Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Taoyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Taoyuan: $1,200 a month against $1,368 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Taoyuan
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Taoyuan Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Taoyuan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,200

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Taoyuan

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

A single person spends $1,368 per month in Taipei vs $1,200 in Taoyuan, rent included.

Taipei $1,368
Taoyuan $1,200

A couple spends around $2,202 per month in Taipei vs $1,816 in Taoyuan, rent included.

Taipei $2,202
Taoyuan $1,816

A family of three spends $3,036 per month in Taipei vs $2,433 in Taoyuan, rent included.

Taipei $3,036
Taoyuan $2,433

Taipei costs about 14% more than Taoyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Taipei sits 1% above the global median, while Taoyuan is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 NT$149

$4.23 NT$137

8.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 NT$1,528

$24.93 NT$808

89.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 NT$181

$5.74 NT$186

-2.79%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NT$112

$2.97 NT$96.2

16.16%

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

$0.94 NT$30.61

$1.02 NT$33.18

-7.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.73

$0.71 NT$22.97

-5.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$1.84 NT$59.8

55.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 NT$120

$2.30 NT$74.6

60.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 NT$101

$2.84 NT$92.2

9.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 NT$64.0

$1.22 NT$39.64

61.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 NT$103

$2.67 NT$86.5

18.35%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$2.17 NT$70.4

23.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.90 NT$645

$9.22 NT$299

115.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NT$319

$7.55 NT$245

30.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.51 NT$698

$21.09 NT$684

1.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 NT$157

$3.83 NT$124

26.63%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 NT$105

$2.06 NT$66.8

57.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 NT$98.2

$3.11 NT$101

-2.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 NT$147

$3.10 NT$101

46.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$2.47 NT$80.2

12.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$2.03 NT$65.9

15.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.5

$2.33 NT$75.6

-27.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.62

$0.88 NT$28.53

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 NT$123

$5.02 NT$163

-24.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 NT$460

$10.89 NT$353

30.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$53.0

$1.43 NT$46.45

13.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.3

$2.16 NT$69.9

6.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$21.04

$0.55 NT$17.81

18.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,228

$38.07 NT$1,234

-0.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 NT$86.8

$2.74 NT$88.8

-2.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 NT$26.55

$0.76 NT$24.51

7.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.17 NT$297

$6.99 NT$227

31.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.93

$1.00 NT$32.37

2.00%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

-0.06%

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

$24.5K NT$795.1K

$23.3K NT$755.7K

5.21%

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

$87.7 NT$2,843

$69.5 NT$2,252

26.23%

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

$17.28 NT$560

$17.72 NT$574

-2.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.38 NT$888

$21.93 NT$711

24.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 NT$1,308

$33.59 NT$1,089

20.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

$7.07 NT$229

125.46%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 NT$319

$10.94 NT$355

-10.15%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

$517 NT$16.8K

28.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$538.4K

$31.3K NT$1.0M

-46.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 NT$2,025

$91.3 NT$2,959

-31.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 NT$1,281

$24.83 NT$805

59.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 NT$2,740

$81.9 NT$2,655

3.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,424

$96.2 NT$3,119

9.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 NT$32.4K

$646 NT$20.9K

54.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 NT$15.3K

$436 NT$14.1K

8.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 NT$50.8K

$964 NT$31.2K

62.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$30.7K

$729 NT$23.6K

29.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NT$385.6K

$7,498 NT$243.2K

58.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,306 NT$236.9K

$4,782 NT$155.1K

52.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 NT$57.1K

$1,549 NT$50.2K

13.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

2.38

0.84%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Last update for Taoyuan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$473 34.6%

Taoyuan

$436 36.3% 7.8% $37

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$400 29.3%

Taoyuan

$313 26.1% 21.9% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$132 9.7%

Taoyuan

$109 9.1% 17.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$131 9.6%

Taoyuan

$132 11% 0.7% $1

Eating Out

Taipei

$123 9%

Taoyuan

$107 9% 12.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Taoyuan

$55 4.6% 7.6% $4.5

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Taoyuan

$47 3.9% 1% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $999 in Taipei versus $646 in Taoyuan. 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 14% higher in Taipei, 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 $47.00 in Taipei versus $25.00 in Taoyuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $313 – making Taoyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇹🇼 Taoyuan

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

Same time as Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

2,147,763

💱 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)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Taipei vs Taoyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Taipei is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,052 per month in Taipei and $1,800 in Taoyuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,368 in Taipei and $1,200 in Taoyuan. That's a gap of about 14%.

Public transport costs about 1% less in Taoyuan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taoyuan, where all-in costs run around $1,200, than in Taipei at $1,368. In Taoyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Taipei it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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