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The average salary in Taiwan is NT$47,891 or around USD $1,474 per month, as of 2025. However, wages can vary widely depending on factors such as industry, location, education, and experience.
Taiwan has earned a reputation as the technology home of East Asia, producing semiconductors and consumer electronics for the global market. In recent years, the island’s export-led economy has expanded steadily.
In 2024, the country’s economy grew by 4.84%, and the unemployment rate dropped to 3.38%. This momentum has translated into rising household incomes and higher wages.
This 2025 guide goes beyond the average to provide a comprehensive, data-driven analysis of the Taiwanese salary structure, inform strategic hiring decisions, and help professionals plan their next career move.
What this means: Moderate growth, low inflation, and low unemployment create a predictable environment for businesses. Unlike the cycles of other emerging markets, Taiwan offers stability. That stability reduces the risk for companies considering market entry, but also, dramatic salary jumps are less common for employees.
The very low unemployment rate shows intense competition for qualified staff; to stand out, employers must offer great compensation packages. For workers, the biggest salaries are expected in sectors like semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and other advanced technologies.
Government figures show that in 2024, the typical worker in industry and services took home NT$60,984 per month, including bonuses and overtime. Base salaries (known as “regular earnings”) averaged NT$46,450, and by the first half of 2025, that had climbed to NT$47,608.
But averages can be deceptive. In June 2025, the median worker’s base pay was only NT$38,218, meaning half of all employees earned less than that.
The gap between the mean (around NT$48,000) and the median (around NT$38,000) shows just how top‑heavy the distribution is. That median is a far better yardstick for setting fair salaries for hiring managers.
Employers hand out performance and year‑end bonuses, especially before the Lunar New Year. That’s why total earnings in January 2025 shot up to NT$110,713, more than double the usual monthly base.
These payouts are expected, and employees rely on them for major expenses or savings goals. If you’re negotiating a job offer, pay close attention to how bonuses are structured, because they can make or break your real income.
As of January 2026, the monthly minimum wage rose to NT$29,500, with the hourly minimum set at NT$196.
The “average salary” cuts across age, education, industry, and geography.
Like most countries, Taiwan pays people more as they gain experience. Government data from 2024 shows:
Official statistics by DGBAS show that employees with graduate degrees earn nearly twice as much as those with only university qualifications, and more than double the pay of workers who stopped after junior high. No surprises.
| Highest Education | Median Annual Wage (NT$) |
|---|---|
| Graduate Degree | 1,050,000 |
| University/Post-Secondary | 560,000 |
| Junior High School | 413,000 |
In 2023, the electricity & gas supply industry and finance & insurance offered the highest pay. Service businesses such as bus companies and beauty salons paid far less. Even within services, pay varied: shipping companies enjoyed wage growth of more than 47% thanks to booming freight rates, while securities firms saw increases of around 22%.
| Industry | Median Annual Wage (NT$) |
|---|---|
| Top Earners | |
| Electricity and Gas Supply | 1,107,000 |
| Financing and Insurance | 1,016,000 |
| Lower Earners | |
| Education (excluding public schools) | 370,000 |
A 2020 salary survey found that companies in Hsinchu City offered the highest annual compensation at around NT$972,000. Taipei came next at NT$863,000, followed closely by Hsinchu County at NT$858,000. The national average was NT$685,000.
Officials attributed Hsinchu’s lead to the concentration of semiconductor firms there and Taipei’s strong financial sector. This is sometimes called the “TSMC Effect”, after the world’s largest chipmaker.
Companies like TSMC are known for offering high compensation packages to attract elite engineering talent. Southern industrial hubs like Kaohsiung and Tainan reported much lower figures.
| City/County | Average Annual Salary (NT$) |
|---|---|
| Hsinchu City | 972,000 |
| Taipei City | 863,000 |
| Hsinchu County | 858,000 |
| Taoyuan City | 677,000 |
| Kaohsiung City | 619,000 |
| Tainan City | 613,000 |
| Taichung City | 591,000 |
When you look at a job offer, it’s not just the salary that matters. What counts is what you keep after taxes and social security contributions.
Your tax status depends on how many days you spend in Taiwan in a calendar year:
Here’s a tabular view of the 2024 resident tax brackets:
| Net Taxable Income (NT$) | Rate | Progressive Difference (NT$) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 – 590,000 | 5% | 0 |
| 590,001 – 1,330,000 | 12% | 41,300 |
| 1,330,001 – 2,660,000 | 20% | 147,700 |
| 2,660,001 – 4,980,000 | 30% | 413,700 |
| Over 4,980,000 | 40% | 911,700 |
To figure out your taxable income, you subtract allowances and deductions from gross pay. A personal exemption and a standard deduction together can save several hundred thousand NT dollars of income.
