Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taitung and Taichung

For one person, living is cheaper in Taitung: $1,035 a month against $1,145 in Taichung, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Taitung
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Taitung Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index

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Taitung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,035

/mo nomad

Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,145

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taitung and in Taichung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,035 in Taitung versus $1,145 in Taichung.

Taitung $1,035
Taichung $1,145

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,802 in Taitung versus $1,901 in Taichung.

Taitung $1,802
Taichung $1,901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,569 in Taitung versus $2,657 in Taichung.

Taitung $2,569
Taichung $2,657

Living in Taitung costs roughly 10% less than in Taichung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taitung 23% lower, Taichung 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.82 NT$124

$4.67 NT$151

-18.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.18 NT$1,562

$31.15 NT$1,010

54.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.56 NT$180

$4.60 NT$149

20.87%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NT$112

$2.71 NT$87.8

27.31%

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

$0.95 NT$30.66

$0.99 NT$31.98

-4.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 NT$22.00

$0.71 NT$23.04

-4.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.88 NT$93.3

$1.58 NT$51.4

82.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 NT$122

$2.89 NT$93.6

30.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 NT$100

$3.14 NT$102

-1.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 NT$60.7

$1.74 NT$56.6

7.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 NT$101

$2.59 NT$84.0

20.46%

Eggs

$2.33 NT$75.4

$2.59 NT$83.9

-10.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.49 NT$632

$28.15 NT$913

-30.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.89 NT$126

$7.89 NT$256

-50.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.88 NT$709

$16.90 NT$548

29.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 NT$62.1

$4.22 NT$137

-54.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 NT$94.6

$1.96 NT$63.4

48.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 NT$62.5

$3.00 NT$97.4

-35.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 NT$146

$2.16 NT$69.9

108.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 NT$88.4

$1.19 NT$38.55

129.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 NT$76.5

$1.89 NT$61.4

24.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 NT$57.7

$2.32 NT$75.1

-23.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 NT$35.94

$0.91 NT$29.66

21.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 NT$130

$3.78 NT$122

5.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.07 NT$456

$15.59 NT$506

-9.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 NT$53.3

$1.57 NT$50.8

4.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 NT$73.8

$2.46 NT$79.8

-7.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$20.95

$0.67 NT$21.69

-2.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.43 NT$1,181

$31.36 NT$1,017

16.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 NT$88.3

$2.67 NT$86.7

1.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 NT$25.14

$0.97 NT$31.57

-19.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.18 NT$298

$9.65 NT$313

-4.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 NT$29.33

$1.06 NT$34.36

-15.09%

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

$33.2K NT$1.1M

$33.9K NT$1.1M

-2.05%

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

$24.1K NT$781.5K

$22.7K NT$735.4K

6.26%

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

$85.6 NT$2,777

$122 NT$3,945

-29.60%

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

$17.66 NT$573

$15.08 NT$489

17.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.09 NT$878

$21.01 NT$681

28.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.70 NT$1,190

$31.97 NT$1,037

14.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.54 NT$374

Cinema Ticket

$9.25 NT$300

$9.53 NT$309

-2.94%

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

$677 NT$21.9K

$333 NT$10.8K

103.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K NT$550.6K

$16.6K NT$537.7K

2.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.52 NT$925

$71.7 NT$2,326

-60.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.68 NT$508

$35.65 NT$1,156

-56.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.43 NT$1,603

$83.4 NT$2,706

-40.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 NT$3,410

$116 NT$3,768

-9.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 NT$13.4K

$391 NT$12.7K

5.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 NT$8,133

$281 NT$9,111

-10.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$983 NT$31.9K

$1,218 NT$39.5K

-19.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$747 NT$24.2K

$758 NT$24.6K

-1.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,734 NT$250.8K

$8,582 NT$278.3K

-9.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,021 NT$162.8K

$5,309 NT$172.2K

-5.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$637 NT$20.7K

$1,443 NT$46.8K

-55.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

2.27

5.73%

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

Last update for Taitung: October 12, 2026

Last update for Taichung: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taitung

$346 33.5%

Taichung

$371 32.4% 7.2% $25

Accommodation & Living

Taitung

$251 24.2%

Taichung

$281 24.5% 12% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taitung

$130 12.6%

Taichung

$158 13.8% 21% $27

Eating Out

Taitung

$117 11.3%

Taichung

$104 9.1% 11% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Taitung

$89 8.6%

Taichung

$138 12.1% 54.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Taitung

$55 5.3%

Taichung

$51 4.5% 7.6% $4.2

Getting Around

Taitung

$46 4.4%

Taichung

$42 3.6% 8.8% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $412 in Taitung and $391 in Taichung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taichung pays 126% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $48.00 in Taitung vs $31.00 in Taichung. Groceries flip the comparison at $346 vs $371, with Taitung cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taitung

🇹🇼 Taichung

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

Same time as Taitung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,368

2,767,239

💱 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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Taitung Taichung 160 km

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Taitung
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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

Taitung vs Taichung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taitung wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Taichung. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Taitung the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 126% lower in Taichung. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $412 in Taitung versus $391 in Taichung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Taitung – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $31.00 in Taichung. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,035 per month in Taitung versus $1,145 in Taichung – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,035 in Taitung versus $1,145 in Taichung, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Taitung but tight or insufficient in Taichung. The gap between the two cities makes Taitung the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Taichung are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Taitung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Taichung. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.