Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hua-lien and Kinmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Hua-lien and in Kinmen: $1,076 and $1,088 a month, rent and utilities included.

52

Cost of Living Index in Hua-lien
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Hua-lien Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kinmen
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Kinmen Living Index

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Hua-lien

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,076

/mo nomad

Kinmen

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,088

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,076 in Hua-lien versus $1,088 in Kinmen.

Hua-lien $1,076
Kinmen $1,088

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,820 in Hua-lien versus $1,849 in Kinmen.

Hua-lien $1,820
Kinmen $1,849

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,563 in Hua-lien versus $2,611 in Kinmen.

Hua-lien $2,563
Kinmen $2,611

Living in Hua-lien costs roughly 1% less than in Kinmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hua-lien 20% lower, Kinmen 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.99 NT$129

$4.77 NT$155

-16.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.74 NT$932

$31.40 NT$1,018

-8.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.28 NT$139

$4.75 NT$154

-9.89%

Cappuccino

$2.78 NT$90.3

$2.90 NT$94.0

-4.14%

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

$0.93 NT$30.01

$0.98 NT$31.62

-5.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 NT$18.18

$0.65 NT$21.01

-13.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 NT$43.12

$1.55 NT$50.1

-14.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NT$67.6

$2.56 NT$82.9

-18.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.93 NT$95.1

$3.03 NT$98.2

-3.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 NT$56.9

$1.87 NT$60.8

-5.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.50 NT$146

$2.96 NT$96.1

52.03%

Eggs

$1.98 NT$64.1

$2.71 NT$87.9

-26.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.63 NT$636

$19.51 NT$633

0.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.20 NT$201

$7.82 NT$254

-20.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.54 NT$828

$20.99 NT$681

21.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 NT$86.3

$4.27 NT$139

-37.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 NT$80.9

$2.50 NT$81.0

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 NT$104

$2.98 NT$96.7

7.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.18 NT$103

$3.25 NT$105

-2.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 NT$78.7

$2.84 NT$92.1

-14.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 NT$74.6

$2.15 NT$69.7

6.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 NT$65.5

$2.00 NT$64.8

1.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 NT$31.72

$1.07 NT$34.85

-8.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 NT$126

$3.95 NT$128

-1.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.63 NT$410

$12.64 NT$410

-0.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 NT$62.1

$1.63 NT$52.9

17.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 NT$76.1

$2.29 NT$74.3

2.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.64

$0.61 NT$19.75

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.66 NT$1,189

$36.67 NT$1,189

-0.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 NT$99.8

$2.74 NT$88.8

12.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 NT$9.91

$0.82 NT$26.72

-62.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.36 NT$336

$9.51 NT$308

8.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 NT$28.98

$1.02 NT$32.92

-12.75%

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

$33.7K NT$1.1M

$34.3K NT$1.1M

-1.65%

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

$26.6K NT$862.6K

$24.7K NT$801.0K

7.68%

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

$103 NT$3,332

$88.5 NT$2,869

16.15%

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

$19.48 NT$632

$17.67 NT$573

10.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.54 NT$407

$22.41 NT$727

-44.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.61 NT$1,187

$37.07 NT$1,202

-1.24%

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 NT$328

$9.78 NT$317

3.48%

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

$767 NT$24.9K

$535 NT$17.3K

43.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K NT$533.1K

$16.6K NT$538.1K

-0.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.1 NT$1,850

$64.5 NT$2,092

-11.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.07 NT$1,170

$31.43 NT$1,019

14.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.5 NT$2,576

$85.0 NT$2,757

-6.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 NT$3,455

$101 NT$3,284

5.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 NT$13.1K

$409 NT$13.3K

-1.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 NT$8,204

$255 NT$8,261

-0.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 NT$31.9K

$973 NT$31.5K

1.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$740 NT$24.0K

$745 NT$24.2K

-0.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,755 NT$251.5K

$7,994 NT$259.2K

-3.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,989 NT$161.8K

$5,078 NT$164.7K

-1.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,940 NT$95.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.13

2.38

-10.50%

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

Last update for Hua-lien: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kinmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hua-lien

$368 34.2%

Kinmen

$369 33.9% 0.3% $1

Accommodation & Living

Hua-lien

$253 23.5%

Kinmen

$255 23.4% 0.7% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hua-lien

$135 12.5%

Kinmen

$129 11.8% 4.6% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Hua-lien

$126 11.7%

Kinmen

$127 11.7% 1.1% $1.4

Eating Out

Hua-lien

$95 8.8%

Kinmen

$107 9.8% 12.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Hua-lien

$57 5.3%

Kinmen

$57 5.2% 0.4% $0.2

Getting Around

Hua-lien

$44 4.1%

Kinmen

$46 4.2% 5.2% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $404 in Hua-lien and $409 in Kinmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29.00 in Hua-lien vs $31.00 in Kinmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $369 per month, with Hua-lien cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Hua-lien

🇹🇼 Kinmen

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

Same time as Hua-lien

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,034

12,568

💱 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

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Hua-lien Kinmen 340 km

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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 Kinmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hua-lien wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Kinmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hua-lien the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,615 in Hua-lien and $1,632 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: $404 in Hua-lien versus $409 in Kinmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 0% higher in Kinmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

At $1,076 in Hua-lien versus $1,088 in Kinmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hua-lien but tight or insufficient in Kinmen. 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 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.

Expats usually find Hua-lien gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Kinmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.