street art in Taipei, Taiwan

Living Expenses for Taiwan: Rent, Utilities, Food, Transportation and Nightlife

There are a lot of places in the world where a native English speaker can choose to move in order to teach English abroad. Taiwan has the reputation for being one of the better places.

One of the biggest reasons for that is the salary earned vs. living expenses. That differential is definitely a major benefit.

There are many great places around the world to teach English, but not all of them pay well. When I first started researching teaching English abroad, I knew I needed to find a place where I could make enough money to at least cover all my expenses.

As we’ve written about in previous posts, you can definitely make enough money in Taiwan to cover your expenses and also save money if that’s your goal. I thought it would be helpful if I laid out my expenses so that you can see approximately how much it costs to live here.

Living Expenses for Taiwan

Before reading the below it’s important to note that these are my average expenses and they range each month (i.e. the power bill only comes every two months). Additionally, everyone has a different lifestyle so you could spend considerably more or less on all of these things. Also, your share of utilities will of course depend on how many people live in your apartment.

One other thing to point out is that most people spend more their first few months here for things like start up costs, going out more, and traveling around. For reference, the average English teaching salary is around $2,000 USD for new teachers and it has not increased much over the last decade. 

All figures below are in USD for ease of understanding. Check out www.xe.com for the latest conversion rate.

Taiwan coins

Rent ($330)

Rent for my apartment is about $660, which I split with my wife for an average of $330 a person. The apartment itself has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a study, kitchen and living room area and a couple of balconies. Spending around $250-350 is pretty average for a room in a shared apartment or a studio in Taipei.

It is possible to find cheaper places, but these tend to be either outside the city a bit (although still possibly on the MRT) or of lower quality. It’s also very easy to spend more money on nicer places/better locations if you don’t mind.

Utilities ($93.25)

Cellphone: I have a contract for a smartphone and I pay $47 a month, which includes unlimited data and a certain amount of money towards phone calls and texts (I never go over the allotted amount).

Water: The water bill comes bimonthly and it’s around $33, so about $16.50 per person, which is $8.75 per month per person. The bill is fairly consistent throughout the year.

Gas: The gas bill comes bimonthly and is around $50, so about per person $25, which is $12.50 per month per person. The bill is fairly consistent throughout the year.

Electricity: The electricity bill comes bimonthly and ranges pretty dramatically between the seasons. In winter, the bill can be around $50 for a two month period, so $12.50 per person per month. However, in summer our electricity can go to as much as $170 for a two month period, which equals $85 per person per month. So on average I probably spend around $25 per month on electricity.

Transportation: ($64.20)

I take the MRT every day to and from work and it’s $1.07 each way, so I spend $2.14 total. I probably spend about the same on weekends on the MRT, so each month I spend 30 x $2.14 = $64.20.

If you have a scooter you should be prepared to spend about the same on both gas and minor repairs that will be regularly needed.

Food ($665)

On average I spend around $665 on food for the month. This includes not only regular meals, but also things like going out to nice places on the weekend for dinner, snacks, fruit, drinks (non alcoholic), etc. I like to eat healthy, so I definitely spend more than some of my friends do. You could probably cut this cost by half if you are careful and only get cheap meals.

Nightlife ($200)

One of the easiest ways to spend money in Taiwan is for nightlife activities like going out to bars, clubs, movies, etc. You can find yourself easily spending $60-90 (and more) for drinks, food and taxis for a single night out. I go out a couple times a month to bars or the movies and spend around $200. I know people who don’t go out much and they spend far less; however, I also know plenty of people who spend significantly more (i.e. $500-750) going out.

Miscellaneous ($133)

Every month there are random expenses that come up and they probably average $133 for me. These can be everything from taking taxis when I’m running late, buying umbrellas, buying clothes and shoes, going to the doctor/dentist, etc.

Total ($1485.45)

In total, I spend roughly $1,500 each month on my normal living expenses. Of course, this amount doesn’t include other expenses that will come up, like going away for the weekend, getting a root canal (I had to get one and it cost about $330), going to weddings, and other things like this. So you should consider these other expenses when planning a budget. This is especially true if you are new to Taiwan and want to do some touristy things (like a food tour in Taipei) for the first few months as your costs could be considerably higher.

And, not every city is going to be the same. For example, the cost of living in Taipei is going to iin general be higher than living in a more rural setting such as Taichung county or Hualien.

 

Taiwan Travel Guide


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12 responses to “Living Expenses for Taiwan: Rent, Utilities, Food, Transportation and Nightlife”

  1. gopala krishna Avatar
    gopala krishna

    what is the average cost of living for an ordinary person at taiwan?

  2. Perry Jones Avatar
    Perry Jones

    When was this information compiled? Are the amounts still valid? Perhaps put a date on each blog?—

  3. disqus_KXqeZMikzj Avatar
    disqus_KXqeZMikzj

    Would $500. Canadian be considered a great deal of money in Taiwan. What would it buy???

    1. Tim Avatar

      That will cover about one month of rent for a small studio apartment on the outskirts of Taipei.

      1. Merih Avatar
        Merih

        Hello Tim I am from turkey and I’m thinking of moving to Thailand is it possible we talk on Skype thank youi

  4. ESLinsider Avatar

    It’s cheaper outside of Taipei too. I lived in Taichung and Tainan. The most I paid for a room was NT$6000 which is around $200.

  5. James Tyrrell Avatar
    James Tyrrell

    Hey!

    Great blog, very useful tips. Myself and my girlfriend have spent one year living in Malta after leaving Ireland, and want to move to Taiwan to teach English in February. Are you guys still living there? It would be great to ask you a few questions if that’s cool?

    Cheers

    James

    1. Nick Avatar
      Nick

      Sure just send us a message on the contact form.

  6. TB Avatar
    TB

    Hey guys,
    Thanks for all the posts, very helpful!
    Just a few questions about apartments and renting,
    Is it easy to secure a lease without any Chinese language skills? eg do agents speak any English?
    And same with utilities, easy to setup without Chinese skills?
    I see that some of the big companies like HESS offer ‘help with securing accommodation’, any idea what that help actually entails?
    Do apartments usually come furnished or unfurnished?
    And is there ever any resistance from locals against foreigners moving in to neighborhoods or into their building?
    Also are leases generally 12 months?

    Cheers in advance

    1. Nick Avatar
      Nick

      1. No you’ll definitely need someone who speaks Chinese to help you if you want to sign a lease.
      2. You’ll also need someone to help with the utilities, but gas/water are usually just billed to the specific apartment so you don’t need to do anything for those. Really it would just be internet and cable that you’d need help with.
      3. Hess has their teachers/managers assist you in looking for apartments and negotiating with landlords. Some branches help more than others, but in general they do a pretty good job of helping new teachers get set up.
      4. You can find apartments that are both unfurnished and furnished. Really depends.
      5. Only resistance would be from specific landlords themselves who don’t want to rent to foreigners. It happens occasionally, but isn’t a major issue.
      6. Leases are usually 12 months.
      Also, you might end up finding accommodation with other foreigners and move into an open room, so you don’t necessarily need to sign your own lease and find your own apartment.

  7. deson Wai Hong Lee Avatar
    deson Wai Hong Lee

    Taiwan is beautiful island and educated friction readers, many significant foods,good business running country,no need take a glance at China,Taiwan more …………

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