Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Keelung

For one person, living is cheaper in Keelung: $918 a month against $1,344 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Keelung
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Keelung Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,344

/mo nomad

Keelung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Keelung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,344 in Taipei versus $918 in Keelung.

Taipei $1,344
Keelung $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,145 in Taipei versus $1,621 in Keelung.

Taipei $2,145
Keelung $1,621

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,946 in Taipei versus $2,325 in Keelung.

Taipei $2,946
Keelung $2,325

Living in Taipei is roughly 46% more expensive than in Keelung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 NT$152

$4.49 NT$149

2.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.17 NT$1,495

$30.06 NT$995

50.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.67 NT$188

$4.83 NT$160

17.39%

Cappuccino

$3.39 NT$112

$2.87 NT$94.9

18.12%

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

$0.87 NT$28.89

$1.02 NT$33.84

-14.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 NT$22.47

$0.69 NT$22.67

-1.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.87 NT$95.1

$1.49 NT$49.15

92.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 NT$124

$2.67 NT$88.3

40.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.06 NT$101

$3.11 NT$103

-1.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NT$65.9

$1.35 NT$44.64

47.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 NT$99.3

$1.16 NT$38.42

158.62%

Eggs

$2.59 NT$85.6

$2.16 NT$71.5

19.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.37 NT$641

$28.27 NT$936

-31.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 NT$317

$5.37 NT$178

78.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.56 NT$680

$16.57 NT$548

24.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 NT$158

$4.07 NT$135

17.69%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 NT$101

$1.84 NT$60.8

65.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 NT$93.4

$2.92 NT$96.6

-3.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.43 NT$147

$2.20 NT$72.9

101.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 NT$89.4

$1.20 NT$39.73

125.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 NT$72.6

$1.85 NT$61.1

18.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 NT$56.2

$2.37 NT$78.6

-28.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 NT$36.96

$0.89 NT$29.53

25.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.86 NT$128

Wine (Bottle)

$13.86 NT$459

$9.16 NT$303

51.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 NT$54.6

$1.09 NT$36.22

51.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 NT$73.4

$2.47 NT$81.6

-10.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 NT$19.38

$0.58 NT$19.36

1.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.47 NT$1,207

$33.42 NT$1,106

9.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 NT$85.3

$2.57 NT$85.1

0.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 NT$26.42

$0.79 NT$26.30

1.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.07 NT$300

$9.13 NT$302

-0.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 NT$32.76

$0.99 NT$32.70

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

$34.1K NT$1.1M

$35.3K NT$1.2M

-3.30%

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

$23.3K NT$771.7K

$22.9K NT$756.5K

2.01%

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

$83.1 NT$2,750

$40.07 NT$1,326

107.39%

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

$16.98 NT$562

$14.40 NT$476

17.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.67 NT$882

$10.59 NT$350

151.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.88 NT$1,320

$33.78 NT$1,118

18.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.56 NT$515

$30.40 NT$1,006

-48.82%

Cinema Ticket

$9.77 NT$323

$7.57 NT$251

29.06%

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

$691 NT$22.9K

$332 NT$11.0K

107.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K NT$789.6K

$20.9K NT$691.4K

14.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.9 NT$2,181

$70.1 NT$2,319

-5.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.72 NT$1,281

$34.54 NT$1,143

12.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 NT$2,821

$45.79 NT$1,515

86.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,457

$31.27 NT$1,035

234.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$31.4K

$413 NT$13.7K

129.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$468 NT$15.5K

$246 NT$8,136

90.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,464 NT$48.5K

$1,036 NT$34.3K

41.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 NT$30.0K

$717 NT$23.7K

26.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.1K NT$366.3K

$3,278 NT$108.5K

237.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,911 NT$228.7K

$2,297 NT$76.0K

200.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,799 NT$59.5K

$2,411 NT$79.8K

-25.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.37

2.27

4.41%

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

Last update for Taipei: November 1, 2026

Last update for Keelung: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$468 34.9%

Keelung

$246 26.8% 47.5% $223

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$389 29%

Keelung

$330 35.9% 15.3% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$132 9.9%

Keelung

$82 8.9% 38.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$127 9.4%

Keelung

$65 7.1% 48.7% $62

Eating Out

Taipei

$122 9.1%

Keelung

$104 11.4% 14.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$59 4.4%

Keelung

$49 5.3% 17.7% $11

Getting Around

Taipei

$45 3.4%

Keelung

$42 4.6% 6.8% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $948 in Taipei and $413 in Keelung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Keelung pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45 in Taipei vs $30 in Keelung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $330 per month, with Keelung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇹🇼 Keelung

🕒 Local time

00:02 12:02 AM

Same time as Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

372,100

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.02 USD

100 TWD = 2.69 EUR

100 TWD = 3.02 USD

100 TWD = 2.69 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 Keelung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,344 in Taipei and $918 in Keelung, so Keelung is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Taipei. 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: $948 in Taipei versus $413 in Keelung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Taipei. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Keelung – a meal for two runs $30 versus $45 in Taipei. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $918 in Keelung versus $1,344 in Taipei, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Keelung but tight or insufficient in Taipei. The gap between the two cities makes Keelung the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Keelung is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Taipei, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Taipei and Keelung are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Keelung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Taipei. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.