Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Taichung Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Taichung

😐 Solo nomad: Taipei is 3.2% more expensive than Taichung without rent, and 24.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Taipei is 9.2% more expensive than Taichung without rent, and 15.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Taipei
Taichung
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.91 NT$219
$5.03 NT$160
37.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.76 NT$1,292
$30.17 NT$957
35.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.61 NT$178
$5.27 NT$167
6.45%
Cappuccino
$3.80 NT$120
$2.96 NT$93.9
28.38%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 NT$35.43
$1.16 NT$36.63
-3.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 NT$24.89
$0.79 NT$24.94
-1.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.41 NT$108
$2.09 NT$66.2
63.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 NT$110
$2.81 NT$89.2
23.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Taipei
Taichung
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.21 NT$102
$3.74 NT$119
-14.17%
White Bread (500g)
$1.90 NT$60.3
$1.75 NT$55.4
8.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.09 NT$97.9
$2.85 NT$90.4
8.42%
Eggs
$2.78 NT$88.3
$3.14 NT$99.5
-11.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$20.30 NT$644
$31.61 NT$1,002
-35.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.16 NT$322
$8.12 NT$257
25.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.02 NT$635
$15.54 NT$493
28.83%
Apples (1kg)
$5.21 NT$165
$4.65 NT$148
12.04%
Banana (1kg)
$2.86 NT$90.6
$1.80 NT$57.0
58.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.81 NT$89.1
$2.17 NT$68.9
29.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.18 NT$133
$3.01 NT$95.4
38.87%
Potato (1kg)
$2.91 NT$92.3
$1.32 NT$41.92
120.45%
Onion (1kg)
$2.26 NT$71.6
$1.94 NT$61.4
16.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.96 NT$62.1
$2.39 NT$75.9
-17.99%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 NT$42.18
$1.24 NT$39.29
7.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.95 NT$125
$4.02 NT$127
-1.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.12 NT$480
$15.53 NT$493
-2.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.81 NT$57.4
$1.70 NT$54.0
6.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 NT$77.4
$2.57 NT$81.6
-5.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Taipei
Taichung
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.84 NT$26.57
$0.89 NT$28.08
-5.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.01 NT$1,300
$29.24 NT$927
40.25%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 NT$92.2
$2.92 NT$92.6
-0.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 NT$24.84
$1.19 NT$37.85
-34.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.19 NT$323
$10.30 NT$326
-1.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.02 NT$32.45
$1.06 NT$33.49
-3.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.9K NT$1.2M
$34.2K NT$1.1M
10.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.3K NT$865.4K
$25.7K NT$815.4K
6.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taipei
Taichung
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 NT$2,670
$94.9 NT$3,010
-11.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.21 NT$609
$24.97 NT$792
-23.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.20 NT$799
$21.95 NT$696
14.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Taipei
Taichung
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.90 NT$1,297
$36.08 NT$1,144
13.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.60 NT$431
$10.11 NT$320
34.52%
Cinema Ticket
$12.03 NT$382
$10.65 NT$338
12.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Taipei
Taichung
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$640 NT$20.3K
$354 NT$11.2K
80.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.0K NT$602.4K
$20.8K NT$658.4K
-8.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Taipei
Taichung
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.6 NT$1,890
$83.5 NT$2,648
-28.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.91 NT$1,075
$34.55 NT$1,096
-1.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.1 NT$2,985
$95.9 NT$3,040
-1.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 NT$3,861
$127 NT$4,020
-3.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Taipei
Taichung
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$791 NT$25.1K
$374 NT$11.9K
111.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$533 NT$16.9K
$286 NT$9,081
86.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,650 NT$52.3K
$1,025 NT$32.5K
61.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,097 NT$34.8K
$726 NT$23.0K
50.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$14.1K NT$448.5K
$6,928 NT$219.7K
104.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,275 NT$262.4K
$7,922 NT$251.2K
4.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Taipei
Taichung
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,649 NT$52.3K
$1,431 NT$45.4K
15.27%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.19
2.18
0.46%

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

Last update for Taipei: March 2, 2026

Last update for Taichung: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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