Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Utsunomiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Utsunomiya: $1,212 a month against $1,368 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Utsunomiya
Learn more

Utsunomiya Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Utsunomiya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Utsunomiya

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

A single person spends $1,368 per month in Taipei vs $1,212 in Utsunomiya, rent included.

Taipei $1,368
Utsunomiya $1,212

A couple spends around $2,202 per month in Taipei vs $1,948 in Utsunomiya, rent included.

Taipei $2,202
Utsunomiya $1,948

A family of three spends $3,036 per month in Taipei vs $2,685 in Utsunomiya, rent included.

Taipei $3,036
Utsunomiya $2,685

Taipei costs about 13% more than Utsunomiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Taipei sits 1% above the global median, while Utsunomiya is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 NT$149

$6.11 ¥965

-24.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 NT$1,528

$17.09 ¥2,701

175.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 NT$181

$4.72 ¥745

18.22%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NT$112

$3.52 ¥556

-1.99%

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

$0.94 NT$30.61

$1.06 ¥167

-11.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.73

$0.81 ¥128

-17.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$3.09 ¥488

-7.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 NT$120

$1.93 ¥305

91.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 NT$101

$1.38 ¥218

126.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 NT$64.0

$1.72 ¥271

14.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 NT$103

$5.59 ¥883

-43.47%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$2.22 ¥350

20.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.90 NT$645

$11.27 ¥1,780

76.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NT$319

$6.80 ¥1,075

44.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.51 NT$698

$16.84 ¥2,660

27.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 NT$157

$4.61 ¥728

5.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 NT$105

$2.35 ¥372

38.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 NT$98.2

$4.38 ¥693

-30.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 NT$147

$5.36 ¥848

-15.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$3.41 ¥539

-18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$2.97 ¥470

-21.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.5

$1.20 ¥190

40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.62

$0.76 ¥120

44.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 NT$123

$3.95 ¥623

-3.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 NT$460

$9.52 ¥1,504

48.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$53.0

$1.71 ¥270

-4.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.3

$2.64 ¥417

-13.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$21.04

$1.58 ¥249

-58.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,228

$54.9 ¥8,670

-30.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 NT$86.8

$3.07 ¥484

-12.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 NT$26.55

$3.16 ¥500

-74.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.17 NT$297

$18.83 ¥2,975

-51.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.93

$1.06 ¥167

-3.77%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$21.7K ¥3.4M

51.46%

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

$24.5K NT$795.1K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

59.75%

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

$87.7 NT$2,843

$146 ¥23.0K

-39.76%

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

$17.28 NT$560

$21.91 ¥3,461

-21.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.38 NT$888

$30.44 ¥4,808

-10.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 NT$1,308

$52.1 ¥8,234

-22.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

$12.79 ¥2,020

24.63%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 NT$319

$12.84 ¥2,029

-23.44%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

$524 ¥82.8K

26.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$538.4K

$18.2K ¥2.9M

-8.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 NT$2,025

$55.1 ¥8,712

13.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 NT$1,281

$32.36 ¥5,113

22.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 NT$2,740

$65.7 ¥10.4K

28.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,424

$71.3 ¥11.3K

48.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 NT$32.4K

$509 ¥80.4K

96.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 NT$15.3K

$298 ¥47.1K

58.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 NT$50.8K

$939 ¥148.4K

66.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$30.7K

$803 ¥126.9K

17.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NT$385.6K

$3,897 ¥615.7K

205.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,306 NT$236.9K

$1,781 ¥281.4K

310.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 NT$57.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

2.25

6.67%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Last update for Utsunomiya: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$473 34.6%

Utsunomiya

$298 24.6% 37.1% $175

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$400 29.3%

Utsunomiya

$325 26.8% 18.8% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$132 9.7%

Utsunomiya

$198 16.3% 49.5% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$131 9.6%

Utsunomiya

$101 8.3% 23.1% $30

Eating Out

Taipei

$123 9%

Utsunomiya

$132 10.9% 7.3% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Utsunomiya

$78 6.4% 29.7% $18

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Utsunomiya

$80 6.6% 69.5% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $999 in Taipei versus $509 in Utsunomiya. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Taipei versus $17.00 in Utsunomiya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $325 – making Utsunomiya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇯🇵 Utsunomiya

🕒 Local time

22:05 10:05 PM

23:05 11:05 PM

1 h ahead of Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

519,217

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Taipei Utsunomiya 2,160 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Taipei
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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 Utsunomiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Taipei is pricier by about 13%, 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 $1,818 in Utsunomiya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Utsunomiya, 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 $1,212 in Utsunomiya. That's a gap of about 13%.

Public transport costs about 45% less in Utsunomiya. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Utsunomiya, where all-in costs run around $1,212, than in Taipei at $1,368. In Utsunomiya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Taipei it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Utsunomiya – 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 Utsunomiya. 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.