Cost of Living

Summer electricity rates for residential customers will take effect Monday, with the average household expected to pay about NT$446 (US$14.19) more per month through the end of September, Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) said.

The Executive Yuan said on Monday it would freeze gasoline and diesel prices from Feb. 16 to 23 to help stabilize prices around the Lunar New Year holiday in Taiwan, and keep natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices unchanged until the end of February.

Taiwan Railway Corp. (TRC) on Wednesday published on its website new fares which will go into effect on June 23, with prices on services operated by the state-run railway company set to increase by an average of 26.8 percent.

On the back of a spike in food prices, Taiwan saw inflation increase and hit almost 2.3 percent in March, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said Tuesday.

Taiwan Railway Corp. is set to raise ticket prices for the first time in 30 years in late June, according to the acting chair of the state-owned company.

The Central Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan) on Thursday decided to leave its key interest rates unchanged after wrapping up a quarterly policymaking meeting.

The price of bananas in Taiwan, which has shot up in recent weeks due to crop damage from several typhoons last year, is expected to remain high until May or June, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said Tuesday.

Starbucks has announced that from Wednesday it will hike the prices of some products due to the rising cost of raw materials, which it said have been impacted by abnormal climate conditions and other global factors.

The Taiwan Railway Corp. board of directors on Wednesday adopted a plan to raise ticket fares by an average of 26.8 percent, the railway company said.

State-run oil refiner CPC Corp., Taiwan will maintain its gasoline and diesel prices unchanged for next week, despite an increase in global oil prices last week, the company said Sunday.