Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,395 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $21,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
Learn more

Taipei Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index

Jump to prices

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,395

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Sydney

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

A single person spends $1,395 per month in Taipei vs $3,182 in Sydney, rent included.

Taipei $1,395
Sydney $3,182

A couple spends around $2,227 per month in Taipei vs $4,696 in Sydney, rent included.

Taipei $2,227
Sydney $4,696

A family of three spends $3,059 per month in Taipei vs $6,210 in Sydney, rent included.

Taipei $3,059
Sydney $6,210

Taipei is about 56% cheaper than Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Taipei and Sydney sit above the global median – Taipei by 4%, Sydney by 137%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.76 NT$152

$17.66 A$25.37

-73.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.18 NT$1,538

$97.1 A$139

-50.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.75 NT$184

$11.94 A$17.15

-51.84%

Cappuccino

$3.49 NT$112

$4.00 A$5.75

-12.75%

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

$0.88 NT$28.04

$2.84 A$4.07

-69.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 NT$20.62

$2.27 A$3.26

-71.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$91.4

$7.89 A$11.33

-63.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 NT$117

$7.13 A$10.24

-48.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 NT$98.6

$1.66 A$2.39

86.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 NT$65.5

$2.79 A$4.01

-26.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 NT$97.6

$2.32 A$3.34

31.90%

Eggs

$2.70 NT$86.1

$5.53 A$7.94

-51.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.66 NT$628

$12.08 A$17.35

62.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.83 NT$314

$9.84 A$14.14

-0.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.11 NT$674

$16.61 A$23.87

27.09%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 NT$162

$4.02 A$5.78

26.37%

Banana (1kg)

$3.39 NT$108

$3.15 A$4.53

7.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NT$95.9

$3.50 A$5.03

-14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 NT$146

$4.47 A$6.42

2.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 NT$86.8

$3.32 A$4.77

-18.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 NT$72.9

$2.30 A$3.31

-0.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$53.7

$2.34 A$3.37

-28.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NT$36.82

$1.15 A$1.66

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 NT$129

$45.02 A$64.7

-91.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.32 NT$457

$13.96 A$20.05

2.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 NT$54.2

$3.98 A$5.72

-57.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$73.0

$4.07 A$5.84

-43.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.47

$3.16 A$4.54

-80.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.47 NT$1,228

$150 A$215

-74.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 NT$87.0

$3.45 A$4.96

-20.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$24.03

$1.63 A$2.34

-53.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.59 NT$306

$39.98 A$57.4

-76.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.57

$1.40 A$2.01

-27.14%

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

$34.1K NT$1.1M

$28.4K A$40.8K

19.92%

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

$24.2K NT$772.3K

$29.4K A$42.2K

-17.73%

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

$86.4 NT$2,757

$220 A$316

-60.72%

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

$17.12 NT$547

$27.70 A$39.79

-38.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.06 NT$864

$55.5 A$79.8

-51.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 NT$1,302

$74.3 A$107

-45.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.04 NT$512

$23.95 A$34.41

-33.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 NT$307

$17.73 A$25.46

-45.69%

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

$656 NT$20.9K

$2,157 A$3,098

-69.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K NT$524.3K

$28.3K A$40.6K

-41.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 NT$2,002

$78.4 A$113

-20.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.50 NT$1,261

$70.5 A$101

-44.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 NT$2,678

$111 A$160

-24.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,393

$132 A$189

-19.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 NT$32.4K

$2,514 A$3,612

-59.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$479 NT$15.3K

$1,732 A$2,487

-72.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,568 NT$50.1K

$4,889 A$7,022

-67.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$952 NT$30.4K

$3,039 A$4,365

-68.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.2K NT$389.4K

$13.2K A$19.0K

-7.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,207 NT$230.1K

$8,117 A$11.7K

-11.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,772 NT$56.6K

$4,082 A$5,864

-56.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

5.84

-58.90%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$479 34.8%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5% 262% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$401 29.2%

Sydney

$380 12% 5.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$132 9.6%

Sydney

$176 5.6% 34.1% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$131 9.5%

Sydney

$303 9.6% 132% $173

Eating Out

Taipei

$125 9.1%

Sydney

$299 9.4% 139% $174

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 82.9% $50

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 267% $127

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,016 in Taipei versus $2,514 in Sydney. 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 130% higher in Sydney, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Taipei versus $97.0 in Sydney. Groceries tell a different story – $401 in Taipei vs $380 in Sydney – so Sydney wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

15:26 3:26 PM

18:26 6:26 PM

3 h ahead of Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

4,840,600

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.79 EUR

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 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 = 31.92 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.81 TWD (100 TWD = 2.79 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taipei Sydney 7,260 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Taipei
Sydney

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 Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,395 in Taipei, $3,182 in Sydney – roughly 128% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,092 per month in Taipei and $4,774 in Sydney. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Taipei and $97.0 in Sydney. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,395 in Taipei and $3,182 in Sydney. That's a gap of about 128%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Taipei, where all-in costs run around $1,395, than in Sydney at $3,182. In Taipei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taipei – 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 Taipei. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.