Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Hua-lien

For one person, living is cheaper in Hua-lien: $1,076 a month against $1,131 in Kaohsiung, rent and utilities included – about $660 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Hua-lien
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Hua-lien Living Index

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Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,131

/mo nomad

Hua-lien

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,076

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaohsiung and in Hua-lien

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 Hua-lien actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Kaohsiung versus $1,076 in Hua-lien.

Kaohsiung $1,131
Hua-lien $1,076

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,838 in Kaohsiung versus $1,820 in Hua-lien.

Kaohsiung $1,838
Hua-lien $1,820

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,544 in Kaohsiung versus $2,563 in Hua-lien.

Kaohsiung $2,544
Hua-lien $2,563

Living in Kaohsiung is roughly 5% more expensive than in Hua-lien, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kaohsiung 16% lower, Hua-lien 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.63 NT$183

$3.99 NT$129

41.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.36 NT$1,017

$28.74 NT$932

9.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.65 NT$151

$4.28 NT$139

8.64%

Cappuccino

$2.78 NT$90.1

$2.78 NT$90.3

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

$1.08 NT$34.99

$0.93 NT$30.01

16.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 NT$21.40

$0.56 NT$18.18

17.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 NT$49.14

$1.33 NT$43.12

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 NT$80.7

$2.09 NT$67.6

19.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.10 NT$100

$2.93 NT$95.1

5.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 NT$70.7

$1.76 NT$56.9

23.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 NT$95.3

$4.50 NT$146

-34.67%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$1.98 NT$64.1

35.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.81 NT$513

$19.63 NT$636

-19.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.12 NT$263

$6.20 NT$201

30.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.55 NT$504

$25.54 NT$828

-39.12%

Apples (1kg)

$6.60 NT$214

$2.66 NT$86.3

148.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 NT$88.5

$2.50 NT$80.9

9.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 NT$82.2

$3.21 NT$104

-20.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 NT$102

$3.18 NT$103

-1.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 NT$90.2

$2.43 NT$78.7

14.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 NT$64.9

$2.30 NT$74.6

-13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 NT$78.7

$2.02 NT$65.5

20.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 NT$33.12

$0.98 NT$31.72

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 NT$144

$3.88 NT$126

14.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.54 NT$504

$12.63 NT$410

23.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 NT$51.0

$1.91 NT$62.1

-17.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 NT$71.5

$2.35 NT$76.1

-6.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 NT$23.13

$0.61 NT$19.64

16.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 NT$410

$36.66 NT$1,189

-65.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 NT$87.6

$3.08 NT$99.8

-12.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$24.34

$0.31 NT$9.91

141.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.48 NT$178

$10.36 NT$336

-47.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 NT$33.97

$0.89 NT$28.98

17.98%

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

$33.6K NT$1.1M

$33.7K NT$1.1M

-0.28%

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

$23.6K NT$765.3K

$26.6K NT$862.6K

-11.28%

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

$85.5 NT$2,773

$103 NT$3,332

-16.80%

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

$17.29 NT$561

$19.48 NT$632

-11.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.39 NT$856

$12.54 NT$407

110.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.61 NT$1,317

$36.61 NT$1,187

10.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.33 NT$335

Cinema Ticket

$11.13 NT$361

$10.12 NT$328

9.98%

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

$473 NT$15.3K

$767 NT$24.9K

-38.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K NT$456.9K

$16.4K NT$533.1K

-14.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 NT$3,013

$57.1 NT$1,850

62.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.16 NT$1,011

$36.07 NT$1,170

-13.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 NT$2,855

$79.5 NT$2,576

10.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NT$3,310

$107 NT$3,455

-4.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$437 NT$14.2K

$404 NT$13.1K

8.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 NT$9,746

$253 NT$8,204

18.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 NT$32.6K

$985 NT$31.9K

2.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 NT$22.1K

$740 NT$24.0K

-7.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,523 NT$146.7K

$7,755 NT$251.5K

-41.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,193 NT$103.5K

$4,989 NT$161.8K

-36.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,471 NT$47.7K

$2,940 NT$95.3K

-49.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.56

2.13

20.19%

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

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hua-lien: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaohsiung

$363 32.1%

Hua-lien

$368 34.2% 1.3% $4.8

Accommodation & Living

Kaohsiung

$301 26.6%

Hua-lien

$253 23.5% 15.8% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Kaohsiung

$141 12.5%

Hua-lien

$126 11.7% 11.2% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaohsiung

$129 11.4%

Hua-lien

$135 12.5% 4.3% $5.6

Eating Out

Kaohsiung

$112 9.9%

Hua-lien

$95 8.8% 15.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Kaohsiung

$63 5.6%

Hua-lien

$57 5.3% 9.6% $6

Getting Around

Kaohsiung

$22 1.9%

Hua-lien

$44 4.1% 99% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $437 in Kaohsiung and $404 in Hua-lien. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hua-lien pays 100% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31.00 in Kaohsiung vs $29.00 in Hua-lien. Groceries flip the comparison at $363 vs $368, with Kaohsiung cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Hua-lien

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

Same time as Kaohsiung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,777,873

105,034

💱 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

On the map

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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 Hua-lien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hua-lien wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Kaohsiung. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hua-lien the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 100% lower in Hua-lien. 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: $437 in Kaohsiung versus $404 in Hua-lien. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Kaohsiung pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Hua-lien – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $31.00 in Kaohsiung. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,076 in Hua-lien versus $1,131 in Kaohsiung, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hua-lien but tight or insufficient in Kaohsiung. The gap between the two cities makes Hua-lien the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Kaohsiung and Hua-lien are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Hua-lien gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Kaohsiung. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.