Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Moe

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,368 a month against $2,477 in Moe, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Taipei
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$1,368
/mo nomad
Moe
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,477
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Moe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Taipei versus $2,477 in Moe.

  • Taipei $1,368
  • Moe $2,477

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,202 in Taipei versus $3,599 in Moe.

  • Taipei $2,202
  • Moe $3,599

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,036 in Taipei versus $4,720 in Moe.

  • Taipei $3,036
  • Moe $4,720

Living in Taipei costs roughly 45% less than in Moe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Taipei 1% above, Moe 83% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Taipei
Moe
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.60 NT$148
$13.72 A$19.66
-66.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.13 NT$1,515
$76.5 A$110
-38.38%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.58 NT$179
$10.02 A$14.36
-44.31%
Cappuccino
$3.45 NT$111
$3.87 A$5.54
-10.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 NT$30.34
$3.06 A$4.38
-69.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.67 NT$21.55
$1.43 A$2.04
-53.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.86 NT$91.9
$5.20 A$7.45
-45.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.70 NT$119
$4.75 A$6.81
-22.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Taipei
Moe
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.12 NT$100
$0.76 A$1.08
310.53%
White Bread (500g)
$1.97 NT$63.5
$2.91 A$4.17
-32.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.16 NT$102
$2.67 A$3.82
18.35%
Eggs
$2.68 NT$86.1
$3.50 A$5.01
-23.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.90 NT$640
$10.67 A$15.28
86.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.85 NT$317
$8.23 A$11.79
19.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.51 NT$692
$15.13 A$21.67
42.17%
Apples (1kg)
$4.85 NT$156
$2.86 A$4.09
69.58%
Banana (1kg)
$3.25 NT$104
$2.81 A$4.02
15.66%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.03 NT$97.4
$2.87 A$4.11
5.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.53 NT$146
$4.45 A$6.38
1.80%
Potato (1kg)
$2.79 NT$89.6
$2.03 A$2.91
37.44%
Onion (1kg)
$2.34 NT$75.2
$2.48 A$3.56
-5.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.68 NT$54.1
$2.39 A$3.43
-29.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.10 NT$35.31
$1.40 A$2.01
-21.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.80 NT$122
$30.94 A$44.32
-87.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.17 NT$456
$12.47 A$17.86
13.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 NT$52.5
$3.54 A$5.07
-53.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 NT$73.7
$3.55 A$5.09
-35.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Taipei
Moe
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.65 NT$20.86
$2.95 A$4.23
-77.97%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$37.88 NT$1,218
$79.9 A$114
-52.56%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.68 NT$86.1
$2.25 A$3.22
19.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.82 NT$26.32
$1.36 A$1.95
-39.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.17 NT$295
$24.81 A$35.54
-63.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.02 NT$32.65
$1.17 A$1.67
-12.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.8K NT$1.1M
$28.3K A$40.5K
16.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.5K NT$788.3K
$26.7K A$38.3K
-8.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taipei
Moe
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$87.7 NT$2,819
$153 A$220
-42.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.28 NT$556
$27.73 A$39.73
-37.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.38 NT$880
$57.5 A$82.3
-52.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Taipei
Moe
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.32 NT$1,296
$56.1 A$80.3
-28.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.94 NT$512
$15.63 A$22.40
1.98%
Cinema Ticket
$9.83 NT$316
$15.19 A$21.75
-35.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Taipei
Moe
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$663 NT$21.3K
$2,416 A$3,461
-72.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K NT$533.8K
$29.3K A$41.9K
-43.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Taipei
Moe
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 NT$2,007
$79.4 A$114
-21.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.51 NT$1,270
$50.2 A$71.9
-21.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.5 NT$2,716
$122 A$174
-30.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 NT$3,394
$134 A$191
-21.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Taipei
Moe
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$999 NT$32.1K
$1,344 A$1,925
-25.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$473 NT$15.2K
$1,306 A$1,871
-63.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,565 NT$50.3K
$2,196 A$3,146
-28.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$948 NT$30.5K
$2,059 A$2,949
-53.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$11.9K NT$382.3K
$5,745 A$8,230
106.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,306 NT$234.9K
$4,931 A$7,063
48.17%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Taipei
Moe
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,760 NT$56.6K
$1,403 A$2,010
25.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.4
5.9
-59.32%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Last update for Moe: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Taipei
$473
Moe
$1.3K 176% $833
Groceries & Markets
Taipei
$400
Moe
$332 17.1% $68
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taipei
$132
Moe
$239 80.3% $106
Clothing & Footwear
Taipei
$131
Moe
$173 31.8% $42
Eating Out
Taipei
$123
Moe
$240 94.7% $117
Sport & Entertainment
Taipei
$60
Moe
$86 44.1% $26
Getting Around
Taipei
$47
Moe
$101 113% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $999 in Taipei and $1,344 in Moe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taipei pays 25% 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 $76.0 in Moe. Groceries flip the comparison at $400 vs $332, with Moe cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇼 Taipei
🇦🇺 Moe
🕒 Local time
05:57 5:57 AM
08:57 8:57 AM
3 h ahead of Taipei
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,635,286 Capital
8,700
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 32.15 TWD (100 TWD = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 35.98 TWD (100 TWD = 2.78 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Taipei Moe 7,490 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Taipei
  • Moe

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 Moe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Taipei or Moe?
Taipei wins on cost – living expenses run 81% lower than in Moe. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Taipei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Taipei or in Moe?
Average pay runs 25% higher in Taipei, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Taipei compared to Moe?
Rent for a central apartment: $999 in Taipei versus $1,344 in Moe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Taipei or in Moe?
Shoppers in Moe pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
How do dining costs compare in Taipei and in Moe?
Dining out is cheaper in Taipei – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $76.0 in Moe. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Taipei or in Moe?
At $1,368 in Taipei versus $2,477 in Moe, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Taipei but tight or insufficient in Moe. The gap between the two cities makes Taipei the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Taipei or Moe?
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.
How safe is Taipei compared to Moe?
Safety-wise, Taipei and Moe are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Taipei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Moe. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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