Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Mount Victoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,368 a month against $2,682 in Mount Victoria, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
Learn more

Taipei Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Mount Victoria
Learn more

Mount Victoria Living Index

Jump to prices

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Mount Victoria

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,682

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Mount Victoria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Taipei versus $2,682 in Mount Victoria.

Taipei $1,368
Mount Victoria $2,682

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,202 in Taipei versus $3,761 in Mount Victoria.

Taipei $2,202
Mount Victoria $3,761

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,036 in Taipei versus $4,841 in Mount Victoria.

Taipei $3,036
Mount Victoria $4,841

Living in Taipei costs roughly 49% less than in Mount Victoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Taipei 1% above, Mount Victoria 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 NT$148

$20.56 A$29.45

-77.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 NT$1,515

$88.6 A$127

-46.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 NT$179

$10.50 A$15.04

-46.86%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NT$111

$4.18 A$5.98

-17.46%

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

$0.94 NT$30.34

$3.01 A$4.32

-68.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.55

$2.58 A$3.69

-74.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$91.9

$8.57 A$12.27

-66.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 NT$119

$9.92 A$14.21

-62.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 NT$100

$1.55 A$2.23

101.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 NT$63.5

$3.19 A$4.57

-38.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 NT$102

$2.59 A$3.71

22.01%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.1

$5.32 A$7.63

-49.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.90 NT$640

$12.85 A$18.41

54.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NT$317

$9.68 A$13.87

1.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.51 NT$692

$15.35 A$22.00

40.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 NT$156

$3.89 A$5.58

24.68%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 NT$104

$3.13 A$4.49

3.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 NT$97.4

$3.52 A$5.05

-13.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 NT$146

$5.31 A$7.61

-14.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 NT$89.6

$3.02 A$4.33

-7.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.2

$2.85 A$4.09

-17.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.1

$2.56 A$3.67

-34.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.31

$1.32 A$1.89

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 NT$122

$44.59 A$63.9

-91.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 NT$456

$13.84 A$19.82

2.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$52.5

$4.65 A$6.66

-64.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$73.7

$5.53 A$7.93

-58.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$20.86

$3.19 A$4.57

-79.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,218

$70.2 A$101

-46.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 NT$86.1

$4.06 A$5.81

-33.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 NT$26.32

$1.56 A$2.24

-47.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.17 NT$295

$42.77 A$61.3

-78.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.65

$1.31 A$1.88

-22.14%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$27.2K A$39.0K

20.65%

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

$24.5K NT$788.3K

$30.1K A$43.1K

-18.47%

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

$87.7 NT$2,819

$181 A$259

-51.57%

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

$17.28 NT$556

$26.19 A$37.52

-34.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.38 NT$880

$55.1 A$79.0

-50.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 NT$1,296

$56.6 A$81.1

-28.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$512

$18.13 A$25.97

-12.08%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 NT$316

$15.87 A$22.74

-38.06%

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

$663 NT$21.3K

$2,388 A$3,421

-72.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$533.8K

$20.1K A$28.8K

-17.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 NT$2,007

$76.6 A$110

-18.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 NT$1,270

$56.8 A$81.3

-30.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 NT$2,716

$106 A$152

-20.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,394

$134 A$192

-21.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 NT$32.1K

$1,557 A$2,230

-35.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 NT$15.2K

$1,343 A$1,924

-64.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 NT$50.3K

$2,217 A$3,176

-29.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$30.5K

$1,781 A$2,551

-46.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NT$382.3K

$5,418 A$7,762

119.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,306 NT$234.9K

$5,563 A$7,969

31.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 NT$56.6K

$4,096 A$5,868

-57.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

5.95

-59.66%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mount Victoria: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$473 34.6%

Mount Victoria

$1.3K 50.1% 184% $870

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$400 29.3%

Mount Victoria

$394 14.7% 1.6% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$132 9.7%

Mount Victoria

$262 9.8% 98.3% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$131 9.6%

Mount Victoria

$168 6.3% 28% $37

Eating Out

Taipei

$123 9%

Mount Victoria

$331 12.4% 169% $208

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Mount Victoria

$88 3.3% 47.3% $28

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Mount Victoria

$95 3.5% 101% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $999 in Taipei and $1,557 in Mount Victoria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mount Victoria pays 133% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Taipei vs $89.0 in Mount Victoria. Groceries flip the comparison at $400 vs $394, with Mount Victoria cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇦🇺 Mount Victoria

🕒 Local time

06:18 6:18 AM

09:18 9:18 AM

3 h ahead of Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

989

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.11 USD

100 TWD = 2.78 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

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).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taipei Mount Victoria 7,190 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Taipei
Mount Victoria

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 Mount Victoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipei is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 96% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 133% lower in Mount Victoria. 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 $1,557 in Mount Victoria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,368 per month in Taipei versus $2,682 in Mount Victoria – a 96% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Taipei runs roughly 85% less than in Mount Victoria. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,368 in Taipei versus $2,682 in Mount Victoria, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Taipei but tight or insufficient in Mount Victoria. The gap between the two cities makes Taipei 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 Mount Victoria 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 Taipei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Mount Victoria. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.