Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taiwan and Australia

Name: Australia
Address: AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiwan: $1,146 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Taiwan
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Taiwan Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index

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🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,146

/mo nomad

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taiwan and in Australia

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

A single person spends $1,146 per month in Taiwan vs $2,626 in Australia, rent included.

Taiwan $1,146
Australia $2,626

A couple spends around $1,885 per month in Taiwan vs $3,810 in Australia, rent included.

Taiwan $1,885
Australia $3,810

A family of three spends $2,625 per month in Taiwan vs $4,994 in Australia, rent included.

Taiwan $2,625
Australia $4,994

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in Taiwan ($768–$1,330), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Taiwan is roughly 56% lower than in Australia on average.

Taiwan sits 16% below the global median, while Australia is 93% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.73 NT$154

$17.65 A$25.09

-73.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.54 NT$994

$85.2 A$121

-64.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.32 NT$173

$11.09 A$15.77

-52.03%

Cappuccino

$2.87 NT$93.3

$3.90 A$5.54

-26.41%

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

$0.95 NT$31.03

$2.85 A$4.05

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 NT$20.64

$2.31 A$3.29

-72.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 NT$58.2

$7.53 A$10.70

-76.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 NT$79.0

$8.59 A$12.21

-71.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.00 NT$97.7

$1.76 A$2.50

70.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 NT$60.8

$2.81 A$3.99

-33.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 NT$99.0

$2.24 A$3.19

35.71%

Eggs

$2.51 NT$81.6

$5.02 A$7.14

-50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.94 NT$584

$9.87 A$14.03

81.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.54 NT$278

$9.32 A$13.25

-8.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.08 NT$654

$14.86 A$21.13

35.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 NT$153

$3.82 A$5.43

22.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 NT$84.4

$2.92 A$4.16

-11.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 NT$94.6

$3.13 A$4.46

-7.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 NT$120

$4.81 A$6.84

-23.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.68 NT$87.3

$2.80 A$3.98

-4.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 NT$70.2

$2.38 A$3.38

-9.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 NT$69.0

$2.37 A$3.37

-10.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 NT$36.25

$1.65 A$2.35

-32.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.74 NT$122

$39.13 A$55.6

-90.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.39 NT$403

$13.93 A$19.80

-11.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 NT$51.5

$4.96 A$7.05

-68.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 NT$70.7

$5.17 A$7.35

-58.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 NT$20.77

$2.42 A$3.44

-73.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.59 NT$1,191

$94.6 A$135

-61.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 NT$89.2

$3.49 A$4.97

-21.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 NT$25.88

$1.60 A$2.27

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.32 NT$303

$39.84 A$56.7

-76.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$33.51

$1.39 A$1.97

-25.90%

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

$36.6K NT$1.2M

$30.0K A$42.7K

21.81%

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

$22.9K NT$744.2K

$25.8K A$36.6K

-11.22%

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

$83.2 NT$2,708

$205 A$292

-59.43%

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

$17.05 NT$555

$28.33 A$40.29

-39.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.05 NT$750

$58.8 A$83.6

-60.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.90 NT$1,168

$55.7 A$79.1

-35.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.42 NT$372

$19.57 A$27.83

-41.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 NT$329

$15.38 A$21.86

-34.20%

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

$557 NT$18.1K

$2,145 A$3,050

-74.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K NT$516.8K

$18.3K A$26.1K

-13.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.6 NT$2,038

$78.3 A$111

-20.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.83 NT$1,036

$56.3 A$80.0

-43.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.1 NT$2,674

$115 A$164

-28.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NT$3,314

$123 A$175

-17.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 NT$16.5K

$1,591 A$2,262

-68.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 NT$10.4K

$1,293 A$1,838

-75.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 NT$35.5K

$2,524 A$3,589

-56.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$762 NT$24.8K

$2,005 A$2,851

-62.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,711 NT$218.4K

$8,751 A$12.4K

-23.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,605 NT$149.9K

$6,260 A$8,901

-26.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,709 NT$55.6K

$3,984 A$5,664

-57.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.45

5.93

-58.68%

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

Last update for Taiwan: October 24, 2026

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taiwan

$368 32.1%

Australia

$374 14.3% 1.7% $6.3

Accommodation & Living

Taiwan

$319 27.8%

Australia

$1.3K 49.2% 305% $974

Clothing & Footwear

Taiwan

$125 10.9%

Australia

$168 6.4% 33.9% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taiwan

$123 10.8%

Australia

$292 11.1% 137% $169

Eating Out

Taiwan

$108 9.5%

Australia

$297 11.3% 174% $188

Sport & Entertainment

Taiwan

$56 4.9%

Australia

$86 3.3% 53.9% $30

Getting Around

Taiwan

$46 4%

Australia

$116 4.4% 152% $70

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $426 in Taiwan vs $1,383 in Australia. For reference, capital cities sit at $961 in Taipei and $1,749 in Canberra.

Average salary: $1,861 in Taiwan vs $3,874 in Australia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 225% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 171% more in Australia.

Public transport is 180% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 2.1 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Taiwan.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taiwan

🇦🇺 Australia

🕒 Local time

01:09 1:09 AM

04:09 4:09 AM

3 h ahead of Taiwan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,409,323

26,473,055

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 32.55 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.32 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taiwan Australia 7,310 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Taiwan
Australia

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

Taiwan vs Australia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taiwan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 56% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $426 in Taiwan.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Taiwan – part of why living there is about 56% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Taiwan, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Taiwan is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.