Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Forbes

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,330 a month against $2,543 in Forbes, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
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Forbes Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,330

/mo nomad

Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Forbes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,330 in Taipei versus $2,543 in Forbes.

Taipei $1,330
Forbes $2,543

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,145 in Taipei versus $3,751 in Forbes.

Taipei $2,145
Forbes $3,751

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Taipei versus $4,958 in Forbes.

Taipei $2,959
Forbes $4,958

Living in Taipei costs roughly 48% less than in Forbes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Taipei is 2% below, Forbes is 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 NT$152

$15.91 A$22.61

-70.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 NT$1,494

$94.9 A$135

-51.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 NT$188

$11.31 A$16.07

-48.72%

Cappuccino

$3.37 NT$109

$3.52 A$5.00

-4.26%

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

$0.91 NT$29.42

$2.99 A$4.24

-69.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 NT$21.44

$2.37 A$3.37

-72.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 NT$96.5

$6.98 A$9.92

-57.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 NT$118

$7.40 A$10.52

-50.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.95 NT$95.6

$1.69 A$2.41

74.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 NT$62.4

$2.42 A$3.44

-20.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 NT$100

$2.14 A$3.04

44.86%

Eggs

$2.62 NT$84.8

$5.00 A$7.10

-47.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.04 NT$617

$10.16 A$14.44

87.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 NT$309

$9.52 A$13.53

0.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.87 NT$676

$13.72 A$19.49

52.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 NT$153

$3.78 A$5.37

24.87%

Banana (1kg)

$3.33 NT$108

$3.01 A$4.27

10.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 NT$95.5

$3.55 A$5.05

-16.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 NT$138

$4.92 A$6.99

-13.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 NT$89.2

$2.50 A$3.55

10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 NT$72.1

$2.55 A$3.63

-12.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 NT$53.7

$2.28 A$3.24

-27.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 NT$34.86

$1.45 A$2.06

-25.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.95 NT$128

$46.43 A$66.0

-91.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 NT$450

$12.36 A$17.57

12.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 NT$51.3

$4.75 A$6.75

-66.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NT$70.5

$5.80 A$8.24

-62.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 NT$18.86

$2.66 A$3.78

-78.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.25 NT$1,174

$78.5 A$111

-53.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 NT$82.2

$3.70 A$5.26

-31.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$24.29

$1.72 A$2.45

-56.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.99 NT$291

$45.70 A$64.9

-80.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 NT$32.42

$1.25 A$1.78

-20.00%

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

$34.6K NT$1.1M

$33.8K A$48.1K

2.44%

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

$23.0K NT$746.2K

$28.1K A$40.0K

-18.18%

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

$85.6 NT$2,773

$195 A$277

-56.09%

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

$16.94 NT$549

$23.66 A$33.62

-28.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.94 NT$873

$53.4 A$75.8

-49.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.55 NT$1,281

$59.1 A$84.0

-33.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.36 NT$498

$19.72 A$28.02

-22.11%

Cinema Ticket

$9.72 NT$315

$12.05 A$17.13

-19.34%

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

$710 NT$23.0K

$2,301 A$3,269

-69.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K NT$529.4K

$21.3K A$30.3K

-23.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 NT$2,009

$80.6 A$115

-23.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.30 NT$1,273

$56.7 A$80.6

-30.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 NT$2,724

$117 A$166

-27.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NT$3,295

$124 A$176

-17.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 NT$31.1K

$1,558 A$2,213

-38.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 NT$14.8K

$1,278 A$1,816

-64.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 NT$49.0K

$2,463 A$3,499

-38.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$919 NT$29.8K

$2,041 A$2,901

-54.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.4K NT$369.6K

$5,228 A$7,428

118.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,882 NT$223.0K

$5,146 A$7,312

33.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,703 NT$55.2K

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 25, 2026

Last update for Forbes: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$456 34.3%

Forbes

$1.3K 50.3% 180% $822

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$388 29.2%

Forbes

$364 14.3% 6.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$129 9.7%

Forbes

$272 10.7% 110% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$129 9.7%

Forbes

$170 6.7% 31.6% $41

Eating Out

Taipei

$124 9.3%

Forbes

$275 10.8% 122% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$59 4.4%

Forbes

$83 3.3% 41.1% $24

Getting Around

Taipei

$45 3.4%

Forbes

$101 4% 126% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $961 in Taipei and $1,558 in Forbes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46 in Taipei vs $95 in Forbes. Groceries flip the comparison at $388 vs $364, with Forbes cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇦🇺 Forbes

🕒 Local time

23:49 11:49 PM

02:49 2:49 AM

3 h ahead of Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

8,481

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.09 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 32.4 TWD (100 TWD = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 36.06 TWD (100 TWD = 2.77 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

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Between locations

Taipei Forbes 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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Forbes

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 Forbes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipei and Forbes differ by about 91% in total monthly costs ($1,330 vs $2,543 including rent). Taipei is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,995 in Taipei and $3,814 in Forbes to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $961 in Taipei versus $1,558 in Forbes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,330 per month in Taipei versus $2,543 in Forbes – a 91% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Taipei runs roughly 54% less than in Forbes. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,330 in Taipei versus $2,543 in Forbes, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Taipei but tight or insufficient in Forbes. 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 Forbes are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.