China vs Taiwan - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

China Taiwan
🚶 Cost of living one person
$686
$963
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1939
$2788
🏠 One person rent
$292
$385
🏘️ Family rent
$561
$921
🍽️ Food expenses
$239
$373
🚐 Transport expenses
$73.6
$97.9
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$864
$1491
💸 GDP per capita
$12614
$24828
😃 Human freedom index
5.15
8.56
❤️ Life expectancy
78.6
79.1
👮 Corruption perceptions index
42
67
🌐 English speaking %
0.7%
30%
🎓 Higher education
91
89
😀 Quality of life
48
78
🏙️ Population
1.44B
23.4M

The average cost of living in China ($686) is 29% less expensive than in Taiwan ($963). China ranked 144th vs 91st for Taiwan in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.3 months in China compared to 1.5 months in Taiwan. Ranked 84th and 31st best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in China vs Taiwan infographic

Share this infographic!

Prices in China vs Taiwan

We calculate prices for China and Taiwan as a population-weighted mean of 544 and 17 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

China Taiwan
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$3.44
$4.48
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$22.8
$29
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.19
$5.06
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.31
$2.09
 Cappuccino
$3.2
$2.92
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.51
$1
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$331
$401
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$222
$290
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$676
$1057
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$449
$763
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$35.3
$50.7
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$54.3
$78.1
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$12.6
$21.5
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.4%
1.94%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4645
$7413
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2808
$4299
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.37
$0.71
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$21.7
$34.2
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$4.18
$8.93
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.18
$0.97
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.86
$3.11
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.58
$1.92
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.03
$2.82
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.68
$2.85
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.9
$14.1
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.5
$7.76
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.8
$17.3
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.7
$3.97
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.32
$1.75
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.57
$2.24
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.24
$2.9
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.8
$2.68
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.94
$1.91
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.38
$0.67
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.22
$1.72
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$12.1
$12.1
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.82
$1.54
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.38
$3.81
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.91
$10.6
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.61
$6.89
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.47
$1.85
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.67
$2.53
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$39.7
$34.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6.15
$9.78
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$34
$41.5
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.59
$13.8
👖 Brand Jeans
$54.2
$72.5
👟 Brand Sneakers
$77.5
$83.7
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$461
$464
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$17526
$14683

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in China vs Taiwan

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In China

City Cost of living Population
Shanghai
$1136
24.9M
Beijing
$1067
21.9M
Hong Kong
$2753
7.41M
Shenzhen
$958
17.7M
Chongqing
$662
32.1M
Guangzhou
$763
18.7M
Chengdu
$660
20.9M
Tianjin
$710
13.9M
Hangzhou
$843
11.9M
Suzhou
$1020
12.7M
Xi'an
$594
13M
Wuhan
$692
12.3M
Baoding
$482
11.5M
Nantong
$620
7.73M
Wuxi
$686
7.46M
Pudong
$1028
5.68M
Bijie
$612
6.9M
Zhengzhou
$522
12.6M
Nanjing
$774
9.31M
Hefei
$727
9.37M
Qingdao
$681
10.1M
Changchun
$601
9.07M
Ganzhou
$813
8.97M
Guiyang
$576
5.99M
Foshan
$602
9.5M
Yantai
$740
7.1M
Jieyang
$691
5.58M
Changsha
$582
10M
Wenzhou
$776
9.57M
Xuzhou
$528
9.08M

In Taiwan

City Cost of living Population
New Taipei
$1060
4.04M
Taipei
$1158
2.6M
Taichung
$931
3.03M
Kaohsiung
$932
2.73M
Taoyuan
$868
2.33M
Tainan
$841
1.87M
Hsinchu
$864
499K
Keelung
$1028
367K
Zhubei
$828
218K
Chiayi
$707
252K
Changhua
$841
225K
Kinmen
$821
144K
Miaoli
$698
86.2K
Douliu
$761
109K
Nantou
$818
97.4K
Yilan
$745
95K
Taitung
$801
103K