Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Hsinchu

For one person, living is cheaper in Hsinchu: $1,154 a month against $1,368 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Hsinchu
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Hsinchu Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Hsinchu

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Hsinchu

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

A single person spends $1,368 per month in Taipei vs $1,154 in Hsinchu, rent included.

Taipei $1,368
Hsinchu $1,154

A couple spends around $2,202 per month in Taipei vs $1,937 in Hsinchu, rent included.

Taipei $2,202
Hsinchu $1,937

A family of three spends $3,036 per month in Taipei vs $2,719 in Hsinchu, rent included.

Taipei $3,036
Hsinchu $2,719

Taipei costs about 19% more than Hsinchu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Taipei sits 1% above the global median, while Hsinchu is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 NT$149

$3.66 NT$119

25.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 NT$1,528

$28.02 NT$909

68.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 NT$181

$4.64 NT$151

20.26%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NT$112

$2.95 NT$95.7

16.95%

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

$0.94 NT$30.61

$0.97 NT$31.52

-3.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.73

$0.66 NT$21.26

1.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$1.83 NT$59.2

56.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 NT$120

$2.26 NT$73.2

63.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 NT$101

$2.78 NT$90.1

12.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 NT$64.0

$1.65 NT$53.5

19.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 NT$103

$4.61 NT$150

-31.45%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$2.75 NT$89.3

-2.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.90 NT$645

$36.03 NT$1,168

-44.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NT$319

$6.69 NT$217

47.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.51 NT$698

$21.15 NT$686

1.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 NT$157

$2.60 NT$84.2

86.54%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 NT$105

$2.57 NT$83.4

26.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 NT$98.2

$3.32 NT$108

-8.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 NT$147

$3.00 NT$97.3

51.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$2.30 NT$74.4

21.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$2.29 NT$74.2

2.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.5

$2.02 NT$65.4

-16.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.62

$1.36 NT$44.08

-19.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 NT$123

$4.00 NT$130

-5.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 NT$460

$12.55 NT$407

12.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$53.0

$1.93 NT$62.5

-15.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.3

$2.40 NT$77.8

-4.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$21.04

$0.61 NT$19.78

6.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,228

$40.83 NT$1,324

-7.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 NT$86.8

$3.09 NT$100

-13.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 NT$26.55

$0.30 NT$9.63

173.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.17 NT$297

$10.04 NT$325

-8.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.93

$1.00 NT$32.34

2.00%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$33.8K NT$1.1M

-2.92%

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

$24.5K NT$795.1K

$26.4K NT$857.3K

-7.26%

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

$87.7 NT$2,843

$103 NT$3,337

-14.79%

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

$17.28 NT$560

$18.95 NT$614

-8.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.38 NT$888

$20.99 NT$681

30.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 NT$1,308

$50.8 NT$1,649

-20.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 NT$319

$10.21 NT$331

-3.72%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

$750 NT$24.3K

-11.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$538.4K

$16.4K NT$533.0K

1.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 NT$2,025

$56.9 NT$1,846

9.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 NT$1,281

$35.65 NT$1,156

10.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 NT$2,740

$79.5 NT$2,579

6.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,424

$106 NT$3,449

-0.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 NT$32.4K

$440 NT$14.3K

127.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 NT$15.3K

$257 NT$8,335

84.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 NT$50.8K

$1,141 NT$37.0K

37.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$30.7K

$755 NT$24.5K

25.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NT$385.6K

$8,071 NT$261.7K

47.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,306 NT$236.9K

$6,095 NT$197.6K

19.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 NT$57.1K

$2,506 NT$81.3K

-29.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

2.13

12.68%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hsinchu: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$473 34.6%

Hsinchu

$257 22.3% 45.7% $216

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$400 29.3%

Hsinchu

$411 35.6% 2.6% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$132 9.7%

Hsinchu

$143 12.4% 7.9% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$131 9.6%

Hsinchu

$125 10.9% 4.6% $6.1

Eating Out

Taipei

$123 9%

Hsinchu

$99 8.6% 19.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Hsinchu

$71 6.2% 18.8% $11

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Hsinchu

$48 4.2% 1.2% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $999 in Taipei versus $440 in Hsinchu. 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 42% higher in Hsinchu, 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 $28.00 in Hsinchu. Groceries tell a different story – $400 in Taipei vs $411 in Hsinchu – so Taipei wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇹🇼 Hsinchu

🕒 Local time

02:28 2:28 AM

Same time as Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

453,120

💱 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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Taipei vs Hsinchu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipei costs about 19% more than Hsinchu, 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 $1,731 in Hsinchu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 8% less in Hsinchu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $663 per month in Taipei and $750 in Hsinchu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hsinchu, where all-in costs run around $1,154, than in Taipei at $1,368. In Hsinchu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Taipei it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hsinchu – 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 Hsinchu. 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.