Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Newcastle

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,395 a month against $2,596 in Newcastle, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
Learn more

Taipei Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Newcastle
Learn more

Newcastle Living Index

Jump to prices

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,395

/mo nomad

Newcastle

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,596

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Newcastle

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,395 in Taipei versus $2,596 in Newcastle.

Taipei $1,395
Newcastle $2,596

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,227 in Taipei versus $3,812 in Newcastle.

Taipei $2,227
Newcastle $3,812

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,059 in Taipei versus $5,028 in Newcastle.

Taipei $3,059
Newcastle $5,028

Living in Taipei costs roughly 46% less than in Newcastle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Taipei 4% above, Newcastle 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.76 NT$152

$21.06 A$30.14

-77.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.18 NT$1,537

$105 A$151

-54.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.75 NT$183

$10.25 A$14.67

-43.90%

Cappuccino

$3.49 NT$112

$3.72 A$5.33

-6.18%

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

$0.88 NT$28.03

$3.17 A$4.54

-72.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 NT$20.61

$1.78 A$2.55

-63.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$91.4

$9.01 A$12.90

-68.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 NT$117

$7.09 A$10.14

-48.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 NT$98.5

$1.48 A$2.11

108.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 NT$65.5

$2.62 A$3.75

-21.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 NT$97.5

$1.93 A$2.76

58.55%

Eggs

$2.70 NT$86.0

$4.81 A$6.88

-43.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.66 NT$627

$10.47 A$14.99

87.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.83 NT$314

$8.71 A$12.47

12.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.11 NT$674

$15.70 A$22.47

34.46%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 NT$162

$3.44 A$4.92

47.67%

Banana (1kg)

$3.39 NT$108

$2.99 A$4.27

13.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NT$95.8

$3.04 A$4.35

-1.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 NT$146

$4.48 A$6.42

1.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 NT$86.8

$2.90 A$4.15

-6.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 NT$72.9

$2.44 A$3.49

-6.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$53.7

$2.43 A$3.47

-30.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NT$36.81

$1.40 A$2.00

-17.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 NT$129

$31.12 A$44.53

-86.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.32 NT$457

$10.44 A$14.94

37.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 NT$54.2

$4.38 A$6.27

-61.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$73.0

$3.39 A$4.86

-32.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.46

$2.86 A$4.09

-78.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.47 NT$1,228

$154 A$221

-75.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 NT$87.0

$2.37 A$3.40

15.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$24.02

$1.62 A$2.32

-53.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.59 NT$306

$40.64 A$58.2

-76.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.56

$1.23 A$1.76

-17.07%

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

$34.1K NT$1.1M

$30.5K A$43.6K

11.92%

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

$24.2K NT$771.9K

$29.9K A$42.8K

-19.20%

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

$86.4 NT$2,756

$219 A$314

-60.64%

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

$17.12 NT$546

$26.03 A$37.25

-34.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.06 NT$864

$56.3 A$80.5

-51.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 NT$1,301

$43.81 A$62.7

-6.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.04 NT$512

$18.18 A$26.02

-11.77%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 NT$307

$14.13 A$20.23

-31.85%

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

$656 NT$20.9K

$2,195 A$3,142

-70.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K NT$524.1K

$13.2K A$18.9K

24.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 NT$2,001

$81.7 A$117

-23.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.50 NT$1,261

$46.51 A$66.6

-15.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 NT$2,677

$119 A$170

-29.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,392

$115 A$164

-7.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 NT$32.4K

$1,538 A$2,200

-33.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$479 NT$15.3K

$1,172 A$1,677

-59.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,568 NT$50.0K

$2,514 A$3,598

-37.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$952 NT$30.4K

$1,844 A$2,639

-48.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.2K NT$389.2K

$13.5K A$19.3K

-9.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,207 NT$230.0K

$5,706 A$8,165

26.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,772 NT$56.5K

$3,067 A$4,389

-42.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

6.55

-63.36%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 4, 2026

Last update for Newcastle: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$479 34.8%

Newcastle

$1.2K 45.8% 145% $694

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$401 29.2%

Newcastle

$349 13.7% 13% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$132 9.6%

Newcastle

$163 6.4% 23.9% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$131 9.5%

Newcastle

$302 11.8% 131% $171

Eating Out

Taipei

$125 9.1%

Newcastle

$323 12.6% 158% $198

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Newcastle

$72 2.8% 20.1% $12

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Newcastle

$176 6.9% 272% $129

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,016 in Taipei and $1,538 in Newcastle. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Newcastle pays 73% 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: $48.00 in Taipei vs $105 in Newcastle. Groceries flip the comparison at $401 vs $349, with Newcastle cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇦🇺 Newcastle

🕒 Local time

17:46 5:46 PM

20:46 8:46 PM

3 h ahead of Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

508,437

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.76 TWD (100 TWD = 2.8 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taipei Newcastle 7,200 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Taipei
Newcastle

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 Newcastle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipei is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 86% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 73% lower in Newcastle. 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: $1,016 in Taipei versus $1,538 in Newcastle. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,395 per month in Taipei versus $2,596 in Newcastle – a 86% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Taipei runs roughly 301% less than in Newcastle. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,395 in Taipei versus $2,596 in Newcastle, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Taipei but tight or insufficient in Newcastle. 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 Newcastle 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 86% less than in Newcastle. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.