Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yilan and Taichung

For one person, living is cheaper in Yilan: $1,008 a month against $1,145 in Taichung, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Yilan
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Yilan Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index

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Yilan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,008

/mo nomad

Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,145

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Yilan and in Taichung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,008 in Yilan versus $1,145 in Taichung.

Yilan $1,008
Taichung $1,145

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,731 in Yilan versus $1,901 in Taichung.

Yilan $1,731
Taichung $1,901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,455 in Yilan versus $2,657 in Taichung.

Yilan $2,455
Taichung $2,657

Living in Yilan costs roughly 12% less than in Taichung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yilan 25% lower, Taichung 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.55 NT$115

$4.67 NT$151

-23.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.99 NT$973

$31.15 NT$1,010

-3.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.61 NT$149

$4.60 NT$149

0.22%

Cappuccino

$2.88 NT$93.5

$2.71 NT$87.8

6.27%

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

$1.03 NT$33.33

$0.99 NT$31.98

4.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 NT$21.18

$0.71 NT$23.04

-8.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 NT$49.41

$1.58 NT$51.4

-3.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 NT$93.4

$2.89 NT$93.6

-0.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.16 NT$102

$3.14 NT$102

0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 NT$55.3

$1.74 NT$56.6

-1.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 NT$88.7

$2.59 NT$84.0

5.79%

Eggs

$2.62 NT$84.9

$2.59 NT$83.9

1.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.52 NT$925

$28.15 NT$913

1.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.15 NT$264

$7.89 NT$256

3.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 NT$554

$16.90 NT$548

1.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.36 NT$142

$4.22 NT$137

3.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 NT$61.3

$1.96 NT$63.4

-3.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 NT$100

$3.00 NT$97.4

3.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 NT$70.5

$2.16 NT$69.9

0.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 NT$38.51

$1.19 NT$38.55

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 NT$61.1

$1.89 NT$61.4

-0.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NT$78.0

$2.32 NT$75.1

3.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 NT$27.78

$0.91 NT$29.66

-5.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 NT$125

$3.78 NT$122

2.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 NT$509

$15.59 NT$506

0.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 NT$45.55

$1.57 NT$50.8

-10.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 NT$79.3

$2.46 NT$79.8

-0.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 NT$24.37

$0.67 NT$21.69

11.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.68 NT$1,189

$31.36 NT$1,017

16.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 NT$89.1

$2.67 NT$86.7

3.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 NT$31.37

$0.97 NT$31.57

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.39 NT$305

$9.65 NT$313

-2.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$33.23

$1.06 NT$34.36

-3.77%

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

$25.1K NT$814.8K

$33.9K NT$1.1M

-25.97%

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

$19.5K NT$633.9K

$22.7K NT$735.4K

-13.80%

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

$47.16 NT$1,529

$122 NT$3,945

-61.23%

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

$15.12 NT$490

$15.08 NT$489

0.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.30 NT$691

$21.01 NT$681

1.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.11 NT$1,009

$31.97 NT$1,037

-2.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.54 NT$374

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 NT$255

$9.53 NT$309

-17.63%

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

$340 NT$11.0K

$333 NT$10.8K

2.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$537.7K

0.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 NT$1,781

$71.7 NT$2,326

-23.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.44 NT$1,020

$35.65 NT$1,156

-11.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 NT$2,723

$83.4 NT$2,706

0.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.2 NT$2,016

$116 NT$3,768

-46.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$275 NT$8,930

$391 NT$12.7K

-29.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 NT$8,237

$281 NT$9,111

-9.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 NT$32.3K

$1,218 NT$39.5K

-18.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 NT$23.6K

$758 NT$24.6K

-4.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,893 NT$256.0K

$8,582 NT$278.3K

-8.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,975 NT$161.3K

$5,309 NT$172.2K

-6.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,041 NT$33.8K

$1,443 NT$46.8K

-27.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

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

Last update for Yilan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Taichung: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yilan

$375 37.2%

Taichung

$371 32.4% 0.8% $3.2

Accommodation & Living

Yilan

$254 25.2%

Taichung

$281 24.5% 10.6% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Yilan

$105 10.4%

Taichung

$138 12.1% 32.1% $34

Eating Out

Yilan

$97 9.6%

Taichung

$104 9.1% 7.4% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yilan

$84 8.3%

Taichung

$158 13.8% 88.7% $74

Getting Around

Yilan

$47 4.7%

Taichung

$42 3.6% 12% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Yilan

$47 4.7%

Taichung

$51 4.5% 9% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $275 in Yilan and $391 in Taichung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taichung pays 39% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Yilan vs $31.00 in Taichung. Groceries flip the comparison at $375 vs $371, with Taichung cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Yilan

🇹🇼 Taichung

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

Same time as Yilan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,907

2,767,239

💱 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

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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

Yilan vs Taichung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yilan wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Taichung. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Yilan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Taichung. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $275 in Yilan versus $391 in Taichung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Yilan – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $31.00 in Taichung. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,008 per month in Yilan versus $1,145 in Taichung – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,008 in Yilan versus $1,145 in Taichung, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Yilan but tight or insufficient in Taichung. The gap between the two cities makes Yilan 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, Yilan and Taichung 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 Yilan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Taichung. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.