Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hua-lien and Kaohsiung

For one person, living is cheaper in Hua-lien: $1,076 a month against $1,131 in Kaohsiung, rent and utilities included – about $660 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Hua-lien
Learn more

Hua-lien Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
Learn more

Kaohsiung Living Index

Jump to prices

Hua-lien

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,076

/mo nomad

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,076 in Hua-lien versus $1,131 in Kaohsiung.

Hua-lien $1,076
Kaohsiung $1,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,820 in Hua-lien versus $1,838 in Kaohsiung.

Hua-lien $1,820
Kaohsiung $1,838

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,563 in Hua-lien versus $2,544 in Kaohsiung.

Hua-lien $2,563
Kaohsiung $2,544

Living in Hua-lien costs roughly 5% less than in Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hua-lien 20% lower, Kaohsiung 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.99 NT$129

$5.63 NT$183

-29.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.74 NT$932

$31.36 NT$1,017

-8.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.28 NT$139

$4.65 NT$151

-7.96%

Cappuccino

$2.78 NT$90.3

$2.78 NT$90.1

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

$0.93 NT$30.01

$1.08 NT$34.99

-13.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 NT$18.18

$0.66 NT$21.40

-15.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 NT$43.12

$1.52 NT$49.14

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NT$67.6

$2.49 NT$80.7

-16.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.93 NT$95.1

$3.10 NT$100

-5.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 NT$56.9

$2.18 NT$70.7

-19.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.50 NT$146

$2.94 NT$95.3

53.06%

Eggs

$1.98 NT$64.1

$2.68 NT$86.9

-26.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.63 NT$636

$15.81 NT$513

24.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.20 NT$201

$8.12 NT$263

-23.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.54 NT$828

$15.55 NT$504

64.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 NT$86.3

$6.60 NT$214

-59.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 NT$80.9

$2.73 NT$88.5

-8.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 NT$104

$2.54 NT$82.2

26.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.18 NT$103

$3.13 NT$102

1.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 NT$78.7

$2.78 NT$90.2

-12.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 NT$74.6

$2.00 NT$64.9

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 NT$65.5

$2.43 NT$78.7

-16.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 NT$31.72

$1.02 NT$33.12

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 NT$126

$4.45 NT$144

-12.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.63 NT$410

$15.54 NT$504

-18.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 NT$62.1

$1.57 NT$51.0

21.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 NT$76.1

$2.20 NT$71.5

6.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.64

$0.71 NT$23.13

-14.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.66 NT$1,189

$12.65 NT$410

189.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 NT$99.8

$2.70 NT$87.6

14.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 NT$9.91

$0.75 NT$24.34

-58.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.36 NT$336

$5.48 NT$178

89.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 NT$28.98

$1.05 NT$33.97

-15.24%

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

$33.7K NT$1.1M

$33.6K NT$1.1M

0.28%

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

$26.6K NT$862.6K

$23.6K NT$765.3K

12.71%

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

$103 NT$3,332

$85.5 NT$2,773

20.19%

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

$19.48 NT$632

$17.29 NT$561

12.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.54 NT$407

$26.39 NT$856

-52.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.61 NT$1,187

$40.61 NT$1,317

-9.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.33 NT$335

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 NT$328

$11.13 NT$361

-9.07%

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

$767 NT$24.9K

$473 NT$15.3K

62.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K NT$533.1K

$14.1K NT$456.9K

16.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.1 NT$1,850

$92.9 NT$3,013

-38.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.07 NT$1,170

$31.16 NT$1,011

15.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.5 NT$2,576

$88.0 NT$2,855

-9.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 NT$3,455

$102 NT$3,310

4.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 NT$13.1K

$437 NT$14.2K

-7.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 NT$8,204

$301 NT$9,746

-15.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 NT$31.9K

$1,005 NT$32.6K

-2.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$740 NT$24.0K

$681 NT$22.1K

8.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,755 NT$251.5K

$4,523 NT$146.7K

71.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,989 NT$161.8K

$3,193 NT$103.5K

56.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,940 NT$95.3K

$1,471 NT$47.7K

99.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.13

2.56

-16.80%

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

Last update for Hua-lien: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hua-lien

$368 34.2%

Kaohsiung

$363 32.1% 1.3% $4.8

Accommodation & Living

Hua-lien

$253 23.5%

Kaohsiung

$301 26.6% 18.8% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hua-lien

$135 12.5%

Kaohsiung

$129 11.4% 4.2% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Hua-lien

$126 11.7%

Kaohsiung

$141 12.5% 12.6% $16

Eating Out

Hua-lien

$95 8.8%

Kaohsiung

$112 9.9% 17.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Hua-lien

$57 5.3%

Kaohsiung

$63 5.6% 10.6% $6

Getting Around

Hua-lien

$44 4.1%

Kaohsiung

$22 1.9% 49.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $404 in Hua-lien and $437 in Kaohsiung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hua-lien pays 100% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29.00 in Hua-lien vs $31.00 in Kaohsiung. Groceries flip the comparison at $368 vs $363, with Kaohsiung cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Hua-lien

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

Same time as Hua-lien

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,034

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hua-lien Kaohsiung 200 km

From you

Hua-lien
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

Hua-lien vs Kaohsiung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hua-lien wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Kaohsiung. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hua-lien the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 100% higher in Hua-lien, 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: $404 in Hua-lien versus $437 in Kaohsiung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Kaohsiung pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Hua-lien – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $31.00 in Kaohsiung. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,076 in Hua-lien versus $1,131 in Kaohsiung, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hua-lien but tight or insufficient in Kaohsiung. The gap between the two cities makes Hua-lien the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Hua-lien and Kaohsiung are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Hua-lien gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Kaohsiung. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.