---
title: "Living in Taichung as a digital nomad: cost, safety, visa, internet"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/taichung
description: "Taiwan's mild, liveable central city"
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Taichung, Taiwan

Taichung scores 65.8/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 373 of 1000 cities. Expect about $1,588 per month, a nomad visa (Digital nomad visitor visa), and a measured median download speed of 40.7 Mbps.

Taichung is Taiwan's second-largest city and often its sunniest, with lower rents than Taipei and a wide, modern layout. High-speed rail reaches Taipei in about an hour. The metro is still a single line, so many residents ride scooters. Taiwan's digital nomad visitor visa allows stays of up to two years for visa-exempt nationals.

Known for: Sunniest weather in Taiwan, Lower rents than Taipei, Night markets and bubble tea, High-speed rail to Taipei in about an hour.

## Scores (balanced weights, 0–100)

| Factor | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | 65.8 |
| Cost of living | 42 |
| Safety | 86 |
| Healthcare | 84 |
| Internet | 71 |
| Visa ease | 71 |
| Getting there & around | 41 |
| Climate | 58 |
| Air quality | 56 |
| Quality of life | 81 |

## The numbers behind the scores

| Metric | Value | Level | As of | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,588 | city | 2026-09 | [^2] |
| Central 1-bedroom rent | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Outskirts 1-bedroom rent (basis of the monthly total) | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Homicide rate (per 100k) | 0.8 | country | 2021 | [^5] |
| Political stability (0–100) | 83.1 | country | 2025 | [^6] |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | — | country | 2021 | [^7] |
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.2 | country | 2023 | [^8] |
| Median download (Mbps) | 40.7 | city | 2024 | [^9] |
| Median upload (Mbps) | 17.3 | city | 2024 | [^9] |
| Starlink residential service | Coming soon (Service date is unknown at this time) | country | 2026-10 | [^10] |
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad visitor visa (min $3,333/mo) | country | 2026-10-04 | [^11] |
| Visa guide | [Taiwan long-stay visa guide](https://nostos.navoy.io/visas/taiwan) | country | 2026-10-04 | [^11] |
| Entry for US / EU / UK passports | 90 days / 90 days / 90 days | country | 2026-02 | [^12] |
| Non-stop destinations (RMQ) | 14 | city | 2026-09 | [^13] |
| Restaurants within 3 km of the centre (OpenStreetMap) | 1620 | city | 2026-10 | [^17] |
| Walkability / transit (1–5) | 2 / 3 | editorial | 2026-09 | [^14] |
| Comfortable months | 7 of 12 | city | 2001–2020 | [^15] |
| Annual mean PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 24.6 | city | 2023 | [^16] |
| Human Development Index | 0.926 | country | 2021 | [^18] |
| English proficiency band | moderate | country | 2024 | [^19] |

## Climate (2001–2020 normals)

| Month | Mean °C | Rain mm | Humidity % | Comfortable |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jan | 16.8 | 49 | 74 | yes |
| Feb | 18 | 45 | 74 | yes |
| Mar | 20 | 82 | 73 | yes |
| Apr | 23 | 115 | 74 | yes |
| May | 25.3 | 256 | 78 | no |
| Jun | 26.3 | 312 | 84 | no |
| Jul | 27.1 | 216 | 83 | no |
| Aug | 27 | 329 | 85 | no |
| Sep | 26.3 | 187 | 82 | no |
| Oct | 24.5 | 60 | 75 | yes |
| Nov | 22.3 | 46 | 74 | yes |
| Dec | 18.5 | 42 | 73 | yes |

## Airports and nonstop flights

| Airport | IATA | Nonstop destinations | International | From US airports |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Taichung International Airport | RMQ | 14 | 14 | 0 |

Unique destinations across all airports: 14, of which 14 international (Wikipedia, 2026-09).

