Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Msida

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,330 a month against $1,805 in Msida, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Msida
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Msida Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,330

/mo nomad

Msida

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,805

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Msida

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

A single person spends $1,330 per month in Taipei vs $1,805 in Msida, rent included.

Taipei $1,330
Msida $1,805

A couple spends around $2,145 per month in Taipei vs $2,670 in Msida, rent included.

Taipei $2,145
Msida $2,670

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Taipei vs $3,536 in Msida, rent included.

Taipei $2,959
Msida $3,536

Taipei is about 26% cheaper than Msida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Taipei sits 2% below the global median, while Msida is 33% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 NT$153

$11.29 €10.12

-58.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 NT$1,504

$50.1 €44.88

-7.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 NT$189

$10.72 €9.61

-45.90%

Cappuccino

$3.37 NT$110

$2.26 €2.03

49.12%

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

$0.91 NT$29.61

$2.26 €2.02

-59.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 NT$21.58

$1.10 €0.99

-40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 NT$97.2

$4.60 €4.12

-35.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 NT$119

$3.45 €3.09

5.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.95 NT$96.2

$1.12 €1.00

163.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 NT$62.8

$1.35 €1.21

42.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 NT$101

$4.46 €4.00

-30.49%

Eggs

$2.62 NT$85.3

$2.65 €2.37

-1.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.04 NT$621

$8.48 €7.60

124.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 NT$311

$10.44 €9.35

-8.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.87 NT$680

$18.08 €16.20

15.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 NT$154

$4.27 €3.82

10.54%

Banana (1kg)

$3.33 NT$109

$2.84 €2.54

17.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 NT$96.1

$3.69 €3.31

-20.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 NT$139

$3.32 €2.97

28.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 NT$89.8

$2.21 €1.98

24.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 NT$72.5

$1.90 €1.70

16.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 NT$54.1

$2.35 €2.10

-29.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 NT$35.08

$1.29 €1.15

-16.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.95 NT$129

$6.58 €5.89

-39.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 NT$453

$8.08 €7.24

71.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 NT$51.7

$1.71 €1.54

-7.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NT$71.0

$2.40 €2.15

-9.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 NT$18.98

$2.18 €1.95

-73.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.25 NT$1,182

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 NT$82.7

$5.45 €4.88

-53.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$24.44

$2.17 €1.95

-65.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.99 NT$293

$26.80 €24.02

-66.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 NT$32.62

$1.49 €1.33

-32.89%

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

$34.6K NT$1.1M

$37.1K €33.3K

-6.64%

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

$23.0K NT$750.9K

$39.7K €35.6K

-41.96%

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

$85.6 NT$2,791

$84.8 €76.0

0.96%

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

$16.94 NT$552

$25.53 €22.88

-33.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.94 NT$878

$27.62 €24.75

-2.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.55 NT$1,290

$56.3 €50.5

-29.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.36 NT$501

Cinema Ticket

$9.72 NT$317

$9.96 €8.93

-2.41%

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

$710 NT$23.1K

$363 €325

95.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K NT$532.8K

$11.0K €9,813

49.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 NT$2,021

$86.0 €77.1

-27.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.30 NT$1,281

$39.84 €35.70

-1.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 NT$2,742

$98.3 €88.1

-14.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NT$3,316

$78.6 €70.4

29.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 NT$31.3K

$1,048 €939

-8.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 NT$14.9K

$917 €821

-50.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 NT$49.3K

$1,823 €1,634

-17.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$919 NT$30.0K

$1,485 €1,330

-38.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.4K NT$372.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,882 NT$224.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,703 NT$55.5K

$2,734 €2,450

-37.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

2.9

-17.24%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 25, 2026

Last update for Msida: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$456 34.3%

Msida

$917 50.8% 101% $461

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$388 29.2%

Msida

$320 17.7% 17.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$129 9.7%

Msida

$138 7.6% 6.5% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$129 9.7%

Msida

$136 7.6% 5.4% $7

Eating Out

Taipei

$124 9.3%

Msida

$193 10.7% 55.9% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$59 4.4%

Msida

$76 4.2% 29.3% $17

Getting Around

Taipei

$45 3.4%

Msida

$25 * 1.4% 44.2% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $961 in Taipei versus $1,048 in Msida. 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 61% higher in Msida. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Taipei versus $50 in Msida. Groceries tell a different story – $388 in Taipei vs $320 in Msida – so Msida wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇲🇹 Msida

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

06:00 6:00 AM

7 h behind Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taipei Msida 9,800 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Taipei
Msida

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 Msida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Msida is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,995 per month in Taipei and $2,707 in Msida. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $961 in Taipei and $1,048 in Msida. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,330 in Taipei and $1,805 in Msida. That makes Taipei about 26% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $710 per month in Taipei and $363 in Msida. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Taipei, where all-in costs run around $1,330, than in Msida at $1,805. In Taipei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Msida it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Msida has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,330 in Taipei to $1,805 in Msida. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Taipei. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Msida makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.