There’s also a special deduction for salary that allows employees to subtract a portion of their wages before applying tax. If your itemised deductions (such as medical expenses or mortgage interest) are higher than the standard deduction, you can claim those instead.
A paycheque only tells half the story; what really matters is how far that money goes. A job in Taipei might come with a higher salary, but it also comes with higher bills. Meanwhile, southern cities offer a more relaxed cost of living, and Hsinchu sits somewhere in between, buoyed by the tech boom.
A one‑bedroom apartment in central Taipei rents for around NT$20,300, while a similar flat in Hsinchu costs about NT$12,000 and in Kaohsiung about NT$12,500. Housing is the single biggest driver of Taipei’s higher cost of living.
Expect to pay around NT$3,650 in Taipei, NT$2,800 in Hsinchu, and NT$3,000 in Kaohsiung.
Food bills are highest in Taipei (about NT$12,600 a month) and lowest in Kaohsiung (around NT$10,500).
A monthly pass costs NT$1,200 in Taipei and roughly NT$1,000 in Hsinchu or Kaohsiung.
Dining out and entertainment cost about NT$4,200 in Taipei, NT$3,500 in Hsinchu, and NT$3,000 in Kaohsiung.
Excluding rent, a Taipei resident might spend NT$21,650 a month, compared with NT$18,300 in Hsinchu and NT$17,500 in Kaohsiung. Including rent, the monthly total rises to about NT$41,950 in Taipei and roughly NT$30,000 in the other two cities.
| Expense | Taipei | Hsinchu | Kaohsiung |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent (1-BR, city centre) | 20,300 | 12,000 | 12,500 |
| Utilities + Internet | 3,650 | 2,800 | 3,000 |
| Groceries | 12,600 | 11,000 | 10,500 |
| Transport (monthly pass) | 1,200 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| Leisure | 4,200 | 3,500 | 3,000 |
| Total (excluding rent) | 21,650 | 18,300 | 17,500 |
| Total (including rent) | 41,950 | 30,300 | 30,000 |
The country’s Labor Standards Act (LSA) lays out a clear set of rules to balance productivity with employees’ health and well‑being.
Under the LSA, the standard work week is 40 hours, spread over five eight‑hour days. Employers can ask for overtime, but no one can work more than 12 hours in a single day, including overtime.
In most cases, overtime is capped at around 46 hours a month, though companies can extend this to 54 hours if they get approval from a labour union or a joint labour‑management meeting and if the total doesn’t exceed 138 hours over a three‑month period.
For the first two hours of overtime, employees earn an extra one‑third of their normal hourly wage. If they work a third and fourth overtime hour, the premium rises to two‑thirds of the hourly rate.
After six months on the job, employees earn three days of paid leave, which increases to seven days after a full year and can grow to 30 days for long‑tenured staff. Taiwan’s public holiday calendar includes Lunar New Year, the Dragon Boat Festival, and National Day, and employers must observe these days.
Mothers receive eight weeks of paid maternity leave, and fathers are entitled to paternity leave. The law also provides sick leave and family care leave.
Other protections include the right to a safe workplace, restrictions on termination without cause (severance pay is required unless misconduct is proven), and the ability to join or form a labour union.
Hiring in Taiwan isn’t just about matching a paycheque to a job title. To attract and retain great people, companies must understand the local market, the legal framework, and the cultural expectations.
Here’s how to build a winning offer and stay on the right side of the law.
Calculating the optimal employee income and ensuring compliance with Taiwan’s labour laws can get complicated. If you don’t have a local entity or don’t want to build HR infrastructure from scratch, consider partnering with a Taiwan Employer of Record (EOR).
Using an EOR lets you hire quickly and compliantly without setting up a subsidiary, freeing you to focus on managing your team and growing your business.
To find out more about which Taiwan hiring partner might be best for your business, get in touch with RemotePad’s Taiwan hiring experts.
In Taipei, an annual salary above NT$1.2 million is considered comfortable. In Kaohsiung or Tainan, NT$800,000 to NT$900,000 provides a similar lifestyle.
Nationwide, software engineers earn around NT$930,000 per year, but senior engineers in top firms can make NT$2 million or more with bonuses and stock options.
Compared with New York, London, or Singapore, Taiwan is relatively affordable. Taipei is the priciest city, while Taichung, Kaohsiung, and Tainan offer much lower rents and daily expenses.
The monthly minimum wage is NT$29,500, and renting even a modest room in Taipei can eat up more than half of that. After paying for food, transport, and other basics, little remains.
If you are a tax resident, Taiwan’s Tax counts foreign‑sourced income exceeding NT$1 million, and total basic income (including certain add‑backs) exceeding an exemption of NT$7.5 million. Any amount above is taxed at 20%.
