Taiwan’s living costs aren’t too high, depending on your lifestyle. Throughout this guide, I’ll cover everyday living expenses in Taiwan.
I’ve lived in Taiwan for over three years and have studied various ways to save money. To help you plan your living situation in Taiwan, I’ve compiled average prices based on my (and others’) experiences.
To help you get a grasp on what expenses you’ll need to budget for, I’ll cover these areas:
- Rent (apartments)
- Utilities
- Transportation
- Personal vehicles
- Essentials
- Groceries
- Eating out
- Personal care
- Recreation
Let’s build a budget and see how Taiwan’s living costs compare to other countries.
Here’s one of the sources that I used to gather these prices.
Anyway, in general, here are the average Taiwan living costs for most essentials in the nation for a single person:
FreeCurrencyRates.comApartment Rent (monthly)
| One-bedroom apartment in the city | NT$12000–30000 |
| One-bedroom apartment outside the city | NT$8000–18000 |
| Three-bedroom apartment in the city | NT$30000–80000 |
| Three-bedroom apartment outside the city | NT$21000–50000 |
Utilities (monthly) #
| Electricity | NT$2.8–5 per kWh |
| Internet | NT$500 |
| Water | Water NT$200–300 |
| Gas | Gas NT$250 |
Public Transportation #
| One-way MRT ticket | NT$20–60 |
| Intracity bus fare | NT$15–30 |
| YouBike rental | NT$30000–80000 |
| Gasoline | NT$119.619 per gallon |
| GoStation battery swapping | NT$299–1199 |
| Taxi Start by city | NT$70–100 |
| Taxi cost per kilometer | NT$17.95–20 |
Personal Vehicles #
| Parking lots (per hour) | NT$20+ |
| 2021 Toyota Camry L | NT$708180 |
| Car insurance, registration, and fuel tax combined (one year) | NT$18000–25000 |
| Car parking space (monthly) | NT$3000–6000 |
Essentials #
| EasyCard | NT$100 |
| Gym membership (monthly) | NT$800–1500 |
| SIM card (monthly) | NT$499–920 |
| Laundry detergent (3 liters) | NT$155 |
Eating Out #
| Drink at a bar | NT$150+ |
| Cappuccino | NT$81 |
| Bottled water | NT$8–20 |
| Meal at McDonald’s | NT$135 |
| Mid-range restaurant meal for two | NT$800 |
| Inexpensive restaurant meal for one | NT$45–100 |
| Street food | NT$15–250 |
Groceries #
| Average groceries (monthly) | NT$3600 |
| Loaf of bread | NT$54 |
| Regular eggs (x12) | NT$74 |
| Rice (1kg) | NT$88 |
| Milk (1 liter) | NT$94 |
| Fruit juice (1.5 liters) | NT$100 |
| Orange juice (.3 liters) | NT$35 |
| Oranges | NT$90 |
| Grapes | NT$200 |
| Tomatoes | NT$90 |
| Bacon | NT$210–230 |
| Ready-made noodles | NT$17–22 |
| Yellow cheese (1 kilogram) | NT$656 |
Personal Care #
| Toothpaste (1 tube) | NT$84 |
| Men’s haircut | NT$800–1500 |
| Laundry detergent (3 liters) | NT$287 |
| Toilet paper (4 rolls) | NT$52 |
| Box of tampons (x32) | NT$279 |
| Deodorant | NT$190 |
| Clinic visit (without insurance) | NT$500 |
| Emergency room (without insurance) | NT$150–3000 |
| Cold medicine | NT$196 |
Entertainment #
| Pack of cigarettes (Marlboro) | NT$90 |
| Domestic beer | NT$20–50 per can |
| Night club entry fee | NT$300+ |
| Movie theater ticket | NT$581 |
Many of these prices were sourced from a survey of family income and expenditures in Taiwan. However, a lot of these prices are also sourced from first-hand experience in Taipei and New Taipei.
If you’re outside of these cities, you’ll likely pay less for the various categories I listed.
FAQ: Taiwan Living Costs
Read through these commonly asked questions about Taiwan living costs to help you determine how much money you’ll need when moving to the island nation.
How Much Do You Need To Live Comfortably in Taiwan?
To live comfortably in Taiwan, you’ll want an income of at least NT$30,000 ($1079) per month. However, your version of comfort may differ from others. This number will increase or decrease depending on what part of Taiwan you reside in.
Can Foreigners Buy Property in Taiwan?
It depends. Taiwan has a law in place that states that if Taiwanese can purchase real estate in their home country, then citizens from your country can purchase property in Taiwan.
How Do I Save Money on Living Expenses in Taipei?
The best way to save money on living expenses in Taipei is by cooking your own food rather than eating out every day or buying takeout.
International hypermarket chains like Carrefour and Costco have an excellent range of products from around the world. Moreover, if you buy in bulk, you’ll save a lot of money.
For you who need a break from cooking all the time, there are plenty of cheap places where you can get good quality Taiwanese street foods too.
Moreover, if you want to live close to work or school but can’t afford housing prices on your own, consider renting an apartment with friends and living together as this will help lower costs for everyone involved.
Is Taiwan a Good Place To Retire?
Taiwan is a good place to retire. The Taiwanese government has created policies that make it easy for foreigners living in Taiwan to get social security and retirement benefits from their home country while living in Taiwan.
Foreigners can also apply for long-term residency after staying more than 183 consecutive days in this country because they’ve obtained work visas or permanent residence visas through other channels such as marriage.
Is Taiwan Cashless?
It’s complicated. A majority of night markets or stores in traditional markets won’t accept card or cardless payments. However, many establishments accept contactless cards—EasyCard, for example—and payment methods like LINE Pay, Google Pay, and Apple Pay.
Are Taiwan Living Costs High?
Almost everything that you’ll need in Taiwan is cheaper than in many countries. One of the main exceptions, which I didn’t mention above, is imported goods. Due to Taiwan’s high value-added tax, VAT, among other factors, the nation has more expensive imported goods.
Keep in mind that these prices can fluctuate at any time. Only use the above tables to give you an estimate as to how much you’ll need to pay when coming to—or moving to—Taiwan.
Also, ensure you set up an emergency savings account—it’ll protect you in case anything happens.
