China vs Taiwan - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

China Taiwan
🚶 Cost of living one person
$663
$1027
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1807
$2710
🏠 One person rent
$276
$411
🏘️ Family rent
$463
$710
🍽️ Food expenses
$235
$404
🚐 Transport expenses
$72.4
$98.7
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$868
$1572
💸 GDP per capita
$13303
$39490
😃 Human freedom index
4.93
8.72
❤️ Life expectancy
78
79.1
👮 Corruption perceptions index
43
68
🌐 English speaking %
0.7%
30%
🎓 Higher education
88
90
😀 Quality of life
52
84
🏙️ Population
1.41B
23.3M

The average cost of living in China ($663) is 35% less expensive than in Taiwan ($1027). China ranked 158th vs 97th 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 85th and 28th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

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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
$3.15
$4.63
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$21.8
$32.5
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.04
$5.19
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.32
$1.97
 Cappuccino
$2.84
$2.93
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.51
$1.03
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$316
$473
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$209
$302
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$687
$1156
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$419
$808
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$35.8
$54.2
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$55.1
$83.2
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$11
$23.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.45%
2.45%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4148
$8482
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2286
$5554
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.37
$0.7
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$20.7
$32.6
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$4.21
$9.44
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.19
$0.99
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.78
$3.14
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.68
$1.78
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.01
$2.75
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.59
$2.51
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13.2
$18.8
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.58
$9.34
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11
$19.1
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.81
$4.54
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.25
$2.55
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.49
$2.9
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.27
$3.46
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.76
$3
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.92
$2.13
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.39
$0.72
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.27
$1.8
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$12
$12.8
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.86
$1.58
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.51
$4.23
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$5.2
$10.6
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.85
$6.85
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.53
$1.85
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.74
$2.54
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$39.7
$38
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6.26
$10.7
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$34.5
$47.2
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.76
$13.8
👖 Brand Jeans
$46.5
$67.6
👟 Brand Sneakers
$73.8
$87.7
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$479
$526
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$17696
$18492

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in China vs Taiwan

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Cost of Living in Popular cities

In China

City Cost of living Population
Chongqing
$631
32.1M
Shanghai
$1147
24.9M
Chengdu
$688
20.9M
Guangzhou
$785
18.7M
Suzhou
$798
12.7M
Beijing
$1108
21.9M
Shenzhen
$995
17.5M
Tianjin
$682
13.9M
Wuhan
$657
12.3M
Baoding
$480
11.5M
Xi'an
$594
13M
Nanjing
$789
9.31M
Zhengzhou
$523
12.6M
Qingdao
$649
10.1M
Ningbo
$660
9.4M
Hangzhou
$899
11.9M
Changsha
$622
10M
Nantong
$581
7.73M
Shenyang
$612
9.07M
Hefei
$670
9.37M
Jinan
$546
9.2M
Harbin
$713
10M
Linyi
$523
11M
Dongguan
$694
10.5M
Shijiazhuang
$521
10.6M
Changchun
$607
9.07M
Xuzhou
$531
9.08M
Fuzhou
$679
8.29M
Dalian
$737
7.45M
Wenzhou
$774
9.57M

In Taiwan

City Cost of living Population
New Taipei
$1123
4.04M
Taipei
$1248
2.43M
Kaohsiung
$971
2.71M
Taichung
$942
2.87M
Taoyuan
$989
2.36M
Tainan
$938
1.85M
Hsinchu
$921
456K
Keelung
$979
359K
Chiayi
$904
262K
Zhubei
$889
221K
Changhua
$874
220K
Kinmen
$892
138K
Miaoli
$687
85.5K
Douliu
$884
109K
Taitung
$844
102K
Yilan
$792
94.3K
Nantou
$868
96K