A reporter from The Daily Sunshine spent half a month in Taiwan after his friend, a long-term Shenzhen resident originally from Taipei, returned to his hometown after claiming living costs in Shenzhen were too high.

Initially sceptical about his friend’s claim, the reporter concluded that his friend, Mr Zeng who lived in Shenzhen for 20 years, had a point in saying that prices in Taipei are more reasonable.

After following Zeng to Taipei, the reporter noted that a respectably-sized portion of beef chow mein cost 50 NT (10.24 RMB) and a large enough portion for two to three people cost 90 NT.

The reporter went on to claim that a quality portion of beef chow mein would cost at least 33 yuan in Shenzhen. He later said he had a filling meal on Shaoxing South Street for the equivalent of 10.4 yuan.

As for the price of vegetables, although prices increased in the immediate aftermath of Typhoon Soulik, they have already returned to normal. And according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Agriculture, of the 110 major types of vegetable available in Taiwan, 72 have decreased in price since a year ago, 34 have increased and four have stayed the same.

He also observed that broadband and mobile internet are cheaper in Taiwan. It cost just 900 NT for an international phone card and that included a month of high-speed mobile internet.

Also, oil is cheaper in Taiwan than in many mainland provinces after prices decreased in Taiwan and increased in mainland China in the first half of this year. In Taiwan, a litre of No. 92 unleaded gasoline costs 6.82 RMB, 0.3 RMB more expensive than a litre of No. 90 unleaded gasoline in Shenzhen.