Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Hua-lien

For one person, living is cheaper in Hua-lien: $1,076 a month against $1,368 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Hua-lien
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Hua-lien Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Hua-lien

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,076

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Hua-lien

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 Hua-lien actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Taipei versus $1,076 in Hua-lien.

Taipei $1,368
Hua-lien $1,076

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,202 in Taipei versus $1,820 in Hua-lien.

Taipei $2,202
Hua-lien $1,820

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,036 in Taipei versus $2,563 in Hua-lien.

Taipei $3,036
Hua-lien $2,563

Living in Taipei is roughly 27% more expensive than in Hua-lien, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Taipei is 1% above, Hua-lien is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 NT$149

$3.99 NT$129

15.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 NT$1,528

$28.74 NT$932

63.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 NT$181

$4.28 NT$139

30.37%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NT$112

$2.78 NT$90.3

24.10%

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

$0.94 NT$30.61

$0.93 NT$30.01

1.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.73

$0.56 NT$18.18

19.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$1.33 NT$43.12

115.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 NT$120

$2.09 NT$67.6

77.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 NT$101

$2.93 NT$95.1

6.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 NT$64.0

$1.76 NT$56.9

11.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 NT$103

$4.50 NT$146

-29.78%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$1.98 NT$64.1

35.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.90 NT$645

$19.63 NT$636

1.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NT$319

$6.20 NT$201

58.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.51 NT$698

$25.54 NT$828

-15.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 NT$157

$2.66 NT$86.3

82.33%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 NT$105

$2.50 NT$80.9

30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 NT$98.2

$3.21 NT$104

-5.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 NT$147

$3.18 NT$103

42.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$2.43 NT$78.7

14.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$2.30 NT$74.6

1.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.5

$2.02 NT$65.5

-16.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.62

$0.98 NT$31.72

12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 NT$123

$3.88 NT$126

-2.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 NT$460

$12.63 NT$410

12.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$53.0

$1.91 NT$62.1

-14.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.3

$2.35 NT$76.1

-2.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$21.04

$0.61 NT$19.64

6.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,228

$36.66 NT$1,189

3.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 NT$86.8

$3.08 NT$99.8

-12.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 NT$26.55

$0.31 NT$9.91

164.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.17 NT$297

$10.36 NT$336

-11.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.93

$0.89 NT$28.98

14.61%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$33.7K NT$1.1M

-2.72%

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

$24.5K NT$795.1K

$26.6K NT$862.6K

-7.82%

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

$87.7 NT$2,843

$103 NT$3,332

-14.67%

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

$17.28 NT$560

$19.48 NT$632

-11.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.38 NT$888

$12.54 NT$407

118.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 NT$1,308

$36.61 NT$1,187

10.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 NT$319

$10.12 NT$328

-2.87%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

$767 NT$24.9K

-13.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$538.4K

$16.4K NT$533.1K

1.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 NT$2,025

$57.1 NT$1,850

9.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 NT$1,281

$36.07 NT$1,170

9.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 NT$2,740

$79.5 NT$2,576

6.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,424

$107 NT$3,455

-0.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 NT$32.4K

$404 NT$13.1K

147.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 NT$15.3K

$253 NT$8,204

87.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 NT$50.8K

$985 NT$31.9K

58.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$30.7K

$740 NT$24.0K

28.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NT$385.6K

$7,755 NT$251.5K

53.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,306 NT$236.9K

$4,989 NT$161.8K

46.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 NT$57.1K

$2,940 NT$95.3K

-40.13%

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 Hua-lien: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$473 34.6%

Hua-lien

$253 23.5% 46.5% $220

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$400 29.3%

Hua-lien

$368 34.2% 8.2% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$132 9.7%

Hua-lien

$135 12.5% 1.8% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$131 9.6%

Hua-lien

$126 11.7% 4.4% $5.8

Eating Out

Taipei

$123 9%

Hua-lien

$95 8.8% 22.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Hua-lien

$57 5.3% 5.2% $3.1

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Hua-lien

$44 4.1% 7.5% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $999 in Taipei and $404 in Hua-lien. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hua-lien pays 67% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Taipei vs $29.00 in Hua-lien for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $400 vs $368 per month, with Hua-lien cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇹🇼 Hua-lien

🕒 Local time

07:07 7:07 AM

Same time as Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

105,034

💱 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)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Taipei vs Hua-lien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hua-lien wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Taipei. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hua-lien the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 67% lower in Hua-lien. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $999 in Taipei versus $404 in Hua-lien. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Taipei. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Hua-lien – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $47.00 in Taipei. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,076 in Hua-lien versus $1,368 in Taipei, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hua-lien but tight or insufficient in Taipei. The gap between the two cities makes Hua-lien 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 Hua-lien are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Hua-lien gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Taipei. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.