Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and New Taipei City

For one person, living is cheaper in New Taipei City: $1,185 a month against $1,330 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
57

Cost of Living Index in New Taipei City
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New Taipei City Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,330

/mo nomad

New Taipei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in New Taipei City

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 New Taipei City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,330 in Taipei versus $1,185 in New Taipei City.

Taipei $1,330
New Taipei City $1,185

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,145 in Taipei versus $1,998 in New Taipei City.

Taipei $2,145
New Taipei City $1,998

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Taipei versus $2,810 in New Taipei City.

Taipei $2,959
New Taipei City $2,810

Living in Taipei is roughly 12% more expensive than in New Taipei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taipei 2% lower, New Taipei City 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 NT$153

$4.67 NT$152

0.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 NT$1,504

$30.83 NT$1,005

49.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 NT$189

$5.18 NT$169

11.97%

Cappuccino

$3.37 NT$110

$2.31 NT$75.4

45.89%

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

$0.91 NT$29.61

$0.82 NT$26.80

10.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 NT$21.58

$0.53 NT$17.19

24.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 NT$97.2

$1.58 NT$51.7

88.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 NT$119

$2.43 NT$79.3

49.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.95 NT$96.2

$3.13 NT$102

-5.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 NT$62.8

$1.85 NT$60.4

3.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 NT$101

$2.13 NT$69.6

45.54%

Eggs

$2.62 NT$85.3

$2.15 NT$70.1

21.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.04 NT$621

$24.36 NT$794

-21.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 NT$311

$10.65 NT$347

-10.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.87 NT$680

$18.90 NT$616

10.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 NT$154

$4.01 NT$131

17.71%

Banana (1kg)

$3.33 NT$109

$2.49 NT$81.2

33.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 NT$96.1

$2.76 NT$89.9

6.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 NT$139

$4.01 NT$131

6.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 NT$89.8

$3.96 NT$129

-30.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 NT$72.5

$2.08 NT$67.8

6.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 NT$54.1

$1.59 NT$51.9

4.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 NT$35.08

$1.01 NT$32.93

6.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.95 NT$129

$4.30 NT$140

-8.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 NT$453

$9.16 NT$299

51.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 NT$51.7

$1.36 NT$44.40

16.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NT$71.0

$2.28 NT$74.3

-4.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 NT$18.98

$0.63 NT$20.66

-7.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.25 NT$1,182

$37.16 NT$1,212

-2.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 NT$82.7

$2.66 NT$86.7

-4.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$24.44

$0.94 NT$30.71

-20.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.99 NT$293

$9.35 NT$305

-3.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 NT$32.62

$0.99 NT$32.28

1.01%

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

$34.6K NT$1.1M

$33.2K NT$1.1M

4.47%

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

$23.0K NT$750.9K

$23.6K NT$768.0K

-2.22%

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

$85.6 NT$2,791

$112 NT$3,650

-23.54%

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

$16.94 NT$552

$16.63 NT$542

1.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.94 NT$878

$23.01 NT$750

17.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.55 NT$1,290

$37.65 NT$1,227

5.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.36 NT$501

$7.72 NT$252

98.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.72 NT$317

$10.65 NT$347

-8.73%

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

$710 NT$23.1K

$634 NT$20.7K

12.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K NT$532.8K

$21.0K NT$683.8K

-22.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 NT$2,021

$35.02 NT$1,142

77.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.30 NT$1,281

$31.03 NT$1,012

26.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 NT$2,742

$89.3 NT$2,910

-5.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NT$3,316

$98.2 NT$3,202

3.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 NT$31.3K

$613 NT$20.0K

56.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 NT$14.9K

$335 NT$10.9K

36.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 NT$49.3K

$1,377 NT$44.9K

9.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$919 NT$30.0K

$920 NT$30.0K

-0.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.4K NT$372.0K

$10.2K NT$331.8K

12.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,882 NT$224.4K

$5,980 NT$195.0K

15.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,703 NT$55.5K

$1,359 NT$44.3K

25.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

2.81

-14.59%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 25, 2026

Last update for New Taipei City: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$456 34.3%

New Taipei City

$335 28.2% 26.6% $121

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$388 29.2%

New Taipei City

$380 32.1% 2% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$129 9.7%

New Taipei City

$152 12.8% 17.1% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$129 9.7%

New Taipei City

$114 9.6% 11.7% $15

Eating Out

Taipei

$124 9.3%

New Taipei City

$99 8.3% 20.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$59 4.4%

New Taipei City

$59 5% 0% $0

Getting Around

Taipei

$45 3.4%

New Taipei City

$47 4% 4.9% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $961 in Taipei and $613 in New Taipei City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taipei pays 25% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $46 in Taipei vs $31 in New Taipei City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $380 per month, with New Taipei City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇹🇼 New Taipei City

🕒 Local time

11:27 11:27 AM

Same time as Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

4,004,367

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Taipei vs New Taipei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,330 in Taipei and $1,185 in New Taipei City, so New Taipei City is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

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.

Rent for a central apartment: $961 in Taipei versus $613 in New Taipei City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $710 in Taipei versus $634 in New Taipei City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,330 per month in Taipei versus $1,185 in New Taipei City – New Taipei City is about 11% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though New Taipei City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

It comes down to priorities – New Taipei City wins on affordability, Taipei on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.