Cost of living comparison
Traverse City vs. Taipei Cost of Living Summary
Traverse City is 50.0% more expensive than Taipei.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.2 times more in Traverse City
- Groceries
-
pay 1.6% less in Traverse City
- Transportation
-
pay 5.7% less in Traverse City
- Housing
-
pay 2.2 times more in Traverse City
- Childcare
-
pay 1.9% more in Traverse City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 37.8% more in Traverse City
- Clothing
-
pay 0.9% less in Traverse City
The cost of restaurants, housing, entertainment and sports, and childcare in Traverse City are more expensive than in Taipei. Expenses including transportation, groceries, and clothing are lower in Traverse City. Notably, restaurants and housing are significantly more expensive in Traverse City.
Traverse City vs. Taipei Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Traverse City instead of Taipei, you would:
pay 3.2 times more for restaurants
|
Taipei
|
Traverse City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.71
NT$152.81
|
$21.60
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.65
NT$183.37
|
$11.38
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.92
NT$29.80
|
$2.51
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.65
NT$21.18
|
$2.14
|
|
pay 1.6% less for groceries
|
Taipei
|
Traverse City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.02
NT$65.64
|
$2.94
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.85
NT$319.53
|
$9.55
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$11.54
NT$374.58
|
$2.82
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.72
NT$88.34
|
$2.79
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.45
NT$144.40
|
$7.46
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.23
NT$72.36
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.51
NT$48.90
|
$0.60
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.38
NT$44.91
|
$1.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.02
NT$65.53
|
$3.08
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.25
NT$40.46
|
$1.21
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.04
NT$33.78
|
$1.45
|
|
pay 5.7% less for transportation
|
Taipei
|
Traverse City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.94
NT$127.95
|
$3.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$37.67
NT$1,222.44
|
$30.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,523.97
NT$1M
|
$35,866.37
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.95
NT$290.33
|
?? | |
pay 2.2 times more for housing
|
Taipei
|
Traverse City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$27.40
NT$889.19
|
$67.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,012.31
NT$32,853.13
|
$1,983.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$482.92
NT$15,672.34
|
$1,418.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$66.27
NT$2,150.71
|
$90.12
|
|
pay 1.9% more for childcare
|
Taipei
|
Traverse City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$662.67
NT$21,505.93
|
$1,030.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,675.66
NT$541K
|
$11,136.00
|
|
pay 37.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Taipei
|
Traverse City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.83
NT$91.68
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.42
NT$111.13
|
$4.67
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.92
NT$127.34
|
$6.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.15
NT$1,335.37
|
$63.33
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.73
NT$315.80
|
$9.50
|
|
pay 0.9% less for clothing
|
Taipei
|
Traverse City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$63.18
NT$2,050.48
|
$59.33
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.99
NT$1,297.67
|
$41.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.98
NT$2,757.77
|
$101.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.09
NT$3,410.39
|
$86.67
|
|
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
Change currency:
Compare further: Taipei vs. Traverse City
Compare countries by overall cost of living
Help us improve these prices
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Traverse City or Taipei. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.