Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Zhongli City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongli City: $993 a month against $1,368 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Zhongli City
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Zhongli City Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Zhongli City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$993

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Zhongli City

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

A single person spends $1,368 per month in Taipei vs $993 in Zhongli City, rent included.

Taipei $1,368
Zhongli City $993

A couple spends around $2,202 per month in Taipei vs $1,675 in Zhongli City, rent included.

Taipei $2,202
Zhongli City $1,675

A family of three spends $3,036 per month in Taipei vs $2,357 in Zhongli City, rent included.

Taipei $3,036
Zhongli City $2,357

Taipei costs about 38% more than Zhongli City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Taipei sits 1% above the global median, while Zhongli City is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 NT$149

$4.62 NT$150

-0.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 NT$1,528

$31.29 NT$1,015

50.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 NT$181

$4.77 NT$155

16.98%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NT$112

$2.57 NT$83.4

34.24%

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

$0.94 NT$30.61

$1.03 NT$33.52

-8.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.73

$0.69 NT$22.35

-2.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$1.61 NT$52.2

77.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 NT$120

$2.75 NT$89.1

34.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 NT$101

$3.18 NT$103

-1.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 NT$64.0

$1.74 NT$56.3

13.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 NT$103

$2.71 NT$87.9

16.61%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$2.60 NT$84.3

3.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.90 NT$645

$12.77 NT$414

55.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NT$319

$7.09 NT$230

38.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.51 NT$698

$15.39 NT$499

39.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 NT$157

$3.74 NT$121

29.68%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 NT$105

$1.97 NT$63.8

64.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 NT$98.2

$3.08 NT$99.9

-1.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 NT$147

$2.22 NT$72.1

104.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$1.23 NT$39.81

126.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$1.90 NT$61.5

23.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.5

$2.44 NT$79.0

-31.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.62

$0.85 NT$27.52

29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 NT$123

$3.77 NT$122

0.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 NT$460

$15.45 NT$501

-8.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$53.0

$1.55 NT$50.2

5.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.3

$2.55 NT$82.8

-10.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$21.04

$0.61 NT$19.90

6.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,228

$37.64 NT$1,221

0.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 NT$86.8

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 NT$26.55

$0.58 NT$18.72

41.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.17 NT$297

$9.61 NT$312

-4.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.93

$0.97 NT$31.60

5.15%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$33.1K NT$1.1M

-0.76%

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

$24.5K NT$795.1K

$23.3K NT$754.6K

5.36%

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

$87.7 NT$2,843

$106 NT$3,433

-17.18%

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

$17.28 NT$560

$14.76 NT$479

17.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.38 NT$888

$17.14 NT$556

59.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 NT$1,308

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 NT$319

$9.62 NT$312

2.18%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

$344 NT$11.1K

92.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$538.4K

$16.9K NT$546.5K

-1.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 NT$2,025

$72.1 NT$2,338

-13.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 NT$1,281

$36.46 NT$1,182

8.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 NT$2,740

$55.0 NT$1,782

53.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,424

$108 NT$3,505

-2.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 NT$32.4K

$448 NT$14.5K

122.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 NT$15.3K

$251 NT$8,125

88.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 NT$50.8K

$874 NT$28.3K

79.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$30.7K

$716 NT$23.2K

32.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NT$385.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,306 NT$236.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 NT$57.1K

$2,288 NT$74.2K

-23.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

2.1

14.29%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zhongli City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$473 34.6%

Zhongli City

$251 25.2% 47.1% $223

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$400 29.3%

Zhongli City

$315 31.8% 21.2% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$132 9.7%

Zhongli City

$138 13.9% 4.1% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$131 9.6%

Zhongli City

$122 12.3% 7% $9.2

Eating Out

Taipei

$123 9%

Zhongli City

$103 10.3% 16.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Zhongli City

$19 * 1.9% 67.9% $41

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Zhongli City

$46 4.6% 3.4% $1.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $999 in Taipei versus $448 in Zhongli City. 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 30% higher in Zhongli City, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Taipei versus $31.00 in Zhongli City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $315 – making Zhongli City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇹🇼 Zhongli City

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

Same time as Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

396,453

💱 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 Zhongli City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Taipei is pricier by about 38%, 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 $1,490 in Zhongli City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhongli City, 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 $993 in Zhongli City. That's a gap of about 38%.

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

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhongli City, where all-in costs run around $993, than in Taipei at $1,368. In Zhongli City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Taipei it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhongli City – 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 Zhongli City. 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.