Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Pingtung city

For one person, living is cheaper in Pingtung city: $909 a month against $1,368 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Pingtung city
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Pingtung city Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Pingtung city

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Pingtung 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 Pingtung city actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,368 per month in Taipei vs $909 in Pingtung city, rent included.

Taipei $1,368
Pingtung city $909

A couple spends around $2,202 per month in Taipei vs $1,474 in Pingtung city, rent included.

Taipei $2,202
Pingtung city $1,474

A family of three spends $3,036 per month in Taipei vs $2,038 in Pingtung city, rent included.

Taipei $3,036
Pingtung city $2,038

Taipei costs about 50% more than Pingtung city, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Taipei sits 1% above the global median, while Pingtung city is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 NT$149

$5.52 NT$179

-16.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 NT$1,528

$31.64 NT$1,026

48.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 NT$181

$4.71 NT$153

18.47%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NT$112

$2.87 NT$93.1

20.21%

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

$0.94 NT$30.61

$0.98 NT$31.82

-4.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.73

$0.68 NT$21.92

-1.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$1.54 NT$49.83

85.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 NT$120

$2.52 NT$81.6

46.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 NT$101

$3.22 NT$104

-3.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 NT$64.0

$1.91 NT$62.0

3.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 NT$103

$2.60 NT$84.2

21.54%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$2.65 NT$86.0

1.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.90 NT$645

$15.60 NT$506

27.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NT$319

$8.06 NT$261

22.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.51 NT$698

$15.09 NT$489

42.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 NT$157

$4.33 NT$140

12.01%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 NT$105

$1.87 NT$60.7

73.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 NT$98.2

$2.49 NT$80.8

21.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 NT$147

$3.19 NT$104

42.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$1.18 NT$38.37

136.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$1.93 NT$62.7

21.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.5

$2.33 NT$75.6

-27.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.62

$0.85 NT$27.60

29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 NT$123

$3.81 NT$123

-0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 NT$460

$15.42 NT$500

-8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$53.0

$1.55 NT$50.2

5.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.3

$2.24 NT$72.5

2.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$21.04

$0.49 NT$15.89

32.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 NT$86.8

$2.70 NT$87.5

-0.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 NT$26.55

$0.74 NT$24.04

10.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.17 NT$297

$6.40 NT$207

43.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.93

$1.03 NT$33.32

-0.97%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$34.1K NT$1.1M

-3.67%

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

$24.5K NT$795.1K

$23.0K NT$746.1K

6.56%

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

$87.7 NT$2,843

$111 NT$3,590

-20.79%

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

$17.28 NT$560

$15.11 NT$490

14.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.38 NT$888

$25.70 NT$833

6.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 NT$1,308

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 NT$319

$9.58 NT$311

2.61%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

$344 NT$11.2K

92.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$538.4K

$14.0K NT$453.1K

18.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 NT$2,025

$70.8 NT$2,297

-11.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 NT$1,281

$31.23 NT$1,013

26.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 NT$2,740

$82.4 NT$2,670

2.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,424

$104 NT$3,359

1.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 NT$32.4K

$247 NT$8,018

303.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 NT$15.3K

$155 NT$5,023

205.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 NT$50.8K

$746 NT$24.2K

109.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$30.7K

$375 NT$12.2K

152.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NT$385.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,306 NT$236.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 NT$57.1K

$1,912 NT$62.0K

-7.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

2.27

5.73%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pingtung city: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$473 34.6%

Pingtung city

$155 17% 67.3% $318

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$400 29.3%

Pingtung city

$334 36.7% 16.7% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$132 9.7%

Pingtung city

$152 16.7% 14.5% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$131 9.6%

Pingtung city

$130 14.3% 1.4% $1.8

Eating Out

Taipei

$123 9%

Pingtung city

$112 12.3% 8.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Pingtung city

$19 * 2.1% 68.1% $41

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Pingtung city

$8.4 * 0.9% 82.3% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $999 in Taipei versus $247 in Pingtung city. 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 9% higher in Pingtung city, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Taipei versus $32.00 in Pingtung city. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $334 – making Pingtung city the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇹🇼 Pingtung city

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

Same time as Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

201,644

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Taipei Pingtung city 290 km

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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 Pingtung city: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,368 in Taipei, $909 in Pingtung city – roughly 50% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,052 per month in Taipei and $1,364 in Pingtung city. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pingtung city, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,368 in Taipei and $909 in Pingtung city. That's a gap of about 50%.

Kindergarten costs $663 per month in Taipei and $344 in Pingtung city. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pingtung city, where all-in costs run around $909, than in Taipei at $1,368. In Pingtung city it covers expenses comfortably, while in Taipei it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pingtung city – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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