Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wollongong and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,368 a month against $2,251 in Wollongong, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Wollongong
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Wollongong Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

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Wollongong

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,251

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,251 per month in Wollongong vs $1,368 in Taipei, rent included.

Wollongong $2,251
Taipei $1,368

A couple spends around $3,295 per month in Wollongong vs $2,202 in Taipei, rent included.

Wollongong $3,295
Taipei $2,202

A family of three spends $4,339 per month in Wollongong vs $3,036 in Taipei, rent included.

Wollongong $4,339
Taipei $3,036

Wollongong costs about 65% more than Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Wollongong and Taipei sit above the global median – Wollongong by 67%, Taipei by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 A$24.06

$4.60 NT$149

263.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.9 A$121

$47.13 NT$1,528

78.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.27 A$14.78

$5.58 NT$181

84.05%

Cappuccino

$3.49 A$5.03

$3.45 NT$112

1.16%

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

$3.16 A$4.54

$0.94 NT$30.61

236.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 A$3.12

$0.67 NT$21.73

223.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.09 A$10.20

$2.86 NT$92.7

147.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 A$9.97

$3.70 NT$120

87.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.72

$3.12 NT$101

-61.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 A$4.20

$1.97 NT$64.0

48.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 A$3.04

$3.16 NT$103

-33.23%

Eggs

$3.93 A$5.65

$2.68 NT$86.9

46.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.40 A$14.96

$19.90 NT$645

-47.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 A$13.62

$9.85 NT$319

-3.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.48 A$22.27

$21.51 NT$698

-28.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 A$4.17

$4.85 NT$157

-40.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 A$3.65

$3.25 NT$105

-21.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.74

$3.03 NT$98.2

8.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 A$6.51

$4.53 NT$147

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.33

$2.79 NT$90.4

-17.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 A$3.71

$2.34 NT$75.9

10.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 A$3.68

$1.68 NT$54.5

52.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 A$1.91

$1.10 NT$35.62

20.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.92 A$64.6

$3.80 NT$123

1082.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 A$20.00

$14.17 NT$460

-1.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.38 A$6.31

$1.63 NT$53.0

168.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 A$6.72

$2.29 NT$74.3

103.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 A$2.84

$0.65 NT$21.04

203.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 A$5.92

$2.68 NT$86.8

53.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 A$2.23

$0.82 NT$26.55

89.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.79 A$61.6

$9.17 NT$297

366.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.90

$1.02 NT$32.93

29.41%

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

$26.6K A$38.2K

$32.8K NT$1.1M

-19.08%

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

$24.8K A$35.6K

$24.5K NT$795.1K

1.04%

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

$185 A$267

$87.7 NT$2,843

111.46%

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

$27.08 A$38.97

$17.28 NT$560

56.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 A$73.5

$27.38 NT$888

86.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.8 A$118

$40.32 NT$1,308

102.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.07 A$20.24

$15.94 NT$517

-11.73%

Cinema Ticket

$13.02 A$18.73

$9.83 NT$319

32.45%

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

$2,148 A$3,091

$663 NT$21.5K

224.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K A$29.5K

$16.6K NT$538.4K

23.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 A$98.1

$62.4 NT$2,025

9.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 A$79.2

$39.51 NT$1,281

39.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 A$152

$84.5 NT$2,740

24.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 A$155

$106 NT$3,424

2.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 A$1,793

$999 NT$32.4K

24.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,079 A$1,552

$473 NT$15.3K

127.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 A$2,802

$1,565 NT$50.8K

24.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,666 A$2,398

$948 NT$30.7K

75.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,438 A$6,386

$11.9K NT$385.6K

-62.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,676 A$5,290

$7,306 NT$236.9K

-49.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,130 A$7,382

$1,760 NT$57.1K

191.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.23

2.4

117.92%

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

Last update for Wollongong: October 12, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wollongong

$1.1K 47.9%

Taipei

$473 34.6% 56.1% $605

Groceries & Markets

Wollongong

$353 15.7%

Taipei

$400 29.3% 13.4% $47

Eating Out

Wollongong

$277 12.3%

Taipei

$123 9% 55.6% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wollongong

$264 11.7%

Taipei

$132 9.7% 49.8% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Wollongong

$151 6.7%

Taipei

$131 9.6% 13.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Wollongong

$108 4.8%

Taipei

$60 4.4% 44.4% $48

Getting Around

Wollongong

$20 * 0.9%

Taipei

$47 3.5% 139% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,246 in Wollongong 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 191% higher in Wollongong, 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 $84.0 in Wollongong versus $47.00 in Taipei. Groceries tell a different story – $353 in Wollongong vs $400 in Taipei – so Wollongong wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Wollongong

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

22:45 10:45 PM

3 h behind Wollongong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

280,153

2,635,286 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Wollongong Taipei 7,300 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Wollongong
Taipei

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

Wollongong vs Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Wollongong is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,377 per month in Wollongong 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 Taipei, 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 $2,251 in Wollongong and $1,368 in Taipei. That's a gap of about 65%.

Kindergarten costs $2,148 per month in Wollongong and $663 in Taipei. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Taipei, where all-in costs run around $1,368, than in Wollongong at $2,251. In Taipei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wollongong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taipei – 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 Taipei. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Wollongong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.