Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yilan and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Yilan: $1,008 a month against $1,368 in Taipei, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

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Yilan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,008

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,008 per month in Yilan vs $1,368 in Taipei, rent included.

Yilan $1,008
Taipei $1,368

A couple spends around $1,731 per month in Yilan vs $2,202 in Taipei, rent included.

Yilan $1,731
Taipei $2,202

A family of three spends $2,455 per month in Yilan vs $3,036 in Taipei, rent included.

Yilan $2,455
Taipei $3,036

Yilan is about 26% cheaper than Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Yilan sits 25% below the global median, while Taipei is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.55 NT$115

$4.60 NT$149

-22.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.99 NT$973

$47.13 NT$1,528

-36.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.61 NT$149

$5.58 NT$181

-17.38%

Cappuccino

$2.88 NT$93.5

$3.45 NT$112

-16.52%

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

$1.03 NT$33.33

$0.94 NT$30.61

9.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 NT$21.18

$0.67 NT$21.73

-2.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 NT$49.41

$2.86 NT$92.7

-46.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 NT$93.4

$3.70 NT$120

-22.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.16 NT$102

$3.12 NT$101

1.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 NT$55.3

$1.97 NT$64.0

-13.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 NT$88.7

$3.16 NT$103

-13.29%

Eggs

$2.62 NT$84.9

$2.68 NT$86.9

-2.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.52 NT$925

$19.90 NT$645

43.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.15 NT$264

$9.85 NT$319

-17.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 NT$554

$21.51 NT$698

-20.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.36 NT$142

$4.85 NT$157

-10.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 NT$61.3

$3.25 NT$105

-41.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 NT$100

$3.03 NT$98.2

2.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 NT$70.5

$4.53 NT$147

-52.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 NT$38.51

$2.79 NT$90.4

-57.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 NT$61.1

$2.34 NT$75.9

-19.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NT$78.0

$1.68 NT$54.5

43.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 NT$27.78

$1.10 NT$35.62

-21.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 NT$125

$3.80 NT$123

1.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 NT$509

$14.17 NT$460

10.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 NT$45.55

$1.63 NT$53.0

-14.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 NT$79.3

$2.29 NT$74.3

6.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 NT$24.37

$0.65 NT$21.04

15.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.68 NT$1,189

$37.88 NT$1,228

-3.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 NT$89.1

$2.68 NT$86.8

2.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 NT$31.37

$0.82 NT$26.55

18.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.39 NT$305

$9.17 NT$297

2.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$33.23

$1.02 NT$32.93

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

$25.1K NT$814.8K

$32.8K NT$1.1M

-23.43%

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

$19.5K NT$633.9K

$24.5K NT$795.1K

-20.27%

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

$47.16 NT$1,529

$87.7 NT$2,843

-46.21%

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

$15.12 NT$490

$17.28 NT$560

-12.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.30 NT$691

$27.38 NT$888

-22.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.11 NT$1,009

$40.32 NT$1,308

-22.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 NT$255

$9.83 NT$319

-20.14%

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

$340 NT$11.0K

$663 NT$21.5K

-48.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$537.7K

$16.6K NT$538.4K

-0.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 NT$1,781

$62.4 NT$2,025

-12.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.44 NT$1,020

$39.51 NT$1,281

-20.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 NT$2,723

$84.5 NT$2,740

-0.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.2 NT$2,016

$106 NT$3,424

-41.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$275 NT$8,930

$999 NT$32.4K

-72.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 NT$8,237

$473 NT$15.3K

-46.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 NT$32.3K

$1,565 NT$50.8K

-36.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 NT$23.6K

$948 NT$30.7K

-23.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,893 NT$256.0K

$11.9K NT$385.6K

-33.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,975 NT$161.3K

$7,306 NT$236.9K

-31.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,041 NT$33.8K

$1,760 NT$57.1K

-40.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

2.4

-5.42%

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

Last update for Yilan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yilan

$375 37.2%

Taipei

$400 29.3% 6.9% $26

Accommodation & Living

Yilan

$254 25.2%

Taipei

$473 34.6% 86.3% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Yilan

$105 10.4%

Taipei

$131 9.6% 25.6% $27

Eating Out

Yilan

$97 9.6%

Taipei

$123 9% 27% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yilan

$84 8.3%

Taipei

$132 9.7% 58.3% $49

Getting Around

Yilan

$47 4.7%

Taipei

$47 3.5% 0% $0

Sport & Entertainment

Yilan

$47 4.7%

Taipei

$60 4.4% 28.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $275 in Yilan 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 69% 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 $30.00 in Yilan versus $47.00 in Taipei. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $375 vs $400 – making Yilan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Yilan

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

Same time as Yilan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,907

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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Yilan Taipei 37 km

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Yilan
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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 Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Taipei is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,512 per month in Yilan 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 Yilan, 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 $1,008 in Yilan and $1,368 in Taipei. That's a gap of about 36%.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Yilan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Yilan, where all-in costs run around $1,008, than in Taipei at $1,368. In Yilan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Taipei it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yilan – 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 Yilan. 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.