## Similar cities

- [Tainan](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/tainan) (65) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/taichung-vs-tainan)
- [Kaohsiung](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/kaohsiung) (67.1) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/kaohsiung-vs-taichung)
- [Hualien](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/hualien) (67.6) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/hualien-vs-taichung)
- [Taitung](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/taitung) (70.3) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/taichung-vs-taitung)
- [Hsinchu](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/hsinchu) (68.3) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/hsinchu-vs-taichung)

## FAQ

### How much does it cost to live in Taichung as a digital nomad?

A single person typically spends about $1,588 per month in Taichung. That is a 42/100 cost score, where 100 is the cheapest city in the dataset.

### Is Taichung safe for digital nomads?

Taichung scores 86/100 on safety. Taiwan records 0.8 homicides per 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2021) and a political-stability score of 83.1/100 (World Bank WGI). Both figures are national, so neighbourhood-level risk can differ.

### Does Taiwan have a digital nomad visa?

Yes. Taiwan offers the Digital nomad visitor visa with a minimum income of about $3,333 per month. Verify current rules with the issuing authority before applying. Full guide: https://nostos.navoy.io/visas/taiwan

### How fast is the internet in Taichung?

Measured median download speed in Taichung was 40.7 Mbps (upload 17.3 Mbps) across 14,892 M-Lab tests in 2024. Measured speeds run below advertised plan speeds everywhere, so compare cities rather than reading the number as a plan.

### Is Starlink available in Taichung?

Not yet. Starlink's availability map lists Taiwan as coming soon (Service date is unknown at this time) as of 2026-10. Roaming plans may work for short stays, but local rules on using them vary.

### Which airports serve Taichung and how many nonstop flights are there?

Taichung is served by Taichung International Airport (RMQ) with 14 nonstop destinations, of which 14 are international. 0 US airports have a nonstop link. Source: Wikipedia, 2026-09.

### When is the best time of year to be in Taichung?

The most comfortable months are Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec. Mean temperatures range from 62°F (17°C) in Jan to 81°F (27°C) in Jul (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).

### Taichung or Tainan: which is better for digital nomads?

Tainan is the city with the closest factor profile to Taichung in this dataset. Which one wins depends on your weights; the comparison page puts every factor side by side with the numbers behind them.

## Plan a trip

[Where to stay in Taichung](https://navoy.io/hotels/taiwan/taichung) on Navoy, the AI travel planner behind Nostos.

## Sources

[^1]: City population (latest census or official estimate), Wikipedia (citing national statistics offices). CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^2]: WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. https://getwherenext.com/cities (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^3]: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows), WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^4]: 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. https://getwherenext.com/data/cost-of-living-2026 (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^5]: Intentional homicide rate, Taiwan (National Police Agency via Wikipedia), Wikipedia, citing Taiwan National Police Agency. CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^6]: Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100), World Bank. CC BY 4.0. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^7]: UHC service coverage index, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/uhc-index-of-service-coverage (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^8]: Life expectancy at birth, Taiwan (Ministry of the Interior), Taiwan Ministry of the Interior, Department of Statistics. Open Government Data License, Taiwan. https://www.moi.gov.tw/english/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^9]: M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024), Measurement Lab. CC0 1.0. https://statistics.measurementlab.net/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^10]: Starlink availability map, SpaceX (Starlink). Factual status cited from starlink.com. https://www.starlink.com/map (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^11]: Nostos long-stay visa guides, Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/visas (retrieved 2026-10-04)
[^12]: Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations), Ilya Ilyankou (compiled from passportindex.org). MIT. https://github.com/ilyankou/passport-index-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^13]: Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables), Wikipedia contributors; countries via Wikidata. CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-24)
[^14]: Walkability and transit ratings (editorial), Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/methodology (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^15]: NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means), NASA Langley Research Center. Public domain (US Government). https://power.larc.nasa.gov/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^16]: SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04), Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis. CC BY 4.0. https://sites.wustl.edu/acag/surface-pm2-5/ (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^17]: OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API), OpenStreetMap contributors. ODbL 1.0. https://overpass-api.de/ (retrieved 2026-10-02)
[^18]: Human Development Index, Taiwan (DGBAS calculation), Taiwan Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics. Open Government Data License, Taiwan. https://www.dgbas.gov.tw/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^19]: EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band), EF Education First. Proprietary; band cited as a fact with attribution. https://www.ef.com/epi/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/taichung