Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,368 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
Learn more

Taipei Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Taipei versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Taipei $1,368
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,202 in Taipei versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Taipei $2,202
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,036 in Taipei versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Taipei $3,036
Phuket $2,867

Living in Taipei is roughly 13% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Taipei is 1% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 NT$149

$4.58 ฿153

0.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 NT$1,528

$32.48 ฿1,086

45.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 NT$181

$8.55 ฿286

-34.74%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NT$112

$2.72 ฿91.0

26.84%

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

$0.94 NT$30.61

$0.94 ฿31.25

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.73

$0.49 ฿16.39

36.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$2.59 ฿86.6

10.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 NT$120

$3.83 ฿128

-3.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 NT$101

$1.74 ฿58.1

79.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 NT$64.0

$1.43 ฿47.82

37.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 NT$103

$1.53 ฿51.0

106.54%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$2.17 ฿72.7

23.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.90 NT$645

$19.15 ฿640

3.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NT$319

$3.30 ฿110

198.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.51 NT$698

$11.14 ฿372

93.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 NT$157

$2.95 ฿98.5

64.41%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 NT$105

$1.68 ฿56.1

93.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 NT$98.2

$2.30 ฿76.8

31.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 NT$147

$2.13 ฿71.3

112.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$1.53 ฿51.1

82.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$1.36 ฿45.55

72.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.5

$1.12 ฿37.44

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.62

$0.55 ฿18.24

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 NT$123

$4.26 ฿142

-10.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 NT$460

$18.19 ฿608

-22.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$53.0

$1.74 ฿58.2

-6.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.3

$2.79 ฿93.3

-17.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$21.04

$2.22 ฿74.1

-70.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,228

$22.06 ฿737

71.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 NT$86.8

$2.91 ฿97.3

-7.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 NT$26.55

$1.01 ฿33.79

-18.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.17 NT$297

$3.83 ฿128

139.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.93

$1.49 ฿49.85

-31.54%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

23.00%

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

$24.5K NT$795.1K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-8.21%

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

$87.7 NT$2,843

$99.4 ฿3,321

-11.76%

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

$17.28 NT$560

$11.28 ฿377

53.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.38 NT$888

$17.36 ฿580

57.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 NT$1,308

$52.3 ฿1,747

-22.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

$10.85 ฿362

46.91%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 NT$319

$7.57 ฿253

29.85%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

$558 ฿18.7K

18.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$538.4K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

44.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 NT$2,025

$62.9 ฿2,102

-0.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 NT$1,281

$28.58 ฿955

38.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 NT$2,740

$96.1 ฿3,213

-12.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,424

$88.1 ฿2,943

19.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 NT$32.4K

$729 ฿24.4K

36.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 NT$15.3K

$460 ฿15.4K

2.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 NT$50.8K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-25.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$30.7K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-22.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NT$385.6K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

243.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,306 NT$236.9K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

193.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 NT$57.1K

$493 ฿16.5K

256.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

5.57

-56.91%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$473 34.6%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 2.8% $13

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$400 29.3%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 33.2% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$132 9.7%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 3.3% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$131 9.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 5.6% $7.4

Eating Out

Taipei

$123 9%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 1.4% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 12.4% $7.4

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 17.7% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $999 in Taipei and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taipei pays 257% 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 $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $400 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

21:04 9:04 PM

1 h behind Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taipei Phuket 3,110 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Taipei
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 257% 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: $999 in Taipei versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $663 in Taipei versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Taipei. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,368 in Taipei, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Taipei. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket 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 Phuket 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Taipei. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.