Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Taiwan

Name: Taiwan
Address: TW

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiwan: $1,146 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Taiwan
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Taiwan Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,146

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,462 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,146 in Taiwan, rent included.

United Kingdom $2,462
Taiwan $1,146

A couple spends around $3,600 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,885 in Taiwan, rent included.

United Kingdom $3,600
Taiwan $1,885

A family of three spends $4,738 per month in the United Kingdom vs $2,625 in Taiwan, rent included.

United Kingdom $4,738
Taiwan $2,625

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Taiwan ($768–$1,330), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is about 115% higher than in Taiwan on average.

The United Kingdom sits 81% above the global median, while Taiwan is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.12

$4.73 NT$153

354.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.3

$30.54 NT$989

180.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.96

$5.32 NT$172

99.44%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.68

$2.87 NT$92.8

71.08%

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

$2.66 £2.00

$0.95 NT$30.87

180.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.40

$0.63 NT$20.54

196.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.97

$1.79 NT$57.9

270.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.13

$2.43 NT$78.6

181.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$3.00 NT$97.2

-44.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.87 NT$60.5

-8.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.63

$3.04 NT$98.5

-28.62%

Eggs

$4.00 £3.00

$2.51 NT$81.2

59.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.07

$17.94 NT$581

-47.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.89

$8.54 NT$276

7.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.08

$20.08 NT$650

-26.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.22

$4.69 NT$152

-36.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.22

$2.59 NT$84.0

-37.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.14

$2.91 NT$94.1

-2.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.64

$3.68 NT$119

-4.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$2.68 NT$86.9

-31.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$2.16 NT$69.9

-25.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$2.12 NT$68.7

-41.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$1.11 NT$36.06

49.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.75

$3.74 NT$121

532.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.88

$12.39 NT$401

-15.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.24

$1.58 NT$51.2

88.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.63

$2.17 NT$70.3

61.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.99

$0.64 NT$20.66

521.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.6

$36.59 NT$1,185

193.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$2.74 NT$88.7

89.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.76

$0.80 NT$25.75

193.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.14

$9.32 NT$302

187.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.03 NT$33.33

93.20%

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

$39.4K £29.6K

$36.6K NT$1.2M

7.93%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$22.9K NT$740.4K

77.07%

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

$327 £245

$83.2 NT$2,694

293.29%

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

$18.21 £13.66

$17.05 NT$552

6.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.72

$23.05 NT$746

89.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.78

$35.90 NT$1,162

17.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.67

$11.42 NT$370

59.54%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.39

$10.12 NT$328

36.86%

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

$1,868 £1,402

$557 NT$18.0K

235.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £17.0K

$15.9K NT$514.1K

42.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.7

$62.6 NT$2,028

48.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.45

$31.83 NT$1,031

44.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.3

$82.1 NT$2,660

23.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.7

$102 NT$3,296

0.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,007

$506 NT$16.4K

165.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £805

$319 NT$10.3K

236.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,674

$1,092 NT$35.4K

104.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,307

$762 NT$24.7K

128.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,203

$6,711 NT$217.3K

-16.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,200

$4,605 NT$149.1K

-7.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,513

$1,709 NT$55.4K

95.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

2.45

117.14%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Taiwan: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Taiwan

$319 27.8% 70.3% $755

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Taiwan

$123 10.8% 68.3% $266

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Taiwan

$108 9.5% 66.9% $219

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Taiwan

$368 32.1% 19.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Taiwan

$125 10.9% 18.8% $29

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Taiwan

$46 4% 67.3% $94

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Taiwan

$56 4.9% 19.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,287 in the United Kingdom vs $426 in Taiwan. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,811 in London and $961 in Taipei.

Average salary: $3,251 in the United Kingdom vs $1,861 in Taiwan. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 202% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 168% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 237% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 75% higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Taiwan.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇹🇼 Taiwan

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

17:34 5:34 PM

8 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

23,409,323

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 TWD = 3.09 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.837 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 32.38 TWD (100 TWD = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 36.14 TWD (100 TWD = 2.77 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

United Kingdom
Taiwan

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

United Kingdom vs Taiwan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taiwan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 53% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $426 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. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.