Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Miaoli

For one person, living is cheaper in Miaoli: $834 a month against $1,329 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Miaoli
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Miaoli Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,329

/mo nomad

Miaoli

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Miaoli

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,329 in Taipei versus $834 in Miaoli.

Taipei $1,329
Miaoli $834

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,133 in Taipei versus $1,564 in Miaoli.

Taipei $2,133
Miaoli $1,564

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,937 in Taipei versus $2,293 in Miaoli.

Taipei $2,937
Miaoli $2,293

Living in Taipei is roughly 59% more expensive than in Miaoli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.62 NT$152

$2.42 NT$79.7

90.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.27 NT$1,522

$22.74 NT$748

103.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 NT$194

$4.67 NT$154

26.55%

Cappuccino

$3.10 NT$102

$2.95 NT$97.2

5.08%

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

$0.86 NT$28.23

$0.80 NT$26.36

7.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 NT$21.38

$0.52 NT$17.17

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 NT$99.4

$1.26 NT$41.30

139.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 NT$121

$1.33 NT$43.65

175.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 NT$96.8

$2.68 NT$88.0

9.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 NT$65.1

$1.22 NT$40.18

62.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.02 NT$99.5

$2.60 NT$85.5

16.15%

Eggs

$2.63 NT$86.4

$2.12 NT$69.7

24.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.33 NT$636

$9.07 NT$298

113.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 NT$318

$8.37 NT$275

15.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.45 NT$673

$20.84 NT$686

-1.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 NT$160

$3.79 NT$125

27.97%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 NT$104

$2.03 NT$66.9

55.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 NT$92.7

$2.90 NT$95.4

-2.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 NT$141

$3.09 NT$102

38.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 NT$85.1

$2.42 NT$79.7

7.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 NT$71.6

$1.98 NT$65.0

10.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 NT$54.2

$2.33 NT$76.6

-29.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 NT$36.92

$0.79 NT$25.88

41.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 NT$127

$3.79 NT$125

1.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.65 NT$449

$9.28 NT$305

47.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 NT$52.9

$1.44 NT$47.50

11.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 NT$70.3

$2.09 NT$68.6

2.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 NT$19.07

$0.52 NT$17.20

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.10 NT$1,221

$30.24 NT$995

22.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 NT$86.6

$2.79 NT$91.9

-5.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 NT$26.06

$0.75 NT$24.54

5.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.27 NT$305

$7.10 NT$234

30.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$34.05

$0.98 NT$32.11

5.10%

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

$33.5K NT$1.1M

$35.8K NT$1.2M

-6.52%

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

$23.1K NT$760.7K

$23.0K NT$756.0K

0.63%

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

$85.1 NT$2,801

$72.4 NT$2,382

17.58%

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

$17.07 NT$562

$17.83 NT$587

-4.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.12 NT$859

$20.44 NT$672

27.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.12 NT$1,254

$30.31 NT$997

25.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.49 NT$542

$10.29 NT$338

60.25%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 NT$315

$10.61 NT$349

-9.71%

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

$682 NT$22.4K

$508 NT$16.7K

34.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K NT$764.4K

$21.3K NT$700.8K

9.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.6 NT$2,127

$12.25 NT$403

427.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.79 NT$1,276

$21.54 NT$709

80.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.5 NT$2,748

$62.0 NT$2,038

34.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NT$3,378

$96.3 NT$3,168

6.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 NT$31.5K

$217 NT$7,155

340.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 NT$15.1K

$156 NT$5,125

195.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,482 NT$48.7K

$952 NT$31.3K

55.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 NT$29.8K

$781 NT$25.7K

15.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.3K NT$371.9K

$5,079 NT$167.1K

122.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,984 NT$229.8K

$3,420 NT$112.5K

104.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,889 NT$62.2K

$2,459 NT$80.9K

-23.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.37

2.38

-0.42%

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

Last update for Taipei: November 10, 2026

Last update for Miaoli: November 9, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$460 34.6%

Miaoli

$156 18.7% 66.1% $304

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$387 29.1%

Miaoli

$308 36.9% 20.5% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$130 9.8%

Miaoli

$86 10.4% 33.7% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$128 9.7%

Miaoli

$111 13.3% 13.8% $18

Eating Out

Taipei

$120 9.1%

Miaoli

$83 10% 31% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$57 4.3%

Miaoli

$52 6.2% 10% $5.8

Getting Around

Taipei

$46 3.5%

Miaoli

$39 4.7% 15.6% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $957 in Taipei and $217 in Miaoli. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Miaoli pays 30% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46 in Taipei vs $23 in Miaoli for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $387 vs $308 per month, with Miaoli cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇹🇼 Miaoli

🕒 Local time

03:48 3:48 AM

Same time as Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

89,892

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.04 USD

100 TWD = 2.71 EUR

100 TWD = 3.04 USD

100 TWD = 2.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Taipei Miaoli 92 km

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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 Miaoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,329 in Taipei and $834 in Miaoli, so Miaoli is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 23% 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: $957 in Taipei versus $217 in Miaoli. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Taipei. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Miaoli – a meal for two runs $23 versus $46 in Taipei. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $834 in Miaoli versus $1,329 in Taipei, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Miaoli but tight or insufficient in Taipei. The gap between the two cities makes Miaoli the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Miaoli 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 Miaoli are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Miaoli gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Taipei. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.