How much do people spend on food?

In Taiwan, the average person spends roughly NT$5,000–8,000 per month on food. If you eat out for every meal, that number can easily top NT$10,000. Cooking at home can bring it down to around NT$4,500, though you'll be investing time in grocery shopping and meal prep.

Cooking vs eating out — what's the real difference?

At three meals a day, eating out costs about NT$330/day (breakfast NT$60, lunch NT$120, dinner NT$150), or roughly NT$10,000/month. Cooking at home runs around NT$150/day (NT$4,500/month). The yearly gap is over NT$60,000 — enough for a solid laptop or a short overseas trip.

Practical ways to cut food costs

You don't have to cook everything from scratch. Quick wins: eat breakfast at home (biggest savings per effort), pack lunch a few days a week, cut back on daily bubble tea runs, and try weekend meal prep. The key is finding a pattern you can actually sustain — going from 100% eating out to 100% cooking rarely sticks.