Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiayi and Kaohsiung

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiayi: $1,041 a month against $1,105 in Kaohsiung, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kaohsiung outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

50

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
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Chiayi Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index

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Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,041

/mo nomad

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiayi 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 Chiayi and in Kaohsiung actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,041 in Chiayi versus $1,105 in Kaohsiung.

Chiayi $1,041
Kaohsiung $1,105

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,471 in Chiayi versus $1,796 in Kaohsiung.

Chiayi $1,471
Kaohsiung $1,796

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,901 in Chiayi versus $2,487 in Kaohsiung.

Chiayi $1,901
Kaohsiung $2,487

Living in Chiayi costs roughly 6% less than in Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiayi 24% lower, Kaohsiung 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.59 NT$150

$4.74 NT$155

-3.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.34 NT$1,511

$30.77 NT$1,003

50.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.65 NT$184

$4.60 NT$150

22.83%

Cappuccino

$3.29 NT$107

$2.93 NT$95.4

12.29%

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

$0.85 NT$27.72

$1.05 NT$34.21

-19.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.81

$0.69 NT$22.61

-2.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 NT$97.2

$1.51 NT$49.24

97.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 NT$117

$2.39 NT$78.1

49.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.95 NT$96.2

$3.16 NT$103

-6.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 NT$63.5

$2.18 NT$71.1

-10.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 NT$99.5

$2.87 NT$93.5

6.27%

Eggs

$2.63 NT$85.8

$2.54 NT$82.9

3.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.97 NT$619

$15.21 NT$496

24.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.89 NT$322

$8.03 NT$262

23.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.28 NT$694

$14.77 NT$481

44.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 NT$154

$6.40 NT$209

-26.25%

Banana (1kg)

$3.28 NT$107

$2.79 NT$90.9

17.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 NT$93.5

$2.42 NT$78.8

18.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.23 NT$138

$3.02 NT$98.6

40.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 NT$86.2

$2.68 NT$87.4

-1.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 NT$71.6

$1.97 NT$64.4

11.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 NT$56.1

$2.30 NT$74.9

-25.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 NT$36.48

$1.02 NT$33.12

9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 NT$122

$4.24 NT$138

-11.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.48 NT$146

$15.44 NT$503

-70.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 NT$51.4

$1.61 NT$52.5

-1.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 NT$69.5

$2.09 NT$68.0

1.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 NT$20.35

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.12 NT$395

$12.04 NT$393

0.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 NT$82.8

$2.64 NT$86.0

-3.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 NT$14.70

$0.78 NT$25.48

-42.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 NT$292

$5.68 NT$185

57.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 NT$32.62

$0.97 NT$31.78

3.09%

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

$34.1K NT$1.1M

$37.1K NT$1.2M

-8.28%

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

$23.5K NT$765.9K

$22.7K NT$739.4K

3.58%

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

$64.7 NT$2,108

$82.1 NT$2,676

-21.21%

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

$17.55 NT$572

$16.89 NT$551

3.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.76 NT$872

$25.27 NT$824

5.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.55 NT$996

$39.20 NT$1,278

-22.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.12 NT$330

Cinema Ticket

$9.62 NT$314

$10.11 NT$330

-4.85%

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

$712 NT$23.2K

$448 NT$14.6K

58.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K NT$525.9K

$13.7K NT$445.8K

17.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 NT$2,027

$90.0 NT$2,935

-30.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.01 NT$1,272

$31.24 NT$1,019

24.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 NT$2,698

$86.0 NT$2,805

-3.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NT$3,317

$99.3 NT$3,239

2.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$374 NT$12.2K

$430 NT$14.0K

-13.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 NT$7,940

$301 NT$9,806

-19.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 NT$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 NT$22.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,070 NT$100.1K

$4,146 NT$135.2K

-25.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,843 NT$60.1K

$2,875 NT$93.7K

-35.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,038 NT$66.4K

$1,401 NT$45.7K

45.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

2.56

-6.25%

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

Last update for Chiayi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chiayi

$372 35.7%

Kaohsiung

$355 32.1% 4.4% $16

Accommodation & Living

Chiayi

$244 23.4%

Kaohsiung

$301 27.2% 23.5% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Chiayi

$129 12.4%

Kaohsiung

$138 12.5% 7.3% $9.4

Eating Out

Chiayi

$121 11.7%

Kaohsiung

$106 9.6% 12.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiayi

$109 10.5%

Kaohsiung

$124 11.3% 14% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chiayi

$50 4.8%

Kaohsiung

$59 5.4% 19.4% $9.6

Getting Around

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6%

Kaohsiung

$21 1.9% 24.6% $4.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $374 in Chiayi and $430 in Kaohsiung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiayi pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46 in Chiayi vs $31 in Kaohsiung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $372 vs $355 per month, with Kaohsiung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

Same time as Chiayi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,874

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

On the map

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Between locations

Chiayi Kaohsiung 97 km

From you

Chiayi
Kaohsiung

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

Chiayi vs Kaohsiung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiayi wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Kaohsiung. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiayi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 46% higher in Chiayi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $374 in Chiayi versus $430 in Kaohsiung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $712 in Chiayi versus $448 in Kaohsiung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kaohsiung – a meal for two runs $31 versus $46 in Chiayi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Chiayi is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Safety-wise, Chiayi and Kaohsiung are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.