-hua

$67 7.8% 49.1% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$131 9.6%

Chang-hua

$87 10% 34.1% $45

Eating Out

Taipei

$123 9%

Chang-hua

$84 9.7% 31.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Chang-hua

$51 5.8% 15.8% $9.5

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Chang-hua

$47 5.5% 0.5% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $999 in Taipei versus $252 in Chang-hua. 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 14% higher in Chang-hua, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Taipei versus $33.00 in Chang-hua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $358 – making Chang-hua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇹🇼 Chang-hua

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

Same time as Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

226,564

💱 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)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Taipei vs Chang-hua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipei costs about 58% more than Chang-hua, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,052 per month in Taipei and $1,296 in Chang-hua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,368 in Taipei and $864 in Chang-hua. That's a gap of about 58%.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Chang-hua. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chang-hua, where all-in costs run around $864, than in Taipei at $1,368. In Chang-hua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Taipei it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chang-hua – 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 Chang-hua. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Taipei makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.