Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiayi and Kinmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiayi and in Kinmen: $1,041 and $1,069 a month, rent and utilities included.

50

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
Learn more

Chiayi Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Kinmen
Learn more

Kinmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,041

/mo nomad

Kinmen

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,069

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,041 in Chiayi versus $1,069 in Kinmen.

Chiayi $1,041
Kinmen $1,069

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,471 in Chiayi versus $1,808 in Kinmen.

Chiayi $1,471
Kinmen $1,808

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,901 in Chiayi versus $2,548 in Kinmen.

Chiayi $1,901
Kinmen $2,548

Living in Chiayi costs roughly 3% less than in Kinmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiayi 24% lower, Kinmen 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.59 NT$149

$4.72 NT$153

-2.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.34 NT$1,503

$30.66 NT$994

51.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.65 NT$183

$4.97 NT$161

13.68%

Cappuccino

$3.29 NT$107

$2.94 NT$95.4

11.90%

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

$0.85 NT$27.57

$0.89 NT$28.99

-4.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.69

$0.70 NT$22.74

-4.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 NT$96.7

$1.73 NT$56.1

72.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 NT$116

$2.40 NT$77.9

49.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.95 NT$95.7

$2.94 NT$95.4

0.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 NT$63.1

$1.78 NT$57.7

9.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 NT$99.0

$2.83 NT$91.6

7.77%

Eggs

$2.63 NT$85.4

$2.68 NT$87.0

-1.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.97 NT$615

$19.11 NT$620

-0.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.89 NT$321

$7.93 NT$257

24.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.28 NT$690

$20.63 NT$669

3.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 NT$153

$4.11 NT$133

14.84%

Banana (1kg)

$3.28 NT$106

$2.40 NT$77.8

36.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 NT$93.0

$2.89 NT$93.8

-0.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.23 NT$137

$3.17 NT$103

33.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 NT$85.8

$2.65 NT$85.9

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 NT$71.2

$2.03 NT$65.7

8.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 NT$55.8

$2.16 NT$69.9

-20.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 NT$36.28

$1.03 NT$33.39

8.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 NT$122

$3.79 NT$123

-1.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.48 NT$145

$11.63 NT$377

-61.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 NT$51.1

$1.59 NT$51.6

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 NT$69.1

$2.21 NT$71.6

-3.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 NT$19.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.12 NT$393

$33.25 NT$1,078

-63.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 NT$82.3

$2.66 NT$86.3

-4.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 NT$14.62

$0.74 NT$23.94

-39.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 NT$291

$9.47 NT$307

-5.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 NT$32.44

$1.03 NT$33.35

-2.91%

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

$34.1K NT$1.1M

$35.4K NT$1.1M

-3.69%

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

$23.5K NT$761.7K

$23.1K NT$747.8K

1.85%

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

$64.7 NT$2,097

$87.0 NT$2,821

-25.67%

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

$17.55 NT$569

$17.11 NT$555

2.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.76 NT$868

$22.39 NT$726

19.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.55 NT$991

$35.98 NT$1,167

-15.09%

Cinema Ticket

$9.62 NT$312

$10.13 NT$328

-5.03%

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

$712 NT$23.1K

$565 NT$18.3K

25.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K NT$523.0K

$16.5K NT$535.7K

-2.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 NT$2,016

$61.8 NT$2,005

0.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.01 NT$1,265

$31.20 NT$1,012

25.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 NT$2,683

$81.6 NT$2,646

1.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NT$3,298

$102 NT$3,296

0.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$374 NT$12.1K

$414 NT$13.4K

-9.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 NT$7,896

$253 NT$8,199

-3.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 NT$34.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 NT$23.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,070 NT$99.5K

$7,706 NT$249.9K

-60.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,843 NT$59.7K

$4,832 NT$156.7K

-61.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,038 NT$66.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

2.39

0.42%

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

Last update for Chiayi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kinmen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chiayi

$372 35.7%

Kinmen

$359 33.6% 3.3% $12

Accommodation & Living

Chiayi

$244 23.4%

Kinmen

$253 23.7% 3.8% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Chiayi

$129 12.4%

Kinmen

$124 11.6% 3.3% $4.2

Eating Out

Chiayi

$121 11.7%

Kinmen

$108 10.1% 11.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiayi

$109 10.5%

Kinmen

$126 11.8% 16.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Chiayi

$50 4.8%

Kinmen

$56 5.3% 12.9% $6.4

Getting Around

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6%

Kinmen

$42 3.9% 148% $25

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 $414 in Kinmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46 in Chiayi vs $31 in Kinmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $372 vs $359 per month, with Kinmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🇹🇼 Kinmen

🕒 Local time

19:56 7:56 PM

Same time as Chiayi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,874

12,568

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiayi Kinmen 250 km

From you

Chiayi
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

Chiayi vs Kinmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiayi wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Kinmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiayi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,561 in Chiayi and $1,603 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: $374 in Chiayi versus $414 in Kinmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,041 per month in Chiayi versus $1,069 in Kinmen – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chiayi runs roughly 64% less than in Kinmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

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 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.