Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhubei City and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhubei City: $1,055 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Zhubei City
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Zhubei City Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Zhubei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,055

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zhubei City and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,055 in Zhubei City versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Zhubei City $1,055
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Zhubei City versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Zhubei City $1,841
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,627 in Zhubei City versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Zhubei City $2,627
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Zhubei City costs roughly 60% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zhubei City is 22% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.83 NT$157

$20.77 $20.77

-76.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.00 NT$908

$84.6 $84.6

-66.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.07 NT$164

$12.32 $12.32

-58.85%

Cappuccino

$2.89 NT$93.8

$5.63 $5.63

-48.67%

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

$0.91 NT$29.41

$3.72 $3.72

-75.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 NT$19.02

$2.50 $2.50

-76.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 NT$62.5

$8.05 $8.05

-76.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 NT$75.6

$9.01 $9.01

-74.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$1.12 $1.12

149.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 NT$60.7

$3.75 $3.75

-50.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.59 NT$149

$3.26 $3.26

40.80%

Eggs

$2.85 NT$92.5

$4.17 $4.17

-31.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.76 NT$803

$12.90 $12.90

91.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 NT$271

$14.16 $14.16

-40.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.93 NT$841

$16.22 $16.22

59.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 NT$131

$4.33 $4.33

-6.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 NT$78.5

$1.46 $1.46

65.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 NT$87.3

$4.51 $4.51

-40.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 NT$106

$4.34 $4.34

-24.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.02 NT$97.9

$2.58 $2.58

17.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 NT$65.5

$2.35 $2.35

-14.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 NT$66.9

$1.78 $1.78

15.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 NT$43.25

$2.22 $2.22

-40.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 NT$126

$9.88 $9.88

-60.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.23 NT$299

$15.08 $15.08

-38.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 NT$46.36

$2.92 $2.92

-51.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 NT$75.4

$3.46 $3.46

-32.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.85

$1.49 $1.49

-59.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 NT$101

$2.73 $2.73

13.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 NT$20.76

$1.66 $1.66

-61.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.25 NT$300

$35.30 $35.30

-73.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 NT$32.17

$0.95 $0.95

4.21%

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

$33.5K NT$1.1M

$36.0K $36.0K

-7.16%

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

$24.8K NT$805.7K

$27.1K $27.1K

-8.23%

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

$103 NT$3,331

$229 $229

-55.15%

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

$18.96 NT$615

$59.4 $59.4

-68.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.80 NT$739

$69.9 $69.9

-67.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.40 NT$1,018

$57.2 $57.2

-45.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$9.99 NT$324

$14.28 $14.28

-30.04%

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

$646 NT$20.9K

$1,506 $1,506

-57.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K NT$533.8K

$21.5K $21.5K

-23.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 NT$1,870

$52.8 $52.8

9.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.13 NT$1,010

$43.82 $43.82

-28.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 NT$2,946

$84.8 $84.8

7.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.0 NT$3,209

$103 $103

-3.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$501 NT$16.2K

$1,907 $1,907

-73.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 NT$7,032

$1,274 $1,274

-82.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 NT$35.7K

$3,664 $3,664

-69.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 NT$24.9K

$2,538 $2,538

-69.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K NT$525.9K

$7,614 $7,614

112.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,751 NT$316.2K

$3,157 $3,157

208.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,391 NT$77.5K

$5,121 $5,121

-53.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

6.79

-64.65%

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

Last update for Zhubei City: October 13, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhubei City

$400 37.9%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 1.2% $4.9

Accommodation & Living

Zhubei City

$217 20.6%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 488% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhubei City

$144 13.7%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 148% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Zhubei City

$125 11.9%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 2.1% $2.6

Eating Out

Zhubei City

$109 10.3%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 225% $245

Sport & Entertainment

Zhubei City

$51 4.9%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 67% $34

Getting Around

Zhubei City

$8.8 * 0.8%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 571% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $501 in Zhubei City and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 114% 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: $28.00 in Zhubei City vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $400 vs $405 per month, with Zhubei City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Zhubei City

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

05:51 5:51 AM

16:51 4:51 PM

13 h behind Zhubei City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

211,746

974,447

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Zhubei City Austin, TX 12,630 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhubei City
Austin, TX

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

Zhubei City vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhubei City wins on cost – living expenses run 152% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zhubei City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 114% lower in Austin, TX. 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: $501 in Zhubei City versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $646 in Zhubei City versus $1,506 in Austin, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zhubei City – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,055 in Zhubei City versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zhubei City but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Zhubei City 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, Zhubei City and Austin, TX 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 Zhubei City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 152% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.