Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Douliu

For one person, living costs are similar in Kaohsiung and in Douliu: $1,131 and $1,138 a month, rent and utilities included.

55

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Douliu
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Douliu Living Index

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Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,131

/mo nomad

Douliu

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaohsiung and in Douliu

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

A single person spends $1,131 per month in Kaohsiung vs $1,138 in Douliu, rent included.

Kaohsiung $1,131
Douliu $1,138

A couple spends around $1,838 per month in Kaohsiung vs $1,894 in Douliu, rent included.

Kaohsiung $1,838
Douliu $1,894

A family of three spends $2,544 per month in Kaohsiung vs $2,650 in Douliu, rent included.

Kaohsiung $2,544
Douliu $2,650

Kaohsiung is about 1% cheaper than Douliu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.63 NT$183

$3.85 NT$125

46.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.36 NT$1,017

$22.40 NT$726

40.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.65 NT$151

$5.81 NT$189

-19.97%

Cappuccino

$2.78 NT$90.1

$3.40 NT$110

-18.24%

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

$1.08 NT$34.99

$0.94 NT$30.58

14.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 NT$21.40

$0.67 NT$21.86

-1.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 NT$49.14

$2.79 NT$90.4

-45.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 NT$80.7

$3.73 NT$121

-33.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.10 NT$100

$3.09 NT$100

0.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 NT$70.7

$2.01 NT$65.1

8.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 NT$95.3

$3.17 NT$103

-7.26%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$2.76 NT$89.4

-2.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.81 NT$513

$19.44 NT$631

-18.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.12 NT$263

$9.97 NT$323

-18.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.55 NT$504

$21.44 NT$695

-27.47%

Apples (1kg)

$6.60 NT$214

$4.79 NT$155

37.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 NT$88.5

$3.29 NT$107

-17.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 NT$82.2

$3.08 NT$99.9

-17.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 NT$102

$4.34 NT$141

-27.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 NT$90.2

$2.82 NT$91.3

-1.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 NT$64.9

$2.34 NT$75.9

-14.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 NT$78.7

$1.71 NT$55.6

42.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 NT$33.12

$1.10 NT$35.65

-7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 NT$144

$3.85 NT$125

15.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.54 NT$504

$14.46 NT$469

7.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 NT$51.0

$1.63 NT$52.9

-3.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 NT$71.5

$2.31 NT$75.0

-4.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 NT$23.13

$0.61 NT$19.89

16.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 NT$410

$35.53 NT$1,152

-64.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 NT$87.6

$2.66 NT$86.3

1.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$24.34

$0.77 NT$24.82

-2.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.48 NT$178

$9.46 NT$307

-42.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 NT$33.97

$1.03 NT$33.56

1.94%

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

$33.6K NT$1.1M

$34.0K NT$1.1M

-1.04%

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

$23.6K NT$765.3K

$24.0K NT$777.6K

-1.59%

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

$85.5 NT$2,773

$86.6 NT$2,807

-1.21%

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

$17.29 NT$561

$17.15 NT$556

0.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.39 NT$856

$27.79 NT$901

-5.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.61 NT$1,317

$36.37 NT$1,179

11.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.33 NT$335

Cinema Ticket

$11.13 NT$361

$9.54 NT$309

16.67%

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

$473 NT$15.3K

$663 NT$21.5K

-28.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K NT$456.9K

$17.0K NT$550.7K

-17.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 NT$3,013

$64.5 NT$2,091

44.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.16 NT$1,011

$40.75 NT$1,321

-23.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 NT$2,855

$85.0 NT$2,756

3.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NT$3,310

$105 NT$3,408

-2.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$437 NT$14.2K

$404 NT$13.1K

8.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 NT$9,746

$257 NT$8,334

16.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 NT$32.6K

$982 NT$31.8K

2.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 NT$22.1K

$730 NT$23.7K

-6.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,523 NT$146.7K

$7,836 NT$254.1K

-42.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,193 NT$103.5K

$4,924 NT$159.7K

-35.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,471 NT$47.7K

$2,544 NT$82.5K

-42.19%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Douliu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaohsiung

$363 32.1%

Douliu

$400 35.1% 10.2% $37

Accommodation & Living

Kaohsiung

$301 26.6%

Douliu

$257 22.6% 14.5% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Kaohsiung

$141 12.5%

Douliu

$133 11.7% 6% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaohsiung

$129 11.4%

Douliu

$132 11.6% 1.8% $2.3

Eating Out

Kaohsiung

$112 9.9%

Douliu

$117 10.3% 4.5% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Kaohsiung

$63 5.6%

Douliu

$55 4.9% 11.8% $7.4

Getting Around

Kaohsiung

$22 1.9%

Douliu

$44 3.9% 103% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $437 in Kaohsiung versus $404 in Douliu. 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 73% higher in Douliu, 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 $22.00 in Douliu. Groceries tell a different story – $363 in Kaohsiung vs $400 in Douliu – so Kaohsiung wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Douliu

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

Same time as Kaohsiung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,777,873

108,401

💱 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

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Kaohsiung vs Douliu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Douliu costs about 1% more than Kaohsiung, 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 $1,707 in Douliu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kaohsiung, 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 $31.00 in Kaohsiung and $22.00 in Douliu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,131 in Kaohsiung and $1,138 in Douliu. That's a gap of about 1%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kaohsiung, where all-in costs run around $1,131, than in Douliu at $1,138. In Kaohsiung it covers expenses comfortably, while in Douliu it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kaohsiung – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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