Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taoyuan and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Taoyuan: $1,200 a month against $1,368 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Taoyuan
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Taoyuan Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

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Taoyuan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,200

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taoyuan 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 Taoyuan and in Taipei actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,200 per month in Taoyuan vs $1,368 in Taipei, rent included.

Taoyuan $1,200
Taipei $1,368

A couple spends around $1,816 per month in Taoyuan vs $2,202 in Taipei, rent included.

Taoyuan $1,816
Taipei $2,202

A family of three spends $2,433 per month in Taoyuan vs $3,036 in Taipei, rent included.

Taoyuan $2,433
Taipei $3,036

Taoyuan is about 12% cheaper than Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Taoyuan sits 11% below the global median, while Taipei is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.23 NT$137

$4.60 NT$149

-8.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.93 NT$808

$47.13 NT$1,528

-47.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.74 NT$186

$5.58 NT$181

2.87%

Cappuccino

$2.97 NT$96.2

$3.45 NT$112

-13.91%

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

$1.02 NT$33.18

$0.94 NT$30.61

8.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 NT$22.97

$0.67 NT$21.73

5.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 NT$59.8

$2.86 NT$92.7

-35.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 NT$74.6

$3.70 NT$120

-37.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.84 NT$92.2

$3.12 NT$101

-8.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 NT$39.64

$1.97 NT$64.0

-38.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 NT$86.5

$3.16 NT$103

-15.51%

Eggs

$2.17 NT$70.4

$2.68 NT$86.9

-19.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 NT$299

$19.90 NT$645

-53.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.55 NT$245

$9.85 NT$319

-23.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.09 NT$684

$21.51 NT$698

-1.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 NT$124

$4.85 NT$157

-21.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 NT$66.8

$3.25 NT$105

-36.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 NT$101

$3.03 NT$98.2

2.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 NT$101

$4.53 NT$147

-31.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 NT$80.2

$2.79 NT$90.4

-11.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 NT$65.9

$2.34 NT$75.9

-13.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 NT$75.6

$1.68 NT$54.5

38.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 NT$28.53

$1.10 NT$35.62

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 NT$163

$3.80 NT$123

32.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.89 NT$353

$14.17 NT$460

-23.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 NT$46.45

$1.63 NT$53.0

-12.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 NT$69.9

$2.29 NT$74.3

-5.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 NT$17.81

$0.65 NT$21.04

-15.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.07 NT$1,234

$37.88 NT$1,228

0.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 NT$88.8

$2.68 NT$86.8

2.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 NT$24.51

$0.82 NT$26.55

-7.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 NT$227

$9.17 NT$297

-23.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 NT$32.37

$1.02 NT$32.93

-1.96%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

0.06%

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

$23.3K NT$755.7K

$24.5K NT$795.1K

-4.95%

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

$69.5 NT$2,252

$87.7 NT$2,843

-20.78%

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

$17.72 NT$574

$17.28 NT$560

2.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.93 NT$711

$27.38 NT$888

-19.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.59 NT$1,089

$40.32 NT$1,308

-16.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.07 NT$229

$15.94 NT$517

-55.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.94 NT$355

$9.83 NT$319

11.29%

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

$517 NT$16.8K

$663 NT$21.5K

-21.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K NT$1.0M

$16.6K NT$538.4K

88.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.3 NT$2,959

$62.4 NT$2,025

46.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.83 NT$805

$39.51 NT$1,281

-37.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.9 NT$2,655

$84.5 NT$2,740

-3.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 NT$3,119

$106 NT$3,424

-8.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$646 NT$20.9K

$999 NT$32.4K

-35.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 NT$14.1K

$473 NT$15.3K

-7.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$964 NT$31.2K

$1,565 NT$50.8K

-38.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 NT$23.6K

$948 NT$30.7K

-23.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,498 NT$243.2K

$11.9K NT$385.6K

-36.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,782 NT$155.1K

$7,306 NT$236.9K

-34.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,549 NT$50.2K

$1,760 NT$57.1K

-12.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.38

2.4

-0.83%

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

Last update for Taoyuan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taoyuan

$436 36.3%

Taipei

$473 34.6% 8.5% $37

Groceries & Markets

Taoyuan

$313 26.1%

Taipei

$400 29.3% 28% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Taoyuan

$132 11%

Taipei

$131 9.6% 0.7% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taoyuan

$109 9.1%

Taipei

$132 9.7% 21.3% $23

Eating Out

Taoyuan

$107 9%

Taipei

$123 9% 14.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Taoyuan

$55 4.6%

Taipei

$60 4.4% 8.2% $4.5

Getting Around

Taoyuan

$47 3.9%

Taipei

$47 3.5% 1% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $646 in Taoyuan versus $999 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 run about 14% higher in Taipei, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Taoyuan versus $47.00 in Taipei. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $313 vs $400 – making Taoyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taoyuan

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

Same time as Taoyuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,147,763

2,635,286 Capital

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Taipei is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,800 per month in Taoyuan and $2,052 in Taipei. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taoyuan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,200 in Taoyuan and $1,368 in Taipei. That's a gap of about 14%.

Public transport costs about 1% less in Taoyuan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taoyuan, where all-in costs run around $1,200, than in Taipei at $1,368. In Taoyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Taipei it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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