Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Kinmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Kaohsiung and in Kinmen: $1,131 and $1,088 a month, rent and utilities included.

55

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
Learn more

Kaohsiung Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kinmen
Learn more

Kinmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,131

/mo nomad

Kinmen

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,088

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaohsiung and in Kinmen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Kaohsiung versus $1,088 in Kinmen.

Kaohsiung $1,131
Kinmen $1,088

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,838 in Kaohsiung versus $1,849 in Kinmen.

Kaohsiung $1,838
Kinmen $1,849

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,544 in Kaohsiung versus $2,611 in Kinmen.

Kaohsiung $2,544
Kinmen $2,611

Living in Kaohsiung is roughly 4% more expensive than in Kinmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kaohsiung 16% lower, Kinmen 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.63 NT$183

$4.77 NT$155

18.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.36 NT$1,017

$31.40 NT$1,018

-0.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.65 NT$151

$4.75 NT$154

-2.11%

Cappuccino

$2.78 NT$90.1

$2.90 NT$94.0

-4.14%

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

$1.08 NT$34.99

$0.98 NT$31.62

10.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 NT$21.40

$0.65 NT$21.01

1.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 NT$49.14

$1.55 NT$50.1

-1.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 NT$80.7

$2.56 NT$82.9

-2.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.10 NT$100

$3.03 NT$98.2

2.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 NT$70.7

$1.87 NT$60.8

16.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 NT$95.3

$2.96 NT$96.1

-0.68%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$2.71 NT$87.9

-1.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.81 NT$513

$19.51 NT$633

-18.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.12 NT$263

$7.82 NT$254

3.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.55 NT$504

$20.99 NT$681

-25.92%

Apples (1kg)

$6.60 NT$214

$4.27 NT$139

54.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 NT$88.5

$2.50 NT$81.0

9.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 NT$82.2

$2.98 NT$96.7

-14.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 NT$102

$3.25 NT$105

-3.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 NT$90.2

$2.84 NT$92.1

-2.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 NT$64.9

$2.15 NT$69.7

-6.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 NT$78.7

$2.00 NT$64.8

21.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 NT$33.12

$1.07 NT$34.85

-4.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 NT$144

$3.95 NT$128

12.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.54 NT$504

$12.64 NT$410

22.94%

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

$2.29 NT$74.3

-3.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 NT$23.13

$0.61 NT$19.75

16.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 NT$410

$36.67 NT$1,189

-65.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 NT$87.6

$2.74 NT$88.8

-1.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$24.34

$0.82 NT$26.72

-8.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.48 NT$178

$9.51 NT$308

-42.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 NT$33.97

$1.02 NT$32.92

2.94%

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

$33.6K NT$1.1M

$34.3K NT$1.1M

-1.92%

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

$23.6K NT$765.3K

$24.7K NT$801.0K

-4.47%

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

$85.5 NT$2,773

$88.5 NT$2,869

-3.36%

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

$17.29 NT$561

$17.67 NT$573

-2.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.39 NT$856

$22.41 NT$727

17.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.61 NT$1,317

$37.07 NT$1,202

9.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.33 NT$335

Cinema Ticket

$11.13 NT$361

$9.78 NT$317

13.80%

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

$473 NT$15.3K

$535 NT$17.3K

-11.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K NT$456.9K

$16.6K NT$538.1K

-15.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 NT$3,013

$64.5 NT$2,092

44.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.16 NT$1,011

$31.43 NT$1,019

-0.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 NT$2,855

$85.0 NT$2,757

3.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NT$3,310

$101 NT$3,284

0.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$437 NT$14.2K

$409 NT$13.3K

6.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 NT$9,746

$255 NT$8,261

17.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 NT$32.6K

$973 NT$31.5K

3.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 NT$22.1K

$745 NT$24.2K

-8.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,523 NT$146.7K

$7,994 NT$259.2K

-43.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,193 NT$103.5K

$5,078 NT$164.7K

-37.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,471 NT$47.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.56

2.38

7.56%

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

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kinmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaohsiung

$363 32.1%

Kinmen

$369 33.9% 1.6% $5.8

Accommodation & Living

Kaohsiung

$301 26.6%

Kinmen

$255 23.4% 15.2% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Kaohsiung

$141 12.5%

Kinmen

$127 11.7% 10.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaohsiung

$129 11.4%

Kinmen

$129 11.8% 0.5% $0.6

Eating Out

Kaohsiung

$112 9.9%

Kinmen

$107 9.8% 4.8% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Kaohsiung

$63 5.6%

Kinmen

$57 5.2% 9.9% $6.2

Getting Around

Kaohsiung

$22 1.9%

Kinmen

$46 4.2% 109% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $437 in Kaohsiung and $409 in Kinmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31.00 in Kaohsiung vs $31.00 in Kinmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $369 per month, with Kaohsiung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Kinmen

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

Same time as Kaohsiung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,777,873

12,568

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kaohsiung Kinmen 290 km

From you

Kaohsiung
Kinmen

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 Kinmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaohsiung and Kinmen differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,131 vs $1,088 including rent). Kinmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,696 in Kaohsiung and $1,632 in Kinmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $437 in Kaohsiung versus $409 in Kinmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $473 in Kaohsiung versus $535 in Kinmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Kaohsiung pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,088 in Kinmen versus $1,131 in Kaohsiung, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kinmen but tight or insufficient in Kaohsiung. The gap between the two cities makes Kinmen 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 Kinmen 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 Kinmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Kaohsiung. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.