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# A day in the life
- URL: https://www.taiwanquest.com/a-day-in-the-life/
- Published: 2026-05-25T12:53:55.000Z
- Updated: 2026-05-29T17:02:54.000Z
- Description: And though the costs were rather small, I had to count them all…
- Author: Zhen-Kang

This afternoon I went to the dentist for my six-monthly check-up. It was a great day in Kaohsiung—sunny and 33 ºC but with low humidity—so I wasn’t in my usual rush to get home and shower. I decided to catch up on some life admin instead.

Reflecting on the cost of my subsidized dental visit, I thought I’d note the expenses I incurred in this very ordinary afternoon. A micro-study in everyday living costs in Taiwan…

## Dentist

![Exterior of WellBeing Dental Office in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5e/e3/5ee3f160-68a0-49ef-af6f-ec70abc1d13e/content/images/2026/05/wellbeing-dental-office-kaohsiung-taiwan.webp)

****NT$150** (NZ$7.50) for X-rays, check-up, and cleaning. National Health Insurance subsidizes this preventive dental care twice a year. **Image: Apple Maps.*

## Mobile phone bill

![Exterior of a Taiwan Mobile store.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5e/e3/5ee3f160-68a0-49ef-af6f-ec70abc1d13e/content/images/2026/05/taiwan-mobile-shop.webp)

****NT$499** (NZ$25) per month for unlimited 4G data. I used to pay more for 5G (coverage is excellent), but I found the extra speed wasn’t worth the battery drain. **Image: Apple Maps.*

## Massage chair session

![A row of 7 pristine massage chairs in front of a glass window with an elevated view across Central Park in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5e/e3/5ee3f160-68a0-49ef-af6f-ec70abc1d13e/content/images/2026/05/massage-chairs-at-da-lee.webp)

****NT$60** (NZ$3) for 21 minutes (usually), but free today using my LINE Points. I earn 1% back in LINE Points when buying stuff with Apple Pay. These chairs are on the 10th floor of Talee Department Store, next to Central Park in Kaohsiung.

## Cold barley tea

![A bottle of barley tea on a white table.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5e/e3/5ee3f160-68a0-49ef-af6f-ec70abc1d13e/content/images/2026/05/barley-tea.webp)

****NT$29** (NZ$1.50) from 7-Eleven. Barley and wheat teas are caffeine-free and often have buy-one-get-one-free deals in convenience stores—but not today.

## Haircut

![Exterior of a JIT hairdressers in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5e/e3/5ee3f160-68a0-49ef-af6f-ec70abc1d13e/content/images/2026/05/jit-just-in-time-hairdressers-kaohsiung.webp)

****NT$130** (NZ$6.50). Only marginally more expensive than [my first haircut in Taiwan](https://www.taiwanquest.com/vacuuming-my-head-after-a-five-dollar-fifty-haircut/).

## Dinner

![A large bowl of vegan curry ramen next to a smaller side dish of stir-fried sweet potato leaves, and a pair of metal chopsticks.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5e/e3/5ee3f160-68a0-49ef-af6f-ec70abc1d13e/content/images/2026/05/vegan-curry-ramen-and-sweet-potato-leaves.webp)

****NT$140** (NZ$7) for vegan curry ramen (NT$100) with a side of garlic-and-ginger stir-fried sweet potato leaves (NT$40).

## Self-service scooter wash

![A scooter covered in foam bubbles at a Taiwanese self-service scooter wash bay.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5e/e3/5ee3f160-68a0-49ef-af6f-ec70abc1d13e/content/images/2026/05/self-service-scooter-wash-bay.webp)

****NT$30** (NZ$1.50) for a foam wash (NT$10), high-pressure rinse (NT$10), and compressed-air dry (NT$10).

## Gas

![Scooters parked alongside a metal fence in urban Kaohsiung, Taiwan.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5e/e3/5ee3f160-68a0-49ef-af6f-ec70abc1d13e/content/images/2026/05/kaohsiung-scooter-parking.webp)

****NT$10** (NZ$0.50) for 12 km of travel today (estimated, with auto start-stop enabled). Parking was free.

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I don’t think I ever used a massage chair in New Zealand, and I definitely never owned a scooter there. But if I were to think in comparative terms (allowing for using a car instead of a scooter), then with the exception of the mobile plan, every item on this page is *at least* half the cost of its New Zealand equivalent—and in the case of the dentist, *one-fortieth* the price.

My total spend today was just under NT$1,000 (NZ$50).

An equivalent day in New Zealand would’ve cost me NT$8,000 (NZ$400).

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