Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Chang-hua

For one person, living is cheaper in Chang-hua: $852 a month against $1,105 in Kaohsiung, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Chang-hua
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Chang-hua Living Index

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Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,105

/mo nomad

Chang-hua

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaohsiung and in Chang-hua

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 Chang-hua actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,105 per month in Kaohsiung vs $852 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Kaohsiung $1,105
Chang-hua $852

A couple spends around $1,796 per month in Kaohsiung vs $1,325 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Kaohsiung $1,796
Chang-hua $1,325

A family of three spends $2,487 per month in Kaohsiung vs $1,799 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Kaohsiung $2,487
Chang-hua $1,799

Kaohsiung costs about 30% more than Chang-hua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Kaohsiung and Chang-hua are more affordable than the global median – Kaohsiung 19% lower, Chang-hua 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.74 NT$155

$3.74 NT$122

26.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.77 NT$1,003

$32.20 NT$1,050

-4.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.60 NT$150

$5.77 NT$188

-20.28%

Cappuccino

$2.93 NT$95.4

$1.66 NT$54.1

76.51%

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

$1.05 NT$34.21

$0.93 NT$30.35

12.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 NT$22.61

$0.55 NT$17.81

25.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 NT$49.24

$1.37 NT$44.62

10.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 NT$78.1

$2.21 NT$72.0

8.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.16 NT$103

$2.26 NT$73.6

39.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 NT$71.1

$2.02 NT$66.0

7.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 NT$93.5

$2.79 NT$91.0

2.87%

Eggs

$2.54 NT$82.9

$2.73 NT$89.1

-6.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.21 NT$496

$15.78 NT$514

-3.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.03 NT$262

$9.82 NT$320

-18.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 NT$481

$20.95 NT$683

-29.50%

Apples (1kg)

$6.40 NT$209

$4.85 NT$158

31.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.9

$3.16 NT$103

-11.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 NT$78.8

$2.88 NT$93.9

-15.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 NT$98.6

$3.09 NT$101

-2.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.68 NT$87.4

$2.66 NT$86.8

0.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 NT$64.4

$2.08 NT$67.9

-5.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NT$74.9

$1.67 NT$54.4

37.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 NT$33.12

$0.80 NT$25.93

27.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.24 NT$138

$3.83 NT$125

10.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.44 NT$503

$9.19 NT$300

68.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 NT$52.5

$1.40 NT$45.73

15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NT$68.0

$2.15 NT$70.2

-2.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 NT$20.35

$1.50 NT$49.00

-58.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.04 NT$393

$34.11 NT$1,112

-64.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 NT$86.0

$2.58 NT$84.1

2.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 NT$25.48

$0.79 NT$25.68

-1.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.68 NT$185

$8.99 NT$293

-36.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 NT$31.78

$1.04 NT$33.91

-6.73%

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

$37.1K NT$1.2M

$34.5K NT$1.1M

7.60%

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

$22.7K NT$739.4K

$23.4K NT$764.3K

-3.26%

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

$82.1 NT$2,676

$30.39 NT$991

170.06%

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

$16.89 NT$551

$16.96 NT$553

-0.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.27 NT$824

$18.24 NT$595

38.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.20 NT$1,278

$31.70 NT$1,034

23.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.12 NT$330

Cinema Ticket

$10.11 NT$330

$9.40 NT$307

7.55%

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

$448 NT$14.6K

$614 NT$20.0K

-27.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K NT$445.8K

$7,800 NT$254.3K

75.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.0 NT$2,935

$48.48 NT$1,581

85.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.24 NT$1,019

$15.10 NT$492

106.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 NT$2,805

$76.1 NT$2,483

12.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 NT$3,239

$48.18 NT$1,571

106.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 NT$14.0K

$255 NT$8,304

68.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 NT$9,806

$168 NT$5,462

79.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 NT$32.1K

$490 NT$16.0K

100.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 NT$22.2K

$170 NT$5,541

300.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,146 NT$135.2K

$2,897 NT$94.4K

43.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,875 NT$93.7K

$1,606 NT$52.4K

78.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,401 NT$45.7K

$1,973 NT$64.3K

-29.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.56

2.2

16.36%

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

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chang-hua: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaohsiung

$355 32.1%

Chang-hua

$352 41.4% 0.8% $2.7

Accommodation & Living

Kaohsiung

$301 27.2%

Chang-hua

$168 19.7% 44.3% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Kaohsiung

$138 12.5%

Chang-hua

$85 9.9% 38.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaohsiung

$124 11.3%

Chang-hua

$66 7.7% 47.2% $59

Eating Out

Kaohsiung

$106 9.6%

Chang-hua

$84 9.9% 20.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Kaohsiung

$59 5.4%

Chang-hua

$51 5.9% 15% $8.9

Getting Around

Kaohsiung

$21 1.9%

Chang-hua

$47 5.5% 121% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $430 in Kaohsiung versus $255 in Chang-hua. 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 41% higher in Chang-hua, 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 $31 in Kaohsiung versus $32 in Chang-hua. Groceries tell a different story – $355 in Kaohsiung vs $352 in Chang-hua – so Chang-hua wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Chang-hua

🕒 Local time

21:21 9:21 PM

Same time as Kaohsiung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,777,873

226,564

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 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

Kaohsiung vs Chang-hua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaohsiung costs about 30% more than Chang-hua, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,657 per month in Kaohsiung and $1,277 in Chang-hua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chang-hua, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $255 there versus $430 in Kaohsiung.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,105 in Kaohsiung and $852 in Chang-hua. That makes Chang-hua about 23% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $448 per month in Kaohsiung and $614 in Chang-hua. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,105 in Kaohsiung and $852 in Chang-hua. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.