Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taiwan and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiwan: $1,164 a month against $2,453 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Taiwan
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Taiwan Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,164

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taiwan and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,164 per month in Taiwan vs $2,453 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Taiwan $1,164
United Kingdom $2,453

A couple spends around $1,925 per month in Taiwan vs $3,548 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Taiwan $1,925
United Kingdom $3,548

A family of three spends $2,685 per month in Taiwan vs $4,643 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Taiwan $2,685
United Kingdom $4,643

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,131–$3,986) than in Taiwan ($778–$1,368), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Taiwan is roughly 53% lower than in the United Kingdom on average.

Taiwan sits 14% below the global median, while the United Kingdom is 82% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.62 NT$150

$20.82 £15.62

-77.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.80 NT$999

$86.3 £64.7

-64.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.39 NT$175

$10.76 £8.07

-49.91%

Cappuccino

$2.98 NT$96.8

$4.87 £3.65

-38.81%

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

$0.96 NT$31.23

$2.55 £1.91

-62.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 NT$20.93

$1.85 £1.39

-64.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 NT$61.9

$6.75 £5.06

-71.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 NT$79.3

$6.49 £4.87

-62.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.10 NT$100

$1.64 £1.23

89.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 NT$61.2

$1.66 £1.24

13.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.02 NT$98.0

$2.17 £1.63

39.17%

Eggs

$2.75 NT$89.1

$4.02 £3.01

-31.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.32 NT$594

$9.40 £7.05

94.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.81 NT$286

$8.99 £6.74

-2.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.28 NT$658

$14.55 £10.92

39.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 NT$156

$2.90 £2.17

65.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.61 NT$84.5

$1.60 £1.20

63.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 NT$95.6

$2.78 £2.08

6.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 NT$121

$3.39 £2.54

9.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 NT$87.5

$1.78 £1.34

51.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 NT$71.4

$1.62 £1.21

35.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 NT$68.9

$1.23 £0.92

72.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 NT$38.84

$1.66 £1.24

-27.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.86 NT$125

$23.67 £17.76

-83.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 NT$404

$10.67 £8.00

16.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 NT$54.2

$3.06 £2.30

-45.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 NT$72.3

$3.33 £2.50

-33.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$21.22

$3.34 £2.51

-80.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.16 NT$1,205

$103 £77.1

-63.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 NT$87.5

$5.44 £4.08

-50.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 NT$24.69

$2.36 £1.77

-67.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.31 NT$302

$26.17 £19.63

-64.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 NT$33.92

$1.95 £1.46

-46.15%

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

$33.1K NT$1.1M

$38.0K £28.5K

-12.73%

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

$24.3K NT$787.3K

$40.6K £30.5K

-40.24%

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

$85.9 NT$2,784

$315 £236

-72.71%

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

$17.55 NT$569

$17.88 £13.41

-1.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.51 NT$762

$42.77 £32.09

-45.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.84 NT$1,227

$44.93 £33.70

-15.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.01 NT$390

$17.98 £13.49

-33.20%

Cinema Ticket

$9.99 NT$324

$13.06 £9.80

-23.51%

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

$556 NT$18.0K

$1,753 £1,315

-68.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K NT$526.4K

$22.5K £16.9K

-27.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 NT$2,086

$90.4 £67.8

-28.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.31 NT$1,048

$45.49 £34.13

-28.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.2 NT$2,730

$101 £75.9

-16.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NT$3,350

$102 £76.4

1.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$507 NT$16.4K

$1,339 £1,005

-62.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 NT$10.4K

$1,096 £822

-70.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 NT$36.2K

$2,152 £1,615

-48.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$785 NT$25.5K

$1,699 £1,275

-53.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,360 NT$271.1K

$5,551 £4,165

50.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,346 NT$173.4K

$4,374 £3,282

22.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 NT$56.3K

$3,324 £2,493

-47.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.45

5.32

-53.95%

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

Last update for Taiwan: October 11, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taiwan

$376 32.3%

United Kingdom

$303 12.4% 19.3% $73

Accommodation & Living

Taiwan

$320 27.5%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.7% 243% $777

Clothing & Footwear

Taiwan

$128 11%

United Kingdom

$153 6.2% 19.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taiwan

$127 10.9%

United Kingdom

$375 15.3% 196% $248

Eating Out

Taiwan

$110 9.4%

United Kingdom

$322 13.1% 193% $212

Sport & Entertainment

Taiwan

$58 5%

United Kingdom

$71 2.9% 22.9% $13

Getting Around

Taiwan

$46 4%

United Kingdom

$133 5.4% 188% $87

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $431 in Taiwan vs $1,252 in the United Kingdom. For reference, capital cities sit at $999 in Taipei and $2,869 in London.

Average salary: $1,903 in Taiwan vs $3,228 in the United Kingdom. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 190% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 159% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 190% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 70% higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Taiwan.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taiwan

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

19:18 7:18 PM

12:18 12:18 PM

7 h behind Taiwan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,409,323

67,326,569

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Taiwan United Kingdom 9,780 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Taiwan
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taiwan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 111% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,252 versus $431 in Taiwan.

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

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