Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chang-hua and Kaohsiung

For one person, living is cheaper in Chang-hua: $852 a month against $1,105 in Kaohsiung, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Chang-hua
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Chang-hua Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index

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Chang-hua

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$852

/mo nomad

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chang-hua and in Kaohsiung

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

A single person spends $852 per month in Chang-hua vs $1,105 in Kaohsiung, rent included.

Chang-hua $852
Kaohsiung $1,105

A couple spends around $1,325 per month in Chang-hua vs $1,796 in Kaohsiung, rent included.

Chang-hua $1,325
Kaohsiung $1,796

A family of three spends $1,799 per month in Chang-hua vs $2,487 in Kaohsiung, rent included.

Chang-hua $1,799
Kaohsiung $2,487

Chang-hua is about 23% cheaper than Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chang-hua and Kaohsiung are more affordable than the global median – Chang-hua 37% lower, Kaohsiung 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 NT$122

$4.74 NT$155

-21.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.20 NT$1,050

$30.77 NT$1,003

4.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.77 NT$188

$4.60 NT$150

25.43%

Cappuccino

$1.66 NT$54.1

$2.93 NT$95.4

-43.34%

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

$0.93 NT$30.35

$1.05 NT$34.21

-11.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 NT$17.81

$0.69 NT$22.61

-20.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 NT$44.62

$1.51 NT$49.24

-9.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 NT$72.0

$2.39 NT$78.1

-7.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 NT$73.6

$3.16 NT$103

-28.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 NT$66.0

$2.18 NT$71.1

-7.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 NT$91.0

$2.87 NT$93.5

-2.79%

Eggs

$2.73 NT$89.1

$2.54 NT$82.9

7.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.78 NT$514

$15.21 NT$496

3.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.82 NT$320

$8.03 NT$262

22.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.95 NT$683

$14.77 NT$481

41.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 NT$158

$6.40 NT$209

-24.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 NT$103

$2.79 NT$90.9

13.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 NT$93.9

$2.42 NT$78.8

19.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 NT$101

$3.02 NT$98.6

2.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 NT$86.8

$2.68 NT$87.4

-0.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 NT$67.9

$1.97 NT$64.4

5.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 NT$54.4

$2.30 NT$74.9

-27.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 NT$25.93

$1.02 NT$33.12

-21.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 NT$125

$4.24 NT$138

-9.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.19 NT$300

$15.44 NT$503

-40.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 NT$45.73

$1.61 NT$52.5

-13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 NT$70.2

$2.09 NT$68.0

2.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 NT$49.00

$0.62 NT$20.35

141.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.11 NT$1,112

$12.04 NT$393

183.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 NT$84.1

$2.64 NT$86.0

-2.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 NT$25.68

$0.78 NT$25.48

1.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.99 NT$293

$5.68 NT$185

58.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 NT$33.91

$0.97 NT$31.78

7.22%

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

$34.5K NT$1.1M

$37.1K NT$1.2M

-7.06%

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

$23.4K NT$764.3K

$22.7K NT$739.4K

3.37%

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

$30.39 NT$991

$82.1 NT$2,676

-62.97%

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

$16.96 NT$553

$16.89 NT$551

0.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.24 NT$595

$25.27 NT$824

-27.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.70 NT$1,034

$39.20 NT$1,278

-19.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.12 NT$330

Cinema Ticket

$9.40 NT$307

$10.11 NT$330

-7.02%

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

$614 NT$20.0K

$448 NT$14.6K

36.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,800 NT$254.3K

$13.7K NT$445.8K

-42.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.48 NT$1,581

$90.0 NT$2,935

-46.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.10 NT$492

$31.24 NT$1,019

-51.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 NT$2,483

$86.0 NT$2,805

-11.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.18 NT$1,571

$99.3 NT$3,239

-51.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$255 NT$8,304

$430 NT$14.0K

-40.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 NT$5,462

$301 NT$9,806

-44.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$490 NT$16.0K

$985 NT$32.1K

-50.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 NT$5,541

$681 NT$22.2K

-75.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,897 NT$94.4K

$4,146 NT$135.2K

-30.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,606 NT$52.4K

$2,875 NT$93.7K

-44.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,973 NT$64.3K

$1,401 NT$45.7K

40.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.2

2.56

-14.06%

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

Last update for Chang-hua: October 24, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chang-hua

$352 41.4%

Kaohsiung

$355 32.1% 0.8% $2.7

Accommodation & Living

Chang-hua

$168 19.7%

Kaohsiung

$301 27.2% 79.5% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Chang-hua

$85 9.9%

Kaohsiung

$138 12.5% 63.2% $53

Eating Out

Chang-hua

$84 9.9%

Kaohsiung

$106 9.6% 25.9% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chang-hua

$66 7.7%

Kaohsiung

$124 11.3% 89.4% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chang-hua

$51 5.9%

Kaohsiung

$59 5.4% 17.7% $8.9

Getting Around

Chang-hua

$47 5.5%

Kaohsiung

$21 1.9% 54.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $255 in Chang-hua versus $430 in Kaohsiung. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 41% higher in Chang-hua, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Chang-hua versus $31 in Kaohsiung. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Chang-hua vs $355 in Kaohsiung – so Chang-hua wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Chang-hua

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

Same time as Chang-hua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

226,564

2,777,873

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Chang-hua vs Kaohsiung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaohsiung costs about 30% more than Chang-hua, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,277 per month in Chang-hua and $1,657 in Kaohsiung. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chang-hua, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $255 there versus $430 in Kaohsiung.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $852 in Chang-hua and $1,105 in Kaohsiung. That makes Chang-hua about 23% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $614 per month in Chang-hua and $448 in Kaohsiung. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $852 in Chang-hua and $1,105 in Kaohsiung. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.