Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Douliu and Kaohsiung

For one person, living costs are similar in Douliu and in Kaohsiung: $1,138 and $1,131 a month, rent and utilities included.

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Cost of Living Index in Douliu
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Douliu Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index

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Douliu

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,138

/mo nomad

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,138 per month in Douliu vs $1,131 in Kaohsiung, rent included.

Douliu $1,138
Kaohsiung $1,131

A couple spends around $1,894 per month in Douliu vs $1,838 in Kaohsiung, rent included.

Douliu $1,894
Kaohsiung $1,838

A family of three spends $2,650 per month in Douliu vs $2,544 in Kaohsiung, rent included.

Douliu $2,650
Kaohsiung $2,544

Douliu costs about 1% more than Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Douliu and Kaohsiung are more affordable than the global median – Douliu 16% lower, Kaohsiung 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.85 NT$125

$5.63 NT$183

-31.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.40 NT$726

$31.36 NT$1,017

-28.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.81 NT$189

$4.65 NT$151

24.95%

Cappuccino

$3.40 NT$110

$2.78 NT$90.1

22.30%

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

$0.94 NT$30.58

$1.08 NT$34.99

-12.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.86

$0.66 NT$21.40

1.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$1.52 NT$49.14

83.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 NT$121

$2.49 NT$80.7

49.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 NT$100

$3.10 NT$100

-0.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 NT$65.1

$2.18 NT$70.7

-7.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 NT$103

$2.94 NT$95.3

7.82%

Eggs

$2.76 NT$89.4

$2.68 NT$86.9

2.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.44 NT$631

$15.81 NT$513

22.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.97 NT$323

$8.12 NT$263

22.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.44 NT$695

$15.55 NT$504

37.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 NT$155

$6.60 NT$214

-27.42%

Banana (1kg)

$3.29 NT$107

$2.73 NT$88.5

20.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NT$99.9

$2.54 NT$82.2

21.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 NT$141

$3.13 NT$102

38.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 NT$91.3

$2.78 NT$90.2

1.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$2.00 NT$64.9

17.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 NT$55.6

$2.43 NT$78.7

-29.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.65

$1.02 NT$33.12

7.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 NT$125

$4.45 NT$144

-13.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.46 NT$469

$15.54 NT$504

-6.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$52.9

$1.57 NT$51.0

3.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 NT$75.0

$2.20 NT$71.5

5.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.89

$0.71 NT$23.13

-14.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.53 NT$1,152

$12.65 NT$410

180.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 NT$86.3

$2.70 NT$87.6

-1.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 NT$24.82

$0.75 NT$24.34

2.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.46 NT$307

$5.48 NT$178

72.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$33.56

$1.05 NT$33.97

-1.90%

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

$34.0K NT$1.1M

$33.6K NT$1.1M

1.05%

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

$24.0K NT$777.6K

$23.6K NT$765.3K

1.61%

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

$86.6 NT$2,807

$85.5 NT$2,773

1.23%

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

$17.15 NT$556

$17.29 NT$561

-0.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.79 NT$901

$26.39 NT$856

5.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.37 NT$1,179

$40.61 NT$1,317

-10.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.33 NT$335

Cinema Ticket

$9.54 NT$309

$11.13 NT$361

-14.29%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

$473 NT$15.3K

40.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K NT$550.7K

$14.1K NT$456.9K

20.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 NT$2,091

$92.9 NT$3,013

-30.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.75 NT$1,321

$31.16 NT$1,011

30.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 NT$2,756

$88.0 NT$2,855

-3.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 NT$3,408

$102 NT$3,310

2.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 NT$13.1K

$437 NT$14.2K

-7.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$257 NT$8,334

$301 NT$9,746

-14.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$982 NT$31.8K

$1,005 NT$32.6K

-2.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$730 NT$23.7K

$681 NT$22.1K

7.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 NT$254.1K

$4,523 NT$146.7K

73.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,924 NT$159.7K

$3,193 NT$103.5K

54.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,544 NT$82.5K

$1,471 NT$47.7K

72.97%

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 Douliu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Douliu

$400 35.1%

Kaohsiung

$363 32.1% 9.3% $37

Accommodation & Living

Douliu

$257 22.6%

Kaohsiung

$301 26.6% 16.9% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Douliu

$133 11.7%

Kaohsiung

$141 12.5% 6.4% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Douliu

$132 11.6%

Kaohsiung

$129 11.4% 1.8% $2.3

Eating Out

Douliu

$117 10.3%

Kaohsiung

$112 9.9% 4.3% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Douliu

$55 4.9%

Kaohsiung

$63 5.6% 13.4% $7.4

Getting Around

Douliu

$44 3.9%

Kaohsiung

$22 1.9% 50.6% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $404 in Douliu versus $437 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 73% higher in Douliu, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Douliu versus $31.00 in Kaohsiung. Groceries tell a different story – $400 in Douliu vs $363 in Kaohsiung – so Kaohsiung wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Douliu

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

Same time as Douliu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,401

2,777,873

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Douliu vs Kaohsiung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Douliu costs about 1% more than Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,707 per month in Douliu and $1,696 in Kaohsiung. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kaohsiung, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Douliu and $31.00 in Kaohsiung. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,138 in Douliu and $1,131 in Kaohsiung. That's a gap of about 1%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kaohsiung, where all-in costs run around $1,131, than in Douliu at $1,138. In Kaohsiung it covers expenses comfortably, while in Douliu it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kaohsiung – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Kaohsiung. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Douliu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.