Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,108 in Kaohsiung, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Kaohsiung despite lower rent and utilities.

54

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,108

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaohsiung and in Bansko

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kaohsiung and in Bansko actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,108 per month in Kaohsiung vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Kaohsiung $1,108
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $1,821 per month in Kaohsiung vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Kaohsiung $1,821
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $2,535 per month in Kaohsiung vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Kaohsiung $2,535
Bansko $1,957

Kaohsiung costs about 14% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kaohsiung and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Kaohsiung 17% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.46 NT$174

$8.66 BGN 15.15

-36.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.96 NT$1,020

$46.63 BGN 81.6

-31.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.87 NT$155

$9.01 BGN 15.77

-45.95%

Cappuccino

$2.83 NT$90.4

$2.24 BGN 3.92

26.34%

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

$1.14 NT$36.42

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-24.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 NT$22.77

$0.86 BGN 1.51

-17.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 NT$48.87

$1.76 BGN 3.07

-13.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 NT$81.6

$2.00 BGN 3.51

27.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.25 NT$104

$1.79 BGN 3.14

81.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 NT$69.8

$0.81 BGN 1.42

170.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 NT$98.2

$1.52 BGN 2.66

101.97%

Eggs

$2.67 NT$85.2

$2.30 BGN 4.02

16.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.13 NT$515

$9.60 BGN 16.81

68.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.08 NT$258

$6.32 BGN 11.06

27.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.24 NT$486

$8.64 BGN 15.12

76.39%

Apples (1kg)

$6.80 NT$217

$1.28 BGN 2.24

431.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 NT$90.1

$1.68 BGN 2.95

67.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 NT$82.0

$1.70 BGN 2.98

51.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.08 NT$98.4

$1.89 BGN 3.30

62.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 NT$90.7

$0.93 BGN 1.63

205.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 NT$65.8

$0.76 BGN 1.32

171.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 NT$78.2

$0.54 BGN 0.95

353.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 NT$33.19

$0.58 BGN 1.02

79.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 NT$145

$3.44 BGN 6.02

31.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 NT$502

$5.14 BGN 9.00

205.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 NT$53.4

$1.11 BGN 1.94

50.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 NT$71.7

$1.70 BGN 2.97

32.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 NT$21.69

$0.88 BGN 1.55

-22.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.67 NT$405

$26.76 BGN 46.83

-52.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.76 NT$88.0

$1.29 BGN 2.26

113.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$23.99

$0.65 BGN 1.14

15.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.51 NT$176

$10.18 BGN 17.81

-45.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.52

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-32.00%

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

$33.6K NT$1.1M

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

16.77%

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

$23.0K NT$735.6K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

7.42%

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

$84.8 NT$2,706

$91.4 BGN 160

-7.28%

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

$17.34 NT$553

$14.68 BGN 25.68

18.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.77 NT$823

$12.07 BGN 21.12

113.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.21 NT$1,315

$32.28 BGN 56.5

27.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.41 NT$332

$8.60 BGN 15.05

21.05%

Cinema Ticket

$10.96 NT$350

$5.63 BGN 9.86

94.67%

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

$462 NT$14.8K

$228 BGN 400

102.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K NT$449.4K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

509.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.5 NT$2,983

$30.48 BGN 53.3

206.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.88 NT$1,018

$19.01 BGN 33.26

67.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.9 NT$2,741

$45.53 BGN 79.7

88.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,315

$48.67 BGN 85.2

113.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 NT$13.2K

$521 BGN 913

-20.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 NT$8,812

$367 BGN 643

-24.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 NT$31.3K

$634 BGN 1,110

54.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$668 NT$21.3K

$558 BGN 976

19.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,588 NT$146.5K

$1,204 BGN 2,106

281.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,154 NT$100.7K

$971 BGN 1,699

224.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,462 NT$46.7K

$1,670 BGN 2,923

-12.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.56

2.99

-14.38%

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

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaohsiung

$368 33.1%

Bansko

$193 20% 47.5% $175

Accommodation & Living

Kaohsiung

$276 24.9%

Bansko

$367 38% 33.1% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Kaohsiung

$142 12.8%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 54.4% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaohsiung

$128 11.5%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 7.6% $9.7

Eating Out

Kaohsiung

$112 10.1%

Bansko

$145 15% 29.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Kaohsiung

$63 5.7%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 31% $20

Getting Around

Kaohsiung

$22 2%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 59.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $415 in Kaohsiung versus $521 in Bansko. 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 14% higher in Bansko, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Kaohsiung versus $47.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $368 in Kaohsiung vs $193 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

13:13 1:13 PM

08:13 8:13 AM

5 h behind Kaohsiung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,777,873

8,000

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.79 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.92 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.81 TWD (100 TWD = 2.79 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kaohsiung Bansko 8,890 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kaohsiung
Bansko

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

Kaohsiung vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,108 in Kaohsiung, $970 in Bansko – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,661 per month in Kaohsiung and $1,455 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bansko, 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 $32.00 in Kaohsiung and $47.00 in Bansko. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,108 in Kaohsiung and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 14%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Kaohsiung at $1,108. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kaohsiung it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bansko has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $970 in Bansko to $1,108 in Kaohsiung. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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