China vs Taiwan - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

China Taiwan
🚶 Cost of living one person
$678
$951
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1849
$2736
🏠 One person rent
$293
$367
🏘️ Family rent
$541
$878
🍽️ Food expenses
$235
$375
🚐 Transport expenses
$69.3
$99.6
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$813
$1346
💸 GDP per capita
$12720
$24828
😃 Human freedom index
5.22
8.44
❤️ Life expectancy
78.2
80.2
👮 Corruption perceptions index
45
68
🌐 English speaking %
0.7%
30%
🎓 Higher education
90
90
😀 Quality of life
50
80
🏙️ Population
1.44B
23.6M

The average cost of living in China ($678) is 29% less expensive than in Taiwan ($951). China ranked 135th vs 82nd 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 1.2 months in China compared to 1.4 months in Taiwan. Ranked 80th and 29th 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
$3.63
$4
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$21.2
$26.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$4.89
$4.7
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.42
$1.99
 Cappuccino
$3.26
$2.88
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.47
$0.98
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$323
$367
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$225
$274
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$659
$1055
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$427
$705
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$35.9
$53.6
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$55.2
$82.2
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$12.1
$21.3
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.77%
1.84%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4688
$7135
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2774
$3983
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.34
$0.69
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$19.7
$36.1
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$4.11
$8.66
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.13
$0.95
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.8
$2.97
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.49
$1.81
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.03
$3.19
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.67
$2.85
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.5
$15
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.68
$7.64
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.7
$19
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.65
$3.73
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.26
$1.9
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.47
$2.42
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.17
$3.06
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.77
$2.53
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.86
$2.16
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.4
$0.74
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.2
$1.72
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$12.8
$12.5
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.85
$1.59
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.22
$3.73
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.83
$11.3
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.49
$6.91
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.46
$2.12
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.62
$2.61
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$36.9
$34.1
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$5.92
$9.28
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$34.9
$41.7
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.54
$16.1
👖 Brand Jeans
$53.4
$77.6
👟 Brand Sneakers
$75.8
$79.1
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$407
$487
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$14240
$11888

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
Beijing
$1116
21.9M
Shanghai
$1165
24.9M
Shenzhen
$995
17.5M
Hong Kong
$2733
7.41M
Chongqing
$753
32.1M
Guangzhou
$755
18.7M
Chengdu
$656
20.9M
Tianjin
$718
13.9M
Xi'an
$550
13M
Suzhou
$1144
12.7M
Hangzhou
$827
11.9M
Nantong
$785
7.73M
Baoding
$474
11.5M
Wuhan
$637
12.3M
Wuxi
$714
7.46M
Foshan
$600
9.5M
Nanjing
$736
9.31M
Quanzhou
$776
8.78M
Hefei
$647
9.37M
Shijiazhuang
$489
10.6M
Dongguan
$621
10.5M
Bijie
$612
6.9M
Changchun
$588
9.07M
Jieyang
$932
6.09M
Qingdao
$648
10.1M
Ganzhou
$811
8.97M
Ningbo
$810
9.4M
Guiyang
$569
5.99M
Yantai
$568
7.1M
Zhengzhou
$495
12.6M

In Taiwan

City Cost of living Population
New Taipei
$997
4.36M
Taipei
$1136
2.6M
Taichung
$944
3.03M
Kaohsiung
$885
2.73M
Taoyuan
$879
2.29M
Tainan
$877
1.87M
Hsinchu
$844
499K
Keelung
$917
367K
Zhubei
$887
213K
Chiayi
$865
252K
Changhua
$863
227K
Kinmen
$850
139K
Miaoli
$702
86.2K
Douliu
$847
108K
Taitung
$1033
109K
Nantou
$847
102K
Yilan
$859
94.8K