Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kinmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Kinmen: $1,103 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kinmen
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Kinmen Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Kinmen

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,103

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Kinmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Kinmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,103 in Kinmen.

Austin, TX $2,704
Kinmen $1,103

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,846 in Kinmen.

Austin, TX $4,133
Kinmen $1,846

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,588 in Kinmen.

Austin, TX $5,562
Kinmen $2,588

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 145% more expensive than in Kinmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Kinmen is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$4.63 NT$148

336.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$30.89 NT$986

175.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$4.62 NT$147

167.32%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.93 NT$93.4

86.69%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

$0.91 NT$29.15

319.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.64 NT$20.42

290.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$1.55 NT$49.41

420.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$2.54 NT$81.0

253.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$3.03 NT$96.5

-62.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.90 NT$60.8

98.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.28 NT$105

-0.91%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.66 NT$84.9

55.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$17.16 NT$548

-23.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$7.93 NT$253

80.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$22.08 NT$705

-27.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$4.20 NT$134

4.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.13 NT$68.0

-31.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.02 NT$96.4

50.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.39 NT$108

23.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.82 NT$90.1

-6.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.20 NT$70.2

7.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.09 NT$66.6

-15.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.04 NT$33.16

107.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$3.38 NT$108

190.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$12.50 NT$399

17.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.63 NT$52.2

70.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.30 NT$73.4

51.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.71 NT$22.54

109.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$32.25 NT$1,029

25.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.61 NT$83.3

2.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.90 NT$28.74

75.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$9.69 NT$309

264.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.07 NT$34.15

-7.48%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.8K $35.8K

$36.4K NT$1.2M

-1.71%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.2K $27.2K

$25.8K NT$823.9K

5.26%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$219 $219

$87.2 NT$2,783

151.37%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$58.0 $58.0

$16.22 NT$518

257.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$22.12 NT$706

209.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$40.94 NT$1,306

41.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$8.63 NT$275

63.73%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,509 $1,509

$585 NT$18.7K

157.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$16.0K NT$510.0K

34.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$72.2 NT$2,305

-28.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$27.56 NT$880

59.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$91.1 NT$2,908

-6.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$89.4 NT$2,852

17.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$409 NT$13.1K

371.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$254 NT$8,118

400.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$986 NT$31.5K

272.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$743 NT$23.7K

239.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$7,945 NT$253.5K

-4.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$4,645 NT$148.2K

-31.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

2.38

185.29%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kinmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Kinmen

$254 23.6% 80% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Kinmen

$365 33.9% 9.5% $38

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Kinmen

$105 9.8% 69.8% $243

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Kinmen

$126 11.7% 63.7% $220

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Kinmen

$126 11.7% 2% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Kinmen

$58 5.4% 32.5% $28

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Kinmen

$42 3.9% 26% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $409 in Kinmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $31.00 in Kinmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $365 per month, with Kinmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇹🇼 Kinmen

🕒 Local time

03:09 3:09 AM

16:09 4:09 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

12,568

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.79 TWD (100 TWD = 2.79 EUR).

TWD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Kinmen 12,820 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Kinmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Kinmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kinmen wins on cost – living expenses run 145% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kinmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,055 in Austin, TX and $1,654 in Kinmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $409 in Kinmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,103 in Kinmen – a 145% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kinmen runs roughly 26% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,103 in Kinmen versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kinmen but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kinmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Kinmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kinmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 145% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.