Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taitung and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Taitung: $1,040 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Taitung
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Taitung Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Taitung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,040

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taitung and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Taitung and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,040 in Taitung versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Taitung $1,040
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Taitung versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Taitung $1,750
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,460 in Taitung versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Taitung $2,460
Phuket $3,115

Living in Taitung costs roughly 20% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taitung 23% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.71 NT$122

$4.39 ฿147

-15.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.72 NT$1,533

$32.31 ฿1,085

44.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.82 NT$191

$8.70 ฿292

-33.10%

Cappuccino

$3.26 NT$107

$2.72 ฿91.5

19.85%

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

$0.87 NT$28.50

$0.93 ฿31.25

-6.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$22.01

$0.50 ฿16.78

34.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 NT$96.8

$2.53 ฿85.0

16.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 NT$118

$3.63 ฿122

-0.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.92 NT$95.9

$1.74 ฿58.4

67.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 NT$58.8

$1.45 ฿48.73

23.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 NT$101

$1.50 ฿50.5

104.67%

Eggs

$2.19 NT$71.7

$2.17 ฿73.0

0.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.44 NT$638

$19.09 ฿641

1.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.59 NT$118

$3.40 ฿114

5.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.06 NT$691

$10.90 ฿366

93.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 NT$61.3

$2.94 ฿98.8

-36.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 NT$88.2

$1.69 ฿56.8

59.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 NT$59.2

$2.19 ฿73.7

-17.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.43 NT$145

$2.12 ฿71.4

108.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 NT$90.5

$1.46 ฿48.99

89.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 NT$71.9

$1.37 ฿45.95

59.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 NT$53.8

$1.08 ฿36.14

51.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 NT$36.74

$0.55 ฿18.32

103.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 NT$125

$4.43 ฿149

-13.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.98 NT$459

$18.25 ฿613

-23.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 NT$52.8

$1.77 ฿59.5

-9.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 NT$69.7

$2.88 ฿96.8

-26.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 NT$19.75

$1.45 ฿48.62

-58.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.09 NT$1,119

$54.9 ฿1,844

-37.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 NT$84.0

$1.51 ฿50.8

69.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 NT$26.52

$0.78 ฿26.06

3.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.37 NT$308

$3.84 ฿129

144.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 NT$31.13

$1.49 ฿49.96

-36.24%

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

$33.9K NT$1.1M

$26.9K ฿902.9K

26.06%

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

$23.0K NT$755.2K

$26.3K ฿884.9K

-12.66%

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

$85.2 NT$2,795

$97.8 ฿3,285

-12.92%

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

$17.57 NT$577

$11.29 ฿379

55.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.85 NT$881

$17.19 ฿577

56.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.26 NT$1,157

$68.3 ฿2,295

-48.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$9.08 NT$298

$7.43 ฿250

22.21%

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

$572 NT$18.8K

$530 ฿17.8K

7.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K NT$771.6K

$18.8K ฿630.9K

25.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.39 NT$899

$61.7 ฿2,072

-55.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.30 NT$502

$28.25 ฿949

-45.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.97 NT$1,607

$96.0 ฿3,225

-48.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,408

$86.8 ฿2,916

19.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 NT$13.3K

$721 ฿24.2K

-43.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$277 NT$9,076

$509 ฿17.1K

-45.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,140 NT$37.4K

$1,950 ฿65.5K

-41.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 NT$22.7K

$1,397 ฿46.9K

-50.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,806 NT$190.6K

$4,192 ฿140.8K

38.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,826 NT$125.6K

$3,298 ฿110.8K

16.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$613 NT$20.1K

$492 ฿16.5K

24.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.37

5.57

-57.45%

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

Last update for Taitung: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taitung

$335 32.2%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 20.4% $68

Accommodation & Living

Taitung

$277 26.6%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 84% $232

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taitung

$130 12.5%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 2.5% $3.3

Eating Out

Taitung

$114 11%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 4.5% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Taitung

$88 8.5%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 39.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Taitung

$53 5.1%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 55.7% $30

Getting Around

Taitung

$43 4.1%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 53.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $406 in Taitung and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taitung pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Taitung vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $335 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taitung

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

16:26 4:26 PM

1 h behind Taitung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,368

79,308

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.05 USD

100 TWD = 2.71 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 32.82 TWD (100 TWD = 3.05 USD). 1 EUR = 36.88 TWD (100 TWD = 2.71 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taitung Phuket 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Taitung
Phuket

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

Taitung vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taitung is about 20% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Taitung, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $406 in Taitung versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $572 in Taitung versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Taitung gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Taitung and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.