Taipei City at a glance
- Taipei City is the most expensive of Taiwan's 6 priced cities: $977 a month in essentials, 43% above Tainan City at $681.
- The average net salary of $1,704 covers that 1.7×.
- 97.9 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at city level.
- PM2.5 averages 21.7 µg/m³ a year, 4× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 6 Taiwan cities we track, so every row says whether Taipei City is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $977 | $707 | 1.38ร as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $505 | $275 | 1.84ร as much |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $782 | $412 | 1.90ร as much |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $196 | $189 | $7 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $139 | $112 | $28 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $100 | $109 | $9 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $37 | $35 | $2 |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $1,704 | $1,491 | $214 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $934 | $748 | $186 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,529 | $1,030 | 1.49ร as much |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Taipei City, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $4.64 | $4.64 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $46.42 | $29.40 | 1.58ร as much |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $5.71 | $5.11 | $0.60 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $3.39 | $2.95 | $0.44 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $2.63 | $1.86 | 1.41ร as much |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $3.54 | $2.63 | 1.35ร as much |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $0.95 | $0.98 | $0.04 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.65 | $0.69 | $0.04 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $3.16 | $3.09 | $0.07 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $1.89 | $1.72 | $0.17 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $3.05 | $2.84 | $0.21 |
| Eggs, 12 | $2.54 | $2.56 | $0.02 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $18.82 | $20.55 | $1.73 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $9.53 | $7.81 | $1.72 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $4.89 | $3.99 | $0.90 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $3.37 | $2.54 | 1.33ร as much |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $4.59 | $3.31 | 1.39ร as much |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $2.75 | $2.71 | $0.04 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $2.26 | $2.12 | $0.14 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $1.15 | $1.09 | $0.05 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.77 | $0.66 | $0.11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $37.13 | $35.20 | $1.93 |
| Taxi start | $2.63 | $2.63 | same |
| Taxi, 1 km | $0.77 | $0.77 | same |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.01 | $1.00 | $0.01 |
| Basic utilities, 85 mยฒ flat | $72.57 | $85.59 | $13.02 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $27.13 | $22.51 | $4.62 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $17.21 | $17.11 | $0.10 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $40.62 | $38.37 | $2.25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $9.28 | $9.86 | $0.58 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Taipei City has 97.9 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (city level). That is the lowest of the 6 Taiwan cities we track.
Every Taiwan region by male-to-female ratio →
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Taipei City ranks against every city we track
Taipei City sits ahead of 95% of the 562 cities we track on safety. On salary against local costs it is ahead of 76% of 534. Its weakest measure is clean air, ahead of only 16% of 898.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Taipei City sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: ๆฏ่ฒๅคงๅฐ็บ, CC BY-SA 2.0.