Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Kyoto

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyoto: $1,290 a month against $1,330 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $480 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Taipei outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

64

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Kyoto
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Kyoto Living Index

Jump to prices

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,330

/mo nomad

Kyoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,290

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Kyoto

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

A single person spends $1,330 per month in Taipei vs $1,290 in Kyoto, rent included.

Taipei $1,330
Kyoto $1,290

A couple spends around $2,145 per month in Taipei vs $1,932 in Kyoto, rent included.

Taipei $2,145
Kyoto $1,932

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Taipei vs $2,574 in Kyoto, rent included.

Taipei $2,959
Kyoto $2,574

Taipei costs about 3% more than Kyoto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Taipei and Kyoto are more affordable than the global median – Taipei 2% lower, Kyoto 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 NT$152

$9.77 ¥1,542

-51.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 NT$1,494

$32.34 ¥5,106

42.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 NT$188

$5.11 ¥807

13.50%

Cappuccino

$3.37 NT$109

$3.22 ¥508

4.66%

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

$0.91 NT$29.42

$0.89 ¥141

2.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 NT$21.44

$0.71 ¥112

-7.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 NT$96.5

$3.22 ¥509

-7.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 NT$118

$5.85 ¥924

-37.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.95 NT$95.6

$1.55 ¥245

90.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 NT$62.4

$1.61 ¥254

19.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 NT$100

$5.84 ¥923

-46.92%

Eggs

$2.62 NT$84.8

$2.11 ¥333

24.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.04 NT$617

$8.84 ¥1,395

115.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 NT$309

$7.92 ¥1,251

20.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.87 NT$676

$10.70 ¥1,690

95.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 NT$153

$5.19 ¥819

-9.06%

Banana (1kg)

$3.33 NT$108

$2.37 ¥374

40.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 NT$95.5

$5.15 ¥813

-42.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 NT$138

$3.69 ¥582

15.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 NT$89.2

$1.87 ¥295

47.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 NT$72.1

$1.66 ¥262

33.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 NT$53.7

$1.14 ¥180

45.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 NT$34.86

$0.94 ¥148

14.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.95 NT$128

$4.04 ¥639

-2.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 NT$450

$7.73 ¥1,221

79.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 NT$51.3

$1.61 ¥255

-1.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NT$70.5

$3.37 ¥531

-35.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 NT$18.86

$1.42 ¥225

-59.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.25 NT$1,174

$62.1 ¥9,804

-41.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 NT$82.2

$3.30 ¥520

-23.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$24.29

$3.88 ¥612

-80.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.99 NT$291

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 NT$32.42

$1.10 ¥174

-9.09%

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

$34.6K NT$1.1M

$22.7K ¥3.6M

52.51%

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

$23.0K NT$746.2K

$15.5K ¥2.4M

48.66%

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

$85.6 NT$2,773

$101 ¥16.0K

-15.38%

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

$16.94 NT$549

$23.51 ¥3,712

-27.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.94 NT$873

$30.41 ¥4,801

-11.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.55 NT$1,281

$51.6 ¥8,145

-23.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.36 NT$498

$18.87 ¥2,980

-18.60%

Cinema Ticket

$9.72 NT$315

$13.72 ¥2,166

-29.15%

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

$710 NT$23.0K

$718 ¥113.4K

-1.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K NT$529.4K

$6,490 ¥1.0M

151.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 NT$2,009

$56.7 ¥8,956

9.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.30 NT$1,273

$45.07 ¥7,116

-12.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 NT$2,724

$70.3 ¥11.1K

19.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NT$3,295

$102 ¥16.1K

-0.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 NT$31.1K

$638 ¥100.7K

50.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 NT$14.8K

$379 ¥59.9K

20.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 NT$49.0K

$1,176 ¥185.6K

28.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$919 NT$29.8K

$577 ¥91.1K

59.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.4K NT$369.6K

$4,226 ¥667.2K

169.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,882 NT$223.0K

$2,921 ¥461.2K

135.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,703 NT$55.2K

$1,873 ¥295.6K

-9.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

2.23

7.62%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kyoto: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$456 34.3%

Kyoto

$379 29.4% 16.8% $76

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$388 29.2%

Kyoto

$296 22.9% 23.8% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$129 9.7%

Kyoto

$155 12% 19.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$129 9.7%

Kyoto

$123 9.6% 4.4% $5.7

Eating Out

Taipei

$124 9.3%

Kyoto

$166 12.9% 34.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$59 4.4%

Kyoto

$79 6.1% 34% $20

Getting Around

Taipei

$45 3.4%

Kyoto

$90 7% 102% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $961 in Taipei versus $638 in Kyoto. 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 10% higher in Kyoto, 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 $46 in Taipei versus $32 in Kyoto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $296 – making Kyoto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇯🇵 Kyoto

🕒 Local time

04:58 4:58 AM

05:58 5:58 AM

1 h ahead of Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

1,475,183

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.09 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, 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 = 36.07 TWD (100 TWD = 2.77 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

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Between locations

Taipei Kyoto 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Kyoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,330 in Taipei, $1,290 in Kyoto – Kyoto comes out roughly 3% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,995 per month in Taipei and $1,934 in Kyoto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kyoto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $638 there versus $961 in Taipei.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Taipei, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Taipei and $32 in Kyoto. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,330 in Taipei and $1,290 in Kyoto, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Kyoto has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,290 in Kyoto to $1,330 in Taipei. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.