Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Douliu

For one person, living is cheaper in Douliu: $1,138 a month against $1,368 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
Learn more

Taipei Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Douliu
Learn more

Douliu Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Douliu

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Douliu

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

A single person spends $1,368 per month in Taipei vs $1,138 in Douliu, rent included.

Taipei $1,368
Douliu $1,138

A couple spends around $2,202 per month in Taipei vs $1,894 in Douliu, rent included.

Taipei $2,202
Douliu $1,894

A family of three spends $3,036 per month in Taipei vs $2,650 in Douliu, rent included.

Taipei $3,036
Douliu $2,650

Taipei costs about 20% more than Douliu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Taipei sits 1% above the global median, while Douliu is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 NT$149

$3.85 NT$125

19.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 NT$1,528

$22.40 NT$726

110.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 NT$181

$5.81 NT$189

-3.96%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NT$112

$3.40 NT$110

1.47%

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

$0.94 NT$30.61

$0.94 NT$30.58

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.73

$0.67 NT$21.86

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$2.79 NT$90.4

2.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 NT$120

$3.73 NT$121

-0.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 NT$101

$3.09 NT$100

0.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 NT$64.0

$2.01 NT$65.1

-1.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 NT$103

$3.17 NT$103

-0.32%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$2.76 NT$89.4

-2.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.90 NT$645

$19.44 NT$631

2.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NT$319

$9.97 NT$323

-1.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.51 NT$698

$21.44 NT$695

0.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 NT$157

$4.79 NT$155

1.25%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 NT$105

$3.29 NT$107

-1.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 NT$98.2

$3.08 NT$99.9

-1.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 NT$147

$4.34 NT$141

4.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$2.82 NT$91.3

-1.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.5

$1.71 NT$55.6

-1.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.62

$1.10 NT$35.65

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 NT$123

$3.85 NT$125

-1.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 NT$460

$14.46 NT$469

-2.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$53.0

$1.63 NT$52.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.3

$2.31 NT$75.0

-0.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$21.04

$0.61 NT$19.89

6.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,228

$35.53 NT$1,152

6.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 NT$86.8

$2.66 NT$86.3

0.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 NT$26.55

$0.77 NT$24.82

6.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.17 NT$297

$9.46 NT$307

-3.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.93

$1.03 NT$33.56

-0.97%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$34.0K NT$1.1M

-3.46%

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

$24.5K NT$795.1K

$24.0K NT$777.6K

2.25%

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

$87.7 NT$2,843

$86.6 NT$2,807

1.31%

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

$17.28 NT$560

$17.15 NT$556

0.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.38 NT$888

$27.79 NT$901

-1.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 NT$1,308

$36.37 NT$1,179

10.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 NT$319

$9.54 NT$309

3.04%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

-0.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$538.4K

$17.0K NT$550.7K

-2.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 NT$2,025

$64.5 NT$2,091

-3.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 NT$1,281

$40.75 NT$1,321

-3.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 NT$2,740

$85.0 NT$2,756

-0.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,424

$105 NT$3,408

0.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 NT$32.4K

$404 NT$13.1K

147.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 NT$15.3K

$257 NT$8,334

84.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 NT$50.8K

$982 NT$31.8K

59.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$30.7K

$730 NT$23.7K

29.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NT$385.6K

$7,836 NT$254.1K

51.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,306 NT$236.9K

$4,924 NT$159.7K

48.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 NT$57.1K

$2,544 NT$82.5K

-30.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

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

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Last update for Douliu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$473 34.6%

Douliu

$257 22.6% 45.7% $216

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$400 29.3%

Douliu

$400 35.1% 0.1% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$132 9.7%

Douliu

$132 11.6% 0.6% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$131 9.6%

Douliu

$133 11.7% 1.1% $1.5

Eating Out

Taipei

$123 9%

Douliu

$117 10.3% 5.1% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Douliu

$55 4.9% 7.6% $4.6

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Douliu

$44 3.9% 5.9% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $999 in Taipei versus $404 in Douliu. 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 45% higher in Douliu, 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 $22.00 in Douliu. Groceries tell a different story – $400 in Taipei vs $400 in Douliu – so Taipei wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇹🇼 Douliu

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

Same time as Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

108,401

💱 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 Douliu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipei costs about 20% more than Douliu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,707 in Douliu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Taipei and $22.00 in Douliu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,368 in Taipei and $1,138 in Douliu. That's a gap of about 20%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Douliu, where all-in costs run around $1,138, than in Taipei at $1,368. In Douliu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Taipei it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Douliu – 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 Douliu. 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.