Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Taitung

For one person, living is cheaper in Taitung: $1,040 a month against $1,344 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
Learn more

Taipei Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Taitung
Learn more

Taitung Living Index

Jump to prices

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,344

/mo nomad

Taitung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Taitung

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

A single person spends $1,344 per month in Taipei vs $1,040 in Taitung, rent included.

Taipei $1,344
Taitung $1,040

A couple spends around $2,145 per month in Taipei vs $1,750 in Taitung, rent included.

Taipei $2,145
Taitung $1,750

A family of three spends $2,946 per month in Taipei vs $2,460 in Taitung, rent included.

Taipei $2,946
Taitung $2,460

Taipei costs about 29% more than Taitung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 NT$150

$3.71 NT$122

23.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.17 NT$1,484

$46.72 NT$1,535

-3.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.67 NT$186

$5.82 NT$191

-2.58%

Cappuccino

$3.39 NT$111

$3.26 NT$107

3.99%

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

$0.87 NT$28.68

$0.87 NT$28.53

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 NT$22.31

$0.67 NT$22.02

1.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.87 NT$94.4

$2.95 NT$96.9

-2.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 NT$123

$3.60 NT$118

3.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.06 NT$101

$2.92 NT$96.0

4.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NT$65.4

$1.79 NT$58.9

11.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 NT$98.5

$3.07 NT$101

-2.28%

Eggs

$2.59 NT$85.0

$2.19 NT$71.8

18.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.37 NT$636

$19.44 NT$639

-0.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 NT$314

$3.59 NT$118

166.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.56 NT$675

$21.06 NT$692

-2.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 NT$157

$1.87 NT$61.3

156.15%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 NT$100

$2.69 NT$88.3

13.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 NT$92.8

$1.80 NT$59.3

56.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.43 NT$145

$4.43 NT$146

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 NT$88.7

$2.76 NT$90.6

-2.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 NT$72.1

$2.19 NT$72.0

0.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 NT$55.8

$1.64 NT$53.8

3.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 NT$36.70

$1.12 NT$36.77

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.86 NT$127

$3.82 NT$125

1.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.86 NT$455

$13.98 NT$459

-0.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 NT$54.2

$1.61 NT$52.8

2.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 NT$72.9

$2.12 NT$69.7

4.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 NT$19.24

$0.60 NT$19.77

-1.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.47 NT$1,198

$34.09 NT$1,120

6.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 NT$84.7

$2.56 NT$84.1

0.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 NT$26.23

$0.81 NT$26.54

-1.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.07 NT$298

$9.37 NT$308

-3.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 NT$32.52

$0.95 NT$31.16

4.21%

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

$34.1K NT$1.1M

$33.9K NT$1.1M

0.69%

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

$23.3K NT$766.1K

$23.0K NT$755.8K

1.36%

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

$83.1 NT$2,730

$85.2 NT$2,798

-2.43%

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

$16.98 NT$558

$17.57 NT$577

-3.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.67 NT$876

$26.85 NT$882

-0.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.88 NT$1,310

$35.26 NT$1,158

13.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.56 NT$511

Cinema Ticket

$9.77 NT$321

$9.08 NT$298

7.60%

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

$691 NT$22.7K

$572 NT$18.8K

20.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K NT$783.9K

$23.5K NT$772.3K

1.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.9 NT$2,165

$27.39 NT$900

140.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.72 NT$1,272

$15.30 NT$502

153.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 NT$2,800

$48.97 NT$1,609

74.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,432

$104 NT$3,411

0.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$31.2K

$406 NT$13.3K

133.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$468 NT$15.4K

$277 NT$9,084

69.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,464 NT$48.1K

$1,140 NT$37.5K

28.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 NT$29.8K

$691 NT$22.7K

31.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.1K NT$363.7K

$5,806 NT$190.7K

90.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,911 NT$227.0K

$3,826 NT$125.7K

80.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,799 NT$59.1K

$613 NT$20.1K

193.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.37

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

Last update for Taipei: November 1, 2026

Last update for Taitung: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$468 34.9%

Taitung

$277 26.6% 41% $192

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$389 29%

Taitung

$335 32.2% 13.9% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$132 9.9%

Taitung

$88 8.5% 33.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$127 9.4%

Taitung

$130 12.5% 2.2% $2.8

Eating Out

Taipei

$122 9.1%

Taitung

$114 11% 6.5% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$59 4.4%

Taitung

$53 5.1% 10.1% $6

Getting Around

Taipei

$45 3.4%

Taitung

$43 4.1% 5% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $948 in Taipei versus $406 in Taitung. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Taipei are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Taipei versus $47 in Taitung. Groceries tell a different story – $389 in Taipei vs $335 in Taitung – so Taitung wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇹🇼 Taitung

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

Same time as Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

106,368

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.04 USD

100 TWD = 2.7 EUR

100 TWD = 3.04 USD

100 TWD = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taipei Taitung 260 km

From you

Taipei
Taitung

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 Taitung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Taipei is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,016 per month in Taipei and $1,560 in Taitung. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taitung, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $406 there versus $948 in Taipei.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,344 in Taipei and $1,040 in Taitung. That makes Taitung about 23% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 7% less in Taitung. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,344 in Taipei and $1,040 in Taitung, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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