Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Pakenham

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,368 a month against $2,532 in Pakenham, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Pakenham
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Pakenham Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Pakenham

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Pakenham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Taipei versus $2,532 in Pakenham.

Taipei $1,368
Pakenham $2,532

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,202 in Taipei versus $3,680 in Pakenham.

Taipei $2,202
Pakenham $3,680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,036 in Taipei versus $4,828 in Pakenham.

Taipei $3,036
Pakenham $4,828

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Taipei 1% above, Pakenham 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 NT$149

$17.31 A$24.91

-73.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 NT$1,528

$82.6 A$119

-42.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 NT$181

$12.18 A$17.53

-54.19%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NT$112

$4.08 A$5.88

-15.44%

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

$0.94 NT$30.61

$3.04 A$4.38

-69.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.73

$2.43 A$3.50

-72.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$9.90 A$14.25

-71.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 NT$120

$8.24 A$11.86

-55.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 NT$101

$1.19 A$1.71

162.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 NT$64.0

$2.89 A$4.15

-31.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 NT$103

$2.53 A$3.64

24.90%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$5.53 A$7.95

-51.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.90 NT$645

$8.47 A$12.19

134.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NT$319

$10.01 A$14.41

-1.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.51 NT$698

$15.17 A$21.83

41.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 NT$157

$4.13 A$5.95

17.43%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 NT$105

$2.55 A$3.68

27.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 NT$98.2

$3.12 A$4.49

-2.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 NT$147

$4.62 A$6.64

-1.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$3.10 A$4.46

-10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$2.55 A$3.67

-8.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.5

$2.44 A$3.51

-31.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.62

$1.56 A$2.24

-29.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 NT$123

$25.12 A$36.14

-84.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 NT$460

$12.46 A$17.94

13.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$53.0

$5.76 A$8.29

-71.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.3

$5.16 A$7.42

-55.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$21.04

$2.57 A$3.70

-74.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,228

$87.0 A$125

-56.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 NT$86.8

$4.51 A$6.49

-40.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 NT$26.55

$1.36 A$1.95

-39.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.17 NT$297

$29.83 A$42.93

-69.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.93

$1.41 A$2.02

-27.66%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$29.0K A$41.8K

13.06%

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

$24.5K NT$795.1K

$26.1K A$37.5K

-6.01%

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

$87.7 NT$2,843

$235 A$339

-62.74%

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

$17.28 NT$560

$27.39 A$39.41

-36.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.38 NT$888

$55.6 A$80.0

-50.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 NT$1,308

$49.14 A$70.7

-17.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

$17.99 A$25.89

-11.40%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 NT$319

$15.60 A$22.45

-36.99%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

$2,334 A$3,358

-71.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$538.4K

$29.4K A$42.3K

-43.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 NT$2,025

$81.6 A$117

-23.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 NT$1,281

$49.61 A$71.4

-20.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 NT$2,740

$120 A$173

-29.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,424

$134 A$193

-21.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 NT$32.4K

$1,420 A$2,044

-29.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 NT$15.3K

$1,166 A$1,678

-59.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 NT$50.8K

$1,832 A$2,637

-14.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$30.7K

$1,824 A$2,625

-48.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NT$385.6K

$5,126 A$7,377

131.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,306 NT$236.9K

$5,496 A$7,909

32.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 NT$57.1K

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 Pakenham: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$473 34.6%

Pakenham

$1.2K 46.1% 146% $693

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$400 29.3%

Pakenham

$372 14.7% 7% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$132 9.7%

Pakenham

$318 12.6% 141% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$131 9.6%

Pakenham

$174 6.9% 32.1% $42

Eating Out

Taipei

$123 9%

Pakenham

$312 12.3% 154% $189

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Pakenham

$80 3.2% 33.9% $20

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Pakenham

$109 4.3% 130% $61

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $999 in Taipei and $1,420 in Pakenham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47.00 in Taipei vs $83.0 in Pakenham. Groceries flip the comparison at $400 vs $372, with Pakenham cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇦🇺 Pakenham

🕒 Local time

05:51 5:51 AM

08:51 8:51 AM

3 h ahead of Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

54,118

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taipei Pakenham 7,450 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Taipei
Pakenham

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 Pakenham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipei wins on cost – living expenses run 85% lower than in Pakenham. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Taipei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,052 in Taipei and $3,797 in Pakenham to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $999 in Taipei versus $1,420 in Pakenham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $663 in Taipei versus $2,334 in Pakenham. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Pakenham pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,368 in Taipei versus $2,532 in Pakenham, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Taipei but tight or insufficient in Pakenham. 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 Pakenham 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 85% less than in Pakenham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.