Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Chiayi Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Chiayi

🙂 Solo nomad: Taipei is 3.8% cheaper than Chiayi without rent, and 28.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Taipei is 15.5% more expensive than Chiayi without rent, and 18.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Taipei
Chiayi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.91 NT$218
$6.91 NT$218
-
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.76 NT$1,287
$40.01 NT$1,264
1.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.61 NT$177
$5.82 NT$184
-3.61%
Cappuccino
$3.80 NT$120
$2.18 NT$68.8
74.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 NT$35.29
$1.13 NT$35.69
-0.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 NT$24.79
$0.75 NT$23.58
4.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.41 NT$108
$1.83 NT$57.9
86.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 NT$110
$3.13 NT$99.0
11.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Taipei
Chiayi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.21 NT$101
$3.09 NT$97.7
3.88%
White Bread (500g)
$1.90 NT$60.1
$1.92 NT$60.6
-1.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.09 NT$97.5
$3.02 NT$95.4
2.32%
Eggs
$2.78 NT$87.9
$2.94 NT$93.0
-5.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$20.30 NT$641
$19.78 NT$625
2.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.16 NT$321
$10.11 NT$319
0.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.02 NT$632
$20.59 NT$650
-2.77%
Apples (1kg)
$5.21 NT$165
$5.10 NT$161
2.16%
Banana (1kg)
$2.86 NT$90.2
$2.84 NT$89.8
0.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.81 NT$88.7
$2.84 NT$89.8
-1.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.18 NT$132
$4.13 NT$130
1.21%
Potato (1kg)
$2.91 NT$91.9
$2.90 NT$91.4
0.34%
Onion (1kg)
$2.26 NT$71.3
$2.27 NT$71.7
-0.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.96 NT$61.9
$1.89 NT$59.7
3.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 NT$42.01
$1.37 NT$43.16
-2.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.95 NT$125
$4.00 NT$126
-1.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.12 NT$478
$4.63 NT$146
226.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.81 NT$57.2
$1.74 NT$55.0
4.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 NT$77.0
$2.33 NT$73.5
4.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Taipei
Chiayi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.84 NT$26.46
$0.87 NT$27.42
-3.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.01 NT$1,295
$38.82 NT$1,226
5.64%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 NT$91.9
$2.89 NT$91.3
0.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 NT$24.74
$0.45 NT$14.12
73.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.19 NT$322
$10.09 NT$319
0.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.02 NT$32.31
$1.03 NT$32.68
-0.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.9K NT$1.2M
$38.2K NT$1.2M
-0.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.3K NT$861.9K
$27.1K NT$855.1K
0.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taipei
Chiayi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 NT$2,659
$71.2 NT$2,247
18.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.21 NT$607
$19.10 NT$603
0.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.20 NT$796
$25.46 NT$804
-1.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Taipei
Chiayi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.90 NT$1,292
$37.59 NT$1,187
8.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.60 NT$429
$15.41 NT$487
-11.75%
Cinema Ticket
$12.03 NT$380
$11.87 NT$375
1.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Taipei
Chiayi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$640 NT$20.2K
$638 NT$20.2K
0.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.0K NT$599.9K
$19.1K NT$602.2K
-0.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Taipei
Chiayi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.6 NT$1,883
$59.6 NT$1,882
0.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.91 NT$1,071
$33.03 NT$1,043
2.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.1 NT$2,973
$92.8 NT$2,931
1.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 NT$3,846
$121 NT$3,813
0.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Taipei
Chiayi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$791 NT$25.0K
$428 NT$13.5K
84.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$533 NT$16.8K
$284 NT$8,973
87.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,650 NT$52.1K
$1,056 NT$33.3K
56.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,097 NT$34.6K
$715 NT$22.6K
53.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$14.1K NT$446.7K
$7,074 NT$223.4K
99.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,275 NT$261.3K
$5,349 NT$168.9K
54.70%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Taipei
Chiayi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,649 NT$52.1K
$2,103 NT$66.4K
-21.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.19
2.19
-

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

Last update for Taipei: March 2, 2026

Last update for Chiayi: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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