Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taoyuan and San Salvador

For one person, living is cheaper in Taoyuan: $1,200 a month against $1,658 in San Salvador, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Taoyuan
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Taoyuan Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in San Salvador
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San Salvador Living Index

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Taoyuan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,200

/mo nomad

San Salvador

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taoyuan and in San Salvador

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,200 in Taoyuan versus $1,658 in San Salvador.

Taoyuan $1,200
San Salvador $1,658

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,816 in Taoyuan versus $2,492 in San Salvador.

Taoyuan $1,816
San Salvador $2,492

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,433 in Taoyuan versus $3,326 in San Salvador.

Taoyuan $2,433
San Salvador $3,326

Living in Taoyuan costs roughly 28% less than in San Salvador, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Taoyuan is 11% below, San Salvador is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.23 NT$137

$6.56 $6.56

-35.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.93 NT$808

$45.50 $45.50

-45.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.74 NT$186

$7.04 $7.04

-18.47%

Cappuccino

$2.97 NT$96.2

$3.48 $3.48

-14.66%

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

$1.02 NT$33.18

$1.17 $1.17

-12.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 NT$22.97

$0.84 $0.84

-15.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 NT$59.8

$2.05 $2.05

-10.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 NT$74.6

$3.61 $3.61

-36.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.84 NT$92.2

$1.81 $1.81

56.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 NT$39.64

$2.81 $2.81

-56.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 NT$86.5

$1.43 $1.43

86.71%

Eggs

$2.17 NT$70.4

$2.99 $2.99

-27.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 NT$299

$7.85 $7.85

17.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.55 NT$245

$6.92 $6.92

9.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.09 NT$684

$10.09 $10.09

109.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 NT$124

$5.19 $5.19

-26.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 NT$66.8

$1.43 $1.43

44.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 NT$101

$2.63 $2.63

18.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 NT$101

$3.51 $3.51

-11.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 NT$80.2

$2.93 $2.93

-15.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 NT$65.9

$3.38 $3.38

-39.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 NT$75.6

$1.03 $1.03

126.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 NT$28.53

$0.97 $0.97

-9.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 NT$163

$4.09 $4.09

22.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.89 NT$353

$11.79 $11.79

-7.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 NT$46.45

$2.29 $2.29

-37.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 NT$69.9

$2.96 $2.96

-27.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 NT$17.81

$0.36 $0.36

52.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.07 NT$1,234

$38.24 $38.24

-0.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 NT$88.8

$6.02 $6.02

-54.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 NT$24.51

$3.03 $3.03

-74.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 NT$227

$20.03 $20.03

-65.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 NT$32.37

$1.27 $1.27

-21.26%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$25.1K $25.1K

31.06%

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

$23.3K NT$755.7K

$26.8K $26.8K

-13.11%

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

$69.5 NT$2,252

$132 $132

-47.28%

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

$17.72 NT$574

$21.13 $21.13

-16.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.93 NT$711

$41.94 $41.94

-47.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.59 NT$1,089

$30.98 $30.98

8.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.07 NT$229

$21.42 $21.42

-66.99%

Cinema Ticket

$10.94 NT$355

$4.96 $4.96

120.56%

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

$517 NT$16.8K

$164 $164

215.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K NT$1.0M

$4,762 $4,762

557.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.3 NT$2,959

$67.9 $67.9

34.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.83 NT$805

$46.22 $46.22

-46.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.9 NT$2,655

$117 $117

-29.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 NT$3,119

$116 $116

-16.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$646 NT$20.9K

$895 $895

-27.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 NT$14.1K

$778 $778

-43.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$964 NT$31.2K

$1,799 $1,799

-46.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 NT$23.6K

$1,367 $1,367

-46.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,498 NT$243.2K

$2,748 $2,748

172.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,782 NT$155.1K

$1,835 $1,835

160.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,549 NT$50.2K

$379 $379

308.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.38

8.5

-72.00%

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

Last update for Taoyuan: October 10, 2026

Last update for San Salvador: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taoyuan

$436 36.3%

San Salvador

$778 46.9% 78.4% $342

Groceries & Markets

Taoyuan

$313 26.1%

San Salvador

$287 17.3% 8.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Taoyuan

$132 11%

San Salvador

$156 9.4% 17.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taoyuan

$109 9.1%

San Salvador

$195 11.8% 78.6% $86

Eating Out

Taoyuan

$107 9%

San Salvador

$141 8.5% 31.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Taoyuan

$55 4.6%

San Salvador

$41 2.5% 26.2% $15

Getting Around

Taoyuan

$47 3.9%

San Salvador

$61 3.7% 30.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $646 in Taoyuan and $895 in San Salvador. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taoyuan pays 309% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25.00 in Taoyuan vs $46.00 in San Salvador. Groceries flip the comparison at $313 vs $287, with San Salvador cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taoyuan

🇸🇻 San Salvador

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

18:16 6:16 PM

14 h behind Taoyuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,147,763

316,090 Capital

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taoyuan San Salvador 14,590 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Taoyuan
San Salvador

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

Taoyuan vs San Salvador: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taoyuan wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in San Salvador. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Taoyuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 309% higher in Taoyuan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $646 in Taoyuan versus $895 in San Salvador. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in San Salvador pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Taoyuan – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $46.00 in San Salvador. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,200 in Taoyuan versus $1,658 in San Salvador, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taoyuan but tight or insufficient in San Salvador. The gap between the two cities makes Taoyuan 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, Taoyuan and San Salvador 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 Taoyuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in San Salvador. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.