Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taiwan and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,146 in Taiwan, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Taiwan
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Taiwan Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,146

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taiwan and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,146 in Taiwan versus $791 in China.

Taiwan $1,146
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,885 in Taiwan versus $1,251 in China.

Taiwan $1,885
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,625 in Taiwan versus $1,711 in China.

Taiwan $2,625
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $768–$1,330 in Taiwan. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in Taiwan is roughly 45% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Taiwan 16% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.73 NT$154

$2.98 ¥19.80

58.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.54 NT$994

$22.09 ¥147

38.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.32 NT$173

$5.20 ¥34.58

2.31%

Cappuccino

$2.87 NT$93.3

$2.97 ¥19.73

-3.37%

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

$0.95 NT$31.03

$0.48 ¥3.19

97.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 NT$20.64

$0.30 ¥2.01

110.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 NT$58.2

$1.08 ¥7.17

65.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 NT$79.0

$2.28 ¥15.14

6.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.00 NT$97.7

$1.80 ¥11.95

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 NT$60.8

$1.68 ¥11.14

11.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 NT$99.0

$0.92 ¥6.13

230.43%

Eggs

$2.51 NT$81.6

$1.61 ¥10.73

55.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.94 NT$584

$13.38 ¥89.0

34.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.54 NT$278

$3.35 ¥22.27

154.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.08 NT$654

$11.35 ¥75.5

76.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 NT$153

$1.82 ¥12.12

157.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 NT$84.4

$1.31 ¥8.69

97.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 NT$94.6

$1.49 ¥9.89

95.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 NT$120

$1.27 ¥8.47

189.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.68 NT$87.3

$0.71 ¥4.73

277.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 NT$70.2

$0.93 ¥6.21

132.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 NT$69.0

$0.62 ¥4.12

241.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 NT$36.25

$0.56 ¥3.74

98.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.74 NT$122

$3.78 ¥25.14

-1.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.39 NT$403

$12.13 ¥80.7

2.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 NT$51.5

$0.83 ¥5.54

90.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 NT$70.7

$1.68 ¥11.20

29.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 NT$20.77

$0.29 ¥1.91

120.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.59 NT$1,191

$17.83 ¥119

105.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 NT$89.2

$1.49 ¥9.89

83.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 NT$25.88

$0.37 ¥2.49

116.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.32 NT$303

$7.10 ¥47.21

31.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$33.51

$1.26 ¥8.37

-18.25%

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

$36.6K NT$1.2M

$19.4K ¥129.3K

87.97%

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

$22.9K NT$744.2K

$17.5K ¥116.6K

30.38%

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

$83.2 NT$2,708

$54.6 ¥363

52.47%

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

$17.05 NT$555

$8.73 ¥58.1

95.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.05 NT$750

$11.07 ¥73.6

108.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.90 NT$1,168

$40.77 ¥271

-11.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.42 NT$372

$14.48 ¥96.3

-21.13%

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 NT$329

$6.78 ¥45.09

49.26%

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

$557 NT$18.1K

$517 ¥3,436

7.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K NT$516.8K

$19.8K ¥131.8K

-19.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.6 NT$2,038

$46.53 ¥309

34.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.83 NT$1,036

$35.66 ¥237

-10.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.1 NT$2,674

$77.0 ¥512

6.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NT$3,314

$80.3 ¥534

26.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 NT$16.5K

$386 ¥2,566

31.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 NT$10.4K

$235 ¥1,560

35.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 NT$35.5K

$822 ¥5,466

32.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$762 NT$24.8K

$453 ¥3,013

68.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,711 NT$218.4K

$4,697 ¥31.2K

42.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,605 NT$149.9K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

94.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,709 NT$55.6K

$1,093 ¥7,270

56.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.45

3.46

-29.19%

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

Last update for Taiwan: October 24, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taiwan

$368 32.1%

China

$210 26.5% 42.9% $158

Accommodation & Living

Taiwan

$319 27.8%

China

$235 29.6% 26.4% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Taiwan

$125 10.9%

China

$108 13.6% 14% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taiwan

$123 10.8%

China

$74 9.4% 39.7% $49

Eating Out

Taiwan

$108 9.5%

China

$88 11.1% 18.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Taiwan

$56 4.9%

China

$54 6.9% 3.2% $1.8

Getting Around

Taiwan

$46 4%

China

$22 2.8% 51.3% $24

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $426 in Taiwan, $298 in China. Capital cities: $961 in Taipei vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $1,861 in Taiwan, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 43% higher in Taiwan.

Dining out costs 41% more in Taiwan.

Public transport is 67% more expensive in Taiwan.

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

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taiwan

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

00:16 12:16 AM

Same time as Taiwan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,409,323

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, 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).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taiwan China 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Taiwan
China

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 China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,146 in Taiwan, China comes out about 31% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $426 in Taiwan and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.