Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Taichung

For one person, living is cheaper in Taichung: $1,145 a month against $1,368 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,145

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Taichung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Taipei versus $1,145 in Taichung.

Taipei $1,368
Taichung $1,145

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,202 in Taipei versus $1,901 in Taichung.

Taipei $2,202
Taichung $1,901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,036 in Taipei versus $2,657 in Taichung.

Taipei $3,036
Taichung $2,657

Living in Taipei is roughly 19% more expensive than in Taichung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Taipei is 1% above, Taichung is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 NT$149

$4.67 NT$151

-1.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 NT$1,528

$31.15 NT$1,010

51.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 NT$181

$4.60 NT$149

21.30%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NT$112

$2.71 NT$87.8

27.31%

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

$0.94 NT$30.61

$0.99 NT$31.98

-5.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.73

$0.71 NT$23.04

-5.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$1.58 NT$51.4

81.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 NT$120

$2.89 NT$93.6

28.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 NT$101

$3.14 NT$102

-0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 NT$64.0

$1.74 NT$56.6

13.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 NT$103

$2.59 NT$84.0

22.01%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$2.59 NT$83.9

3.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.90 NT$645

$28.15 NT$913

-29.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NT$319

$7.89 NT$256

24.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.51 NT$698

$16.90 NT$548

27.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 NT$157

$4.22 NT$137

14.93%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 NT$105

$1.96 NT$63.4

65.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 NT$98.2

$3.00 NT$97.4

1.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 NT$147

$2.16 NT$69.9

109.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$1.19 NT$38.55

134.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$1.89 NT$61.4

23.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.5

$2.32 NT$75.1

-27.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.62

$0.91 NT$29.66

20.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 NT$123

$3.78 NT$122

0.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 NT$460

$15.59 NT$506

-9.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$53.0

$1.57 NT$50.8

3.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.3

$2.46 NT$79.8

-6.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$21.04

$0.67 NT$21.69

-2.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,228

$31.36 NT$1,017

20.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 NT$86.8

$2.67 NT$86.7

0.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 NT$26.55

$0.97 NT$31.57

-15.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.17 NT$297

$9.65 NT$313

-4.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.93

$1.06 NT$34.36

-3.77%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$33.9K NT$1.1M

-3.31%

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

$24.5K NT$795.1K

$22.7K NT$735.4K

8.11%

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

$87.7 NT$2,843

$122 NT$3,945

-27.92%

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

$17.28 NT$560

$15.08 NT$489

14.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.38 NT$888

$21.01 NT$681

30.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 NT$1,308

$31.97 NT$1,037

26.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

$11.54 NT$374

38.13%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 NT$319

$9.53 NT$309

3.15%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

$333 NT$10.8K

98.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$538.4K

$16.6K NT$537.7K

0.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 NT$2,025

$71.7 NT$2,326

-12.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 NT$1,281

$35.65 NT$1,156

10.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 NT$2,740

$83.4 NT$2,706

1.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,424

$116 NT$3,768

-9.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 NT$32.4K

$391 NT$12.7K

155.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 NT$15.3K

$281 NT$9,111

68.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 NT$50.8K

$1,218 NT$39.5K

28.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$30.7K

$758 NT$24.6K

25.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NT$385.6K

$8,582 NT$278.3K

38.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,306 NT$236.9K

$5,309 NT$172.2K

37.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 NT$57.1K

$1,443 NT$46.8K

21.98%

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 Taichung: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$473 34.6%

Taichung

$281 24.5% 40.6% $192

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$400 29.3%

Taichung

$371 32.4% 7.2% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$132 9.7%

Taichung

$158 13.8% 19.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$131 9.6%

Taichung

$138 12.1% 5.1% $6.7

Eating Out

Taipei

$123 9%

Taichung

$104 9.1% 15.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Taichung

$51 4.5% 14.9% $9

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Taichung

$42 3.6% 12% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $999 in Taipei and $391 in Taichung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taipei pays 22% 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 $31.00 in Taichung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $400 vs $371 per month, with Taichung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇹🇼 Taichung

🕒 Local time

11:57 11:57 AM

Same time as Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

2,767,239

💱 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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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Taipei vs Taichung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taichung wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Taipei. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Taichung the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 22% 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 $391 in Taichung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Taichung – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $47.00 in Taipei. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,368 per month in Taipei versus $1,145 in Taichung – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,145 in Taichung versus $1,368 in Taipei, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taichung but tight or insufficient in Taipei. The gap between the two cities makes Taichung the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Taipei and Taichung 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 Taichung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Taipei. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.