Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taitung and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Taitung: $1,040 a month against $1,344 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

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Taitung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,040

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,344

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taitung and in Taipei

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

A single person spends $1,040 per month in Taitung vs $1,344 in Taipei, rent included.

Taitung $1,040
Taipei $1,344

A couple spends around $1,750 per month in Taitung vs $2,145 in Taipei, rent included.

Taitung $1,750
Taipei $2,145

A family of three spends $2,460 per month in Taitung vs $2,946 in Taipei, rent included.

Taitung $2,460
Taipei $2,946

Taitung is about 23% cheaper than Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.71 NT$122

$4.58 NT$150

-19.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.72 NT$1,533

$45.17 NT$1,483

3.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.82 NT$191

$5.67 NT$186

2.65%

Cappuccino

$3.26 NT$107

$3.39 NT$111

-3.83%

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

$0.87 NT$28.50

$0.87 NT$28.65

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$22.01

$0.68 NT$22.29

-1.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 NT$96.8

$2.87 NT$94.3

2.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 NT$118

$3.74 NT$123

-3.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.92 NT$95.9

$3.06 NT$101

-4.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 NT$58.8

$1.99 NT$65.4

-10.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 NT$101

$3.00 NT$98.5

2.33%

Eggs

$2.19 NT$71.7

$2.59 NT$84.9

-15.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.44 NT$638

$19.37 NT$636

0.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.59 NT$118

$9.57 NT$314

-62.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.06 NT$691

$20.56 NT$675

2.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 NT$61.3

$4.79 NT$157

-60.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 NT$88.2

$3.05 NT$100.0

-11.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 NT$59.2

$2.82 NT$92.7

-36.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.43 NT$145

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 NT$90.5

$2.70 NT$88.6

2.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 NT$71.9

$2.20 NT$72.0

-0.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 NT$53.8

$1.70 NT$55.7

-3.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 NT$36.74

$1.12 NT$36.66

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 NT$125

$3.86 NT$127

-1.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.98 NT$459

$13.86 NT$455

0.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 NT$52.8

$1.65 NT$54.2

-2.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 NT$69.7

$2.22 NT$72.8

-4.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 NT$19.75

$0.59 NT$19.23

1.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.09 NT$1,119

$36.47 NT$1,197

-6.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 NT$84.0

$2.58 NT$84.6

-0.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 NT$26.52

$0.80 NT$26.21

1.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.37 NT$308

$9.07 NT$298

3.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 NT$31.13

$0.99 NT$32.49

-4.04%

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

$33.9K NT$1.1M

$34.1K NT$1.1M

-0.69%

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

$23.0K NT$755.2K

$23.3K NT$765.4K

-1.34%

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

$85.2 NT$2,795

$83.1 NT$2,727

2.49%

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

$17.57 NT$577

$16.98 NT$557

3.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.85 NT$881

$26.67 NT$875

0.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.26 NT$1,157

$39.88 NT$1,309

-11.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.56 NT$511

Cinema Ticket

$9.08 NT$298

$9.77 NT$321

-7.06%

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

$572 NT$18.8K

$691 NT$22.7K

-17.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K NT$771.6K

$23.9K NT$783.2K

-1.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.39 NT$899

$65.9 NT$2,163

-58.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.30 NT$502

$38.72 NT$1,271

-60.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.97 NT$1,607

$85.3 NT$2,798

-42.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,408

$104 NT$3,429

-0.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 NT$13.3K

$948 NT$31.1K

-57.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$277 NT$9,076

$468 NT$15.4K

-40.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,140 NT$37.4K

$1,464 NT$48.1K

-22.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 NT$22.7K

$906 NT$29.7K

-23.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,806 NT$190.6K

$11.1K NT$363.3K

-47.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,826 NT$125.6K

$6,911 NT$226.8K

-44.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$613 NT$20.1K

$1,799 NT$59.0K

-65.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.37

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

Last update for Taitung: November 2, 2026

Last update for Taipei: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taitung

$335 32.2%

Taipei

$389 29% 16.1% $54

Accommodation & Living

Taitung

$277 26.6%

Taipei

$468 34.9% 69.4% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taitung

$130 12.5%

Taipei

$127 9.4% 2.2% $2.8

Eating Out

Taitung

$114 11%

Taipei

$122 9.1% 7% $8

Clothing & Footwear

Taitung

$88 8.5%

Taipei

$132 9.9% 50.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Taitung

$53 5.1%

Taipei

$59 4.4% 11.2% $6

Getting Around

Taitung

$43 4.1%

Taipei

$45 3.4% 5.3% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $406 in Taitung versus $948 in Taipei. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Taipei are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Taitung versus $45 in Taipei. Groceries tell a different story – $335 in Taitung vs $389 in Taipei – so Taitung wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taitung

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

14:04 2:04 PM

Same time as Taitung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,368

2,635,286 Capital

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.05 USD

100 TWD = 2.71 EUR

100 TWD = 3.05 USD

100 TWD = 2.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Taitung Taipei 260 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 Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,560 per month in Taitung and $2,016 in Taipei. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taitung, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $406 there versus $948 in Taipei.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,040 in Taitung and $1,344 in Taipei. That makes Taitung about 23% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 7% less in Taitung. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,040 in Taitung and $1,344 in Taipei, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Taitung – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Taitung. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Taipei makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.