Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Chiayi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiayi: $1,041 a month against $1,105 in Kaohsiung, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kaohsiung outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

53

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
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Chiayi Living Index

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Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,105

/mo nomad

Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,041

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaohsiung and in Chiayi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,105 in Kaohsiung versus $1,041 in Chiayi.

Kaohsiung $1,105
Chiayi $1,041

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,796 in Kaohsiung versus $1,471 in Chiayi.

Kaohsiung $1,796
Chiayi $1,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,487 in Kaohsiung versus $1,901 in Chiayi.

Kaohsiung $2,487
Chiayi $1,901

Living in Kaohsiung is roughly 6% more expensive than in Chiayi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kaohsiung 19% lower, Chiayi 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.74 NT$155

$4.59 NT$150

3.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.77 NT$1,003

$46.34 NT$1,511

-33.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.60 NT$150

$5.65 NT$184

-18.58%

Cappuccino

$2.93 NT$95.4

$3.29 NT$107

-10.94%

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

$1.05 NT$34.21

$0.85 NT$27.72

23.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 NT$22.61

$0.67 NT$21.81

2.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 NT$49.24

$2.98 NT$97.2

-49.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 NT$78.1

$3.58 NT$117

-33.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.16 NT$103

$2.95 NT$96.2

7.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 NT$71.1

$1.95 NT$63.5

11.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 NT$93.5

$3.05 NT$99.5

-5.90%

Eggs

$2.54 NT$82.9

$2.63 NT$85.8

-3.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.21 NT$496

$18.97 NT$619

-19.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.03 NT$262

$9.89 NT$322

-18.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 NT$481

$21.28 NT$694

-30.59%

Apples (1kg)

$6.40 NT$209

$4.72 NT$154

35.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.9

$3.28 NT$107

-14.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 NT$78.8

$2.87 NT$93.5

-15.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 NT$98.6

$4.23 NT$138

-28.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.68 NT$87.4

$2.65 NT$86.2

1.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 NT$64.4

$2.20 NT$71.6

-10.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NT$74.9

$1.72 NT$56.1

33.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 NT$33.12

$1.12 NT$36.48

-8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.24 NT$138

$3.75 NT$122

13.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.44 NT$503

$4.48 NT$146

244.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 NT$52.5

$1.58 NT$51.4

1.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NT$68.0

$2.13 NT$69.5

-1.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 NT$20.35

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.04 NT$393

$12.12 NT$395

-0.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 NT$86.0

$2.54 NT$82.8

3.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 NT$25.48

$0.45 NT$14.70

73.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.68 NT$185

$8.97 NT$292

-36.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 NT$31.78

$1.00 NT$32.62

-3.00%

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

$37.1K NT$1.2M

$34.1K NT$1.1M

9.03%

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

$22.7K NT$739.4K

$23.5K NT$765.9K

-3.46%

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

$82.1 NT$2,676

$64.7 NT$2,108

26.93%

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

$16.89 NT$551

$17.55 NT$572

-3.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.27 NT$824

$26.76 NT$872

-5.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.20 NT$1,278

$30.55 NT$996

28.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.12 NT$330

Cinema Ticket

$10.11 NT$330

$9.62 NT$314

5.09%

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

$448 NT$14.6K

$712 NT$23.2K

-37.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K NT$445.8K

$16.1K NT$525.9K

-15.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.0 NT$2,935

$62.2 NT$2,027

44.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.24 NT$1,019

$39.01 NT$1,272

-19.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 NT$2,805

$82.8 NT$2,698

3.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 NT$3,239

$102 NT$3,317

-2.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 NT$14.0K

$374 NT$12.2K

14.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 NT$9,806

$244 NT$7,940

23.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 NT$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 NT$22.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,146 NT$135.2K

$3,070 NT$100.1K

35.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,875 NT$93.7K

$1,843 NT$60.1K

56.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,401 NT$45.7K

$2,038 NT$66.4K

-31.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.56

2.4

6.67%

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

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiayi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaohsiung

$355 32.1%

Chiayi

$372 35.7% 4.6% $16

Accommodation & Living

Kaohsiung

$301 27.2%

Chiayi

$244 23.4% 19% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Kaohsiung

$138 12.5%

Chiayi

$129 12.4% 6.8% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaohsiung

$124 11.3%

Chiayi

$109 10.5% 12.3% $15

Eating Out

Kaohsiung

$106 9.6%

Chiayi

$121 11.7% 14.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Kaohsiung

$59 5.4%

Chiayi

$50 4.8% 16.2% $9.6

Getting Around

Kaohsiung

$21 1.9%

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6% 19.8% $4.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $430 in Kaohsiung and $374 in Chiayi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiayi pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31 in Kaohsiung vs $46 in Chiayi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $372 per month, with Kaohsiung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

Same time as Kaohsiung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,777,873

269,874

💱 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

On the map

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Kaohsiung Chiayi 97 km

From you

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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

Kaohsiung vs Chiayi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiayi wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Kaohsiung. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiayi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Kaohsiung. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $430 in Kaohsiung versus $374 in Chiayi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $448 in Kaohsiung versus $712 in Chiayi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kaohsiung – a meal for two runs $31 versus $46 in Chiayi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Chiayi is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Safety-wise, Kaohsiung and Chiayi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.