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

😐 Solo nomad: Taipei is 7.3% more expensive than Taichung without rent, and 22.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Taipei is 7% more expensive than Taichung without rent, and 19.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Taipei
Taichung
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.74 NT$212
$5.16 NT$162
30.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.31 NT$1,300
$30.33 NT$954
36.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.72 NT$180
$5.57 NT$175
2.69%
Cappuccino
$3.82 NT$120
$3.03 NT$95.2
26.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.18 NT$37.17
$1.15 NT$36.12
2.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.80 NT$25.05
$0.83 NT$26.18
-3.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.31 NT$104
$2.19 NT$68.9
51.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.47 NT$109
$2.94 NT$92.6
18.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Taipei
Taichung
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.10 NT$97.7
$3.84 NT$121
-19.27%
White Bread (500g)
$1.88 NT$59.3
$1.72 NT$54.0
9.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.16 NT$99.6
$2.77 NT$87.1
14.08%
Eggs
$2.89 NT$90.9
$3.17 NT$99.9
-8.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$20.27 NT$638
$31.24 NT$983
-35.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.70 NT$305
$8.34 NT$262
16.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.33 NT$640
$15.65 NT$493
29.90%
Apples (1kg)
$5.30 NT$167
$4.69 NT$148
13.01%
Banana (1kg)
$3.01 NT$94.6
$1.81 NT$57.0
66.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.77 NT$87.3
$2.19 NT$68.8
26.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.23 NT$133
$3.07 NT$96.7
37.79%
Potato (1kg)
$2.86 NT$90.1
$1.30 NT$40.78
120.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.26 NT$71.0
$1.96 NT$61.8
15.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.99 NT$62.5
$2.29 NT$72.1
-13.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 NT$43.58
$1.28 NT$40.40
7.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.19 NT$132
$4.10 NT$129
2.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.30 NT$481
$15.89 NT$500
-3.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 NT$55.4
$1.66 NT$52.3
6.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 NT$75.5
$2.53 NT$79.5
-5.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Taipei
Taichung
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 NT$27.37
$0.88 NT$27.69
-1.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.64 NT$1,279
$29.32 NT$923
38.61%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.80 NT$88.0
$2.95 NT$92.9
-5.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.75 NT$23.46
$1.19 NT$37.48
-36.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.09 NT$317
$10.12 NT$319
-0.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.04 NT$32.72
$1.01 NT$31.72
2.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.0K NT$1.2M
$34.1K NT$1.1M
11.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.3K NT$860.0K
$26.4K NT$829.9K
3.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taipei
Taichung
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$86.7 NT$2,727
$94.3 NT$2,966
-8.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.73 NT$590
$24.30 NT$765
-22.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.83 NT$781
$21.75 NT$685
14.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Taipei
Taichung
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.25 NT$1,330
$36.14 NT$1,137
16.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.84 NT$436
$10.08 NT$317
37.30%
Cinema Ticket
$11.99 NT$377
$10.60 NT$334
13.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Taipei
Taichung
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$635 NT$20.0K
$358 NT$11.3K
77.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.6K NT$585.6K
$20.8K NT$654.5K
-10.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Taipei
Taichung
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.8 NT$1,850
$83.7 NT$2,634
-29.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.79 NT$1,032
$34.37 NT$1,081
-4.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.7 NT$2,885
$93.8 NT$2,951
-2.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 NT$3,895
$129 NT$4,049
-3.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Taipei
Taichung
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$791 NT$24.9K
$379 NT$11.9K
108.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$551 NT$17.3K
$291 NT$9,161
89.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,664 NT$52.4K
$1,053 NT$33.1K
58.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,109 NT$34.9K
$735 NT$23.1K
50.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$14.6K NT$458.8K
$7,082 NT$222.9K
105.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,632 NT$271.6K
$5,358 NT$168.6K
61.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Taipei
Taichung
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,677 NT$52.8K
$1,494 NT$47.0K
12.27%
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: April 14, 2026

Last update for Taichung: April 13, 2026

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

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