Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Zhubei City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhubei City: $1,029 a month against $1,330 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
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Taipei Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Zhubei City
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Zhubei City Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,330

/mo nomad

Zhubei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,029

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Zhubei 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 Zhubei City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,330 per month in Taipei vs $1,029 in Zhubei City, rent included.

Taipei $1,330
Zhubei City $1,029

A couple spends around $2,145 per month in Taipei vs $1,814 in Zhubei City, rent included.

Taipei $2,145
Zhubei City $1,814

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Taipei vs $2,599 in Zhubei City, rent included.

Taipei $2,959
Zhubei City $2,599

Taipei costs about 29% more than Zhubei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Taipei and Zhubei City are more affordable than the global median – Taipei 2% lower, Zhubei City 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 NT$152

$4.73 NT$154

-0.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 NT$1,496

$27.28 NT$885

69.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 NT$188

$5.11 NT$166

13.50%

Cappuccino

$3.37 NT$109

$2.79 NT$90.3

20.79%

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

$0.91 NT$29.44

$0.91 NT$29.35

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 NT$21.46

$0.57 NT$18.52

15.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 NT$96.6

$1.86 NT$60.3

60.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 NT$118

$2.20 NT$71.5

65.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.95 NT$95.7

$2.76 NT$89.6

6.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 NT$62.4

$1.77 NT$57.5

8.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 NT$100

$4.50 NT$146

-31.11%

Eggs

$2.62 NT$84.8

$2.74 NT$88.8

-4.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.04 NT$617

$24.58 NT$797

-22.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 NT$309

$8.13 NT$264

17.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.87 NT$677

$24.77 NT$803

-15.74%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 NT$153

$4.08 NT$132

15.69%

Banana (1kg)

$3.33 NT$108

$2.44 NT$79.1

36.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 NT$95.6

$2.73 NT$88.4

8.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 NT$138

$3.31 NT$107

28.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 NT$89.3

$3.05 NT$98.8

-9.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 NT$72.1

$2.02 NT$65.3

9.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 NT$53.8

$1.97 NT$64.0

-15.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 NT$34.89

$1.32 NT$42.76

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.95 NT$128

$3.94 NT$128

0.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 NT$450

$9.10 NT$295

52.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 NT$51.4

$1.41 NT$45.63

12.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NT$70.6

$2.25 NT$73.1

-3.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 NT$18.88

$0.59 NT$19.08

-1.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.25 NT$1,175

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 NT$82.2

$3.08 NT$100

-17.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$24.31

$0.59 NT$18.99

27.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.99 NT$292

$9.28 NT$301

-3.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 NT$32.44

$1.02 NT$33.14

-1.96%

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

$34.6K NT$1.1M

$33.2K NT$1.1M

4.21%

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

$23.0K NT$746.8K

$24.0K NT$778.9K

-4.12%

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

$85.6 NT$2,775

$98.5 NT$3,194

-13.10%

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

$16.94 NT$549

$18.80 NT$610

-9.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.94 NT$874

$22.96 NT$745

17.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.55 NT$1,283

$31.27 NT$1,014

26.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.36 NT$498

Cinema Ticket

$9.72 NT$315

$9.95 NT$323

-2.31%

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

$710 NT$23.0K

$642 NT$20.8K

10.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K NT$529.8K

$16.5K NT$534.1K

-0.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 NT$2,010

$56.1 NT$1,820

10.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.30 NT$1,274

$30.46 NT$988

29.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 NT$2,727

$89.7 NT$2,910

-6.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NT$3,298

$98.4 NT$3,189

3.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 NT$31.1K

$495 NT$16.1K

94.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 NT$14.8K

$208 NT$6,735

119.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 NT$49.0K

$1,060 NT$34.4K

42.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$919 NT$29.8K

$776 NT$25.2K

18.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.4K NT$369.9K

$15.8K NT$511.9K

-27.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,882 NT$223.2K

$9,406 NT$305.0K

-26.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,703 NT$55.2K

$2,393 NT$77.6K

-28.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

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

Last update for Taipei: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zhubei City: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$456 34.3%

Zhubei City

$208 20.2% 54.4% $248

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$388 29.2%

Zhubei City

$392 38.1% 1% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$129 9.7%

Zhubei City

$140 13.6% 8.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$129 9.7%

Zhubei City

$124 12% 4.3% $5.6

Eating Out

Taipei

$124 9.3%

Zhubei City

$106 10.3% 14.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$59 4.4%

Zhubei City

$51 5% 13.2% $7.8

Getting Around

Taipei

$45 3.4%

Zhubei City

$8.4 * 0.8% 81.3% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $961 in Taipei versus $495 in Zhubei 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 41% higher in Zhubei 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 $46 in Taipei versus $27 in Zhubei City. Groceries tell a different story – $388 in Taipei vs $392 in Zhubei City – so Taipei wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇹🇼 Zhubei City

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

Same time as Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

211,746

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Taipei Zhubei City 61 km

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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 Zhubei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,995 per month in Taipei and $1,544 in Zhubei City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhubei City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $495 there versus $961 in Taipei.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Taipei and $27 in Zhubei City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $710 per month in Taipei and $642 in Zhubei City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,330 in Taipei and $1,029 in Zhubei City. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Zhubei 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.