Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,131 in Kaohsiung, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,131

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaohsiung and in Chiang Mai

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 Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,131 per month in Kaohsiung vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kaohsiung $1,131
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,838 per month in Kaohsiung vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kaohsiung $1,838
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,544 per month in Kaohsiung vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kaohsiung $2,544
Chiang Mai $1,914

Kaohsiung costs about 20% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kaohsiung and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kaohsiung 16% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.63 NT$183

$2.26 ฿75.4

149.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.36 NT$1,017

$19.18 ฿641

63.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.65 NT$151

$5.59 ฿187

-16.82%

Cappuccino

$2.78 NT$90.1

$1.72 ฿57.6

61.63%

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

$1.08 NT$34.99

$0.64 ฿21.54

68.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 NT$21.40

$0.33 ฿11.18

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 NT$49.14

$2.36 ฿78.7

-35.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 NT$80.7

$3.90 ฿130

-36.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.10 NT$100

$2.05 ฿68.6

51.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 NT$70.7

$1.40 ฿46.70

55.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 NT$95.3

$1.28 ฿42.89

129.69%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$2.25 ฿75.3

19.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.81 NT$513

$16.94 ฿566

-6.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.12 NT$263

$2.74 ฿91.6

196.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.55 NT$504

$9.36 ฿313

66.13%

Apples (1kg)

$6.60 NT$214

$2.40 ฿80.3

175.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 NT$88.5

$1.01 ฿33.92

170.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 NT$82.2

$1.61 ฿53.9

57.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 NT$102

$1.52 ฿50.7

105.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 NT$90.2

$1.28 ฿42.90

117.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 NT$64.9

$1.11 ฿37.22

80.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 NT$78.7

$0.72 ฿24.09

237.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 NT$33.12

$0.52 ฿17.54

96.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 NT$144

$4.33 ฿145

2.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.54 NT$504

$17.73 ฿593

-12.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 NT$51.0

$1.63 ฿54.4

-3.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 NT$71.5

$2.85 ฿95.3

-22.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 NT$23.13

$0.85 ฿28.31

-16.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 NT$410

$53.9 ฿1,801

-76.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 NT$87.6

$1.17 ฿39.18

130.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$24.34

$0.57 ฿19.00

31.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.48 NT$178

$2.37 ฿79.2

131.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 NT$33.97

$1.45 ฿48.32

-27.59%

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

$33.6K NT$1.1M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

64.29%

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

$23.6K NT$765.3K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-10.99%

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

$85.5 NT$2,773

$62.3 ฿2,083

37.17%

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

$17.29 NT$561

$12.27 ฿410

40.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.39 NT$856

$19.97 ฿668

32.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.61 NT$1,317

$37.91 ฿1,267

7.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.33 NT$335

$3.76 ฿126

174.73%

Cinema Ticket

$11.13 NT$361

$6.71 ฿224

65.87%

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

$473 NT$15.3K

$797 ฿26.6K

-40.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K NT$456.9K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-5.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 NT$3,013

$53.3 ฿1,780

74.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.16 NT$1,011

$25.05 ฿837

24.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 NT$2,855

$91.6 ฿3,062

-3.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NT$3,310

$73.5 ฿2,455

38.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$437 NT$14.2K

$464 ฿15.5K

-5.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 NT$9,746

$305 ฿10.2K

-1.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 NT$32.6K

$915 ฿30.6K

9.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 NT$22.1K

$552 ฿18.5K

23.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,523 NT$146.7K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

136.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,193 NT$103.5K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

121.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,471 NT$47.7K

$595 ฿19.9K

147.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.56

5.57

-54.04%

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

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaohsiung

$363 32.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 34.4% $125

Accommodation & Living

Kaohsiung

$301 26.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 1.4% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Kaohsiung

$141 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 22.5% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaohsiung

$129 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 26.8% $35

Eating Out

Kaohsiung

$112 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 29.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Kaohsiung

$63 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 18.3% $12

Getting Around

Kaohsiung

$22 1.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 179% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $437 in Kaohsiung versus $464 in Chiang Mai. 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 147% higher in Kaohsiung, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Kaohsiung versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

08:45 8:45 AM

1 h behind Kaohsiung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,777,873

127,240

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kaohsiung Chiang Mai 2,260 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kaohsiung
Chiang Mai

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 Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaohsiung costs about 20% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,696 per month in Kaohsiung and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $473 per month in Kaohsiung and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Kaohsiung, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Kaohsiung at $1,131. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kaohsiung it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,131 in Kaohsiung. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Chiang Mai. 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.