Cost of Living Comparison Between Hsinchu and Kaohsiung Cost of Living Comparison Between Hsinchu and Kaohsiung

🙂 Solo nomad: Hsinchu is 4.4% cheaper than Kaohsiung without rent, and 3.5% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Hsinchu is 0.7% cheaper than Kaohsiung without rent, and 2.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hsinchu
Kaohsiung
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.18 NT$133
$4.03 NT$128
3.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.42 NT$1,096
$33.61 NT$1,071
2.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.48 NT$174
$5.46 NT$174
0.37%
Cappuccino
$3.00 NT$95.7
$3.06 NT$97.3
-1.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 NT$29.13
$0.99 NT$31.45
-8.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 NT$21.95
$0.72 NT$23.04
-4.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.72 NT$54.9
$1.73 NT$55.1
-0.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 NT$75.9
$2.67 NT$85.2
-10.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hsinchu
Kaohsiung
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.27 NT$104
$3.58 NT$114
-8.66%
White Bread (500g)
$1.78 NT$56.7
$1.98 NT$63.0
-10.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.33 NT$138
$2.73 NT$86.8
58.61%
Eggs
$2.54 NT$81.0
$3.36 NT$107
-24.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.92 NT$443
$16.15 NT$515
-13.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.89 NT$156
$9.40 NT$299
-47.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.01 NT$510
$17.59 NT$560
-8.98%
Apples (1kg)
$4.46 NT$142
$6.26 NT$199
-28.75%
Banana (1kg)
$2.54 NT$80.8
$2.60 NT$82.8
-2.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 NT$89.7
$2.78 NT$88.5
1.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.76 NT$120
$4.18 NT$133
-10.05%
Potato (1kg)
$3.05 NT$97.2
$3.06 NT$97.4
-0.33%
Onion (1kg)
$2.24 NT$71.5
$2.24 NT$71.3
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.88 NT$60.0
$1.94 NT$61.9
-3.09%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 NT$36.80
$1.20 NT$38.12
-3.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.31 NT$137
$4.44 NT$141
-2.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.87 NT$474
$15.55 NT$495
-4.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 NT$55.5
$1.67 NT$53.3
4.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.58 NT$82.2
$2.54 NT$80.9
1.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Hsinchu
Kaohsiung
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.86 NT$27.38
$0.84 NT$26.68
2.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.96 NT$1,304
$26.81 NT$854
52.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.89 NT$92.2
$2.82 NT$89.7
2.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.73 NT$23.19
$0.79 NT$25.06
-7.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.03 NT$192
$5.92 NT$188
1.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.07 NT$34.16
$1.06 NT$33.76
0.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.3K NT$1.1M
$34.4K NT$1.1M
-0.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K NT$821.0K
$25.6K NT$816.0K
0.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hsinchu
Kaohsiung
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$75.6 NT$2,406
$102 NT$3,236
-25.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.21 NT$803
$24.94 NT$794
1.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.11 NT$800
$25.43 NT$810
-1.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hsinchu
Kaohsiung
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.77 NT$1,426
$39.54 NT$1,259
13.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.66 NT$754
$11.17 NT$356
111.82%
Cinema Ticket
$10.01 NT$319
$10.21 NT$325
-1.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hsinchu
Kaohsiung
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$421 NT$13.4K
$427 NT$13.6K
-1.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K NT$358.6K
$11.5K NT$366.3K
-2.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hsinchu
Kaohsiung
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.4 NT$2,815
$96.0 NT$3,058
-7.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.89 NT$1,111
$35.47 NT$1,130
-1.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.6 NT$2,917
$89.2 NT$2,841
2.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 NT$3,282
$100 NT$3,191
2.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hsinchu
Kaohsiung
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$544 NT$17.3K
$446 NT$14.2K
21.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$362 NT$11.5K
$276 NT$8,784
31.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,243 NT$39.6K
$927 NT$29.5K
34.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$779 NT$24.8K
$692 NT$22.0K
12.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,375 NT$266.7K
$4,744 NT$151.1K
76.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,060 NT$193.0K
$3,257 NT$103.7K
86.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hsinchu
Kaohsiung
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,625 NT$83.6K
$1,446 NT$46.1K
81.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
1.57
2.3
-31.74%

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

Last update for Hsinchu: March 2, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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