Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaohsiung: $1,108 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,108

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaohsiung and in Melbourne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,108 in Kaohsiung versus $2,852 in Melbourne.

Kaohsiung $1,108
Melbourne $2,852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,821 in Kaohsiung versus $4,297 in Melbourne.

Kaohsiung $1,821
Melbourne $4,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,535 in Kaohsiung versus $5,742 in Melbourne.

Kaohsiung $2,535
Melbourne $5,742

Living in Kaohsiung costs roughly 61% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kaohsiung is 17% below, Melbourne is 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.46 NT$174

$17.75 A$25.49

-69.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.96 NT$1,020

$84.8 A$122

-62.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.87 NT$155

$12.16 A$17.46

-59.95%

Cappuccino

$2.83 NT$90.4

$3.93 A$5.64

-27.99%

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

$1.14 NT$36.42

$3.14 A$4.51

-63.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 NT$22.77

$2.43 A$3.49

-70.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 NT$48.87

$9.90 A$14.22

-84.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 NT$81.6

$8.29 A$11.91

-69.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.25 NT$104

$1.55 A$2.22

109.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 NT$69.8

$3.01 A$4.32

-27.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 NT$98.2

$2.88 A$4.14

6.60%

Eggs

$2.67 NT$85.2

$5.44 A$7.82

-50.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.13 NT$515

$10.59 A$15.22

52.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.08 NT$258

$9.61 A$13.81

-15.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.24 NT$486

$14.99 A$21.54

1.67%

Apples (1kg)

$6.80 NT$217

$4.15 A$5.96

63.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 NT$90.1

$3.05 A$4.38

-7.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 NT$82.0

$3.30 A$4.74

-22.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.08 NT$98.4

$4.76 A$6.83

-35.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 NT$90.7

$3.04 A$4.36

-6.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 NT$65.8

$2.55 A$3.66

-19.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 NT$78.2

$2.48 A$3.56

-1.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 NT$33.19

$1.63 A$2.34

-36.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 NT$145

$44.07 A$63.3

-89.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 NT$502

$12.43 A$17.85

26.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 NT$53.4

$5.33 A$7.65

-68.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 NT$71.7

$5.16 A$7.41

-56.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 NT$21.69

$3.84 A$5.52

-82.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.67 NT$405

$142 A$203

-91.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.76 NT$88.0

$4.40 A$6.32

-37.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$23.99

$1.40 A$2.01

-46.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.51 NT$176

$29.83 A$42.84

-81.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.52

$1.46 A$2.09

-30.14%

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

$33.6K NT$1.1M

$28.1K A$40.4K

19.52%

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

$23.0K NT$735.6K

$25.9K A$37.3K

-11.19%

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

$84.8 NT$2,706

$233 A$334

-63.56%

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

$17.34 NT$553

$27.28 A$39.19

-36.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.77 NT$823

$57.0 A$81.9

-54.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.21 NT$1,315

$52.7 A$75.7

-21.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.41 NT$332

$22.62 A$32.49

-53.98%

Cinema Ticket

$10.96 NT$350

$17.10 A$24.57

-35.91%

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

$462 NT$14.8K

$2,373 A$3,409

-80.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K NT$449.4K

$30.5K A$43.8K

-53.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.5 NT$2,983

$78.2 A$112

19.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.88 NT$1,018

$50.5 A$72.5

-36.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.9 NT$2,741

$121 A$173

-28.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,315

$133 A$191

-22.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 NT$13.2K

$1,713 A$2,460

-75.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 NT$8,812

$1,402 A$2,014

-80.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 NT$31.3K

$3,339 A$4,796

-70.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$668 NT$21.3K

$2,529 A$3,632

-73.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,588 NT$146.5K

$7,018 A$10.1K

-34.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,154 NT$100.7K

$6,767 A$9,721

-53.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,462 NT$46.7K

$4,228 A$6,074

-65.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.56

5.9

-56.61%

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

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 3, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaohsiung

$368 33.1%

Melbourne

$385 13.5% 4.8% $18

Accommodation & Living

Kaohsiung

$276 24.9%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 408% $1.1K

Clothing & Footwear

Kaohsiung

$142 12.8%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 21.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaohsiung

$128 11.5%

Melbourne

$317 11.1% 148% $189

Eating Out

Kaohsiung

$112 10.1%

Melbourne

$314 11% 179% $202

Sport & Entertainment

Kaohsiung

$63 5.7%

Melbourne

$87 3.1% 37.6% $24

Getting Around

Kaohsiung

$22 2%

Melbourne

$168 5.9% 668% $146

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $415 in Kaohsiung and $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 189% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Kaohsiung vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $385 per month, with Kaohsiung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

15:14 3:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

3 h ahead of Kaohsiung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,777,873

5,031,195

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.79 EUR

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.92 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.81 TWD (100 TWD = 2.79 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kaohsiung Melbourne 7,200 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Kaohsiung
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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 Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaohsiung and Melbourne differ by about 157% in total monthly costs ($1,108 vs $2,852 including rent). Kaohsiung is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 189% lower in Melbourne. 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: $415 in Kaohsiung versus $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $462 in Kaohsiung versus $2,373 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,108 in Kaohsiung versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kaohsiung but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Kaohsiung 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 Melbourne 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 Kaohsiung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 157% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.