Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Miaoli

For one person, living is cheaper in Miaoli: $768 a month against $1,105 in Kaohsiung, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Miaoli
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Miaoli Living Index

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Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,105

/mo nomad

Miaoli

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaohsiung and in Miaoli

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,105 in Kaohsiung versus $768 in Miaoli.

Kaohsiung $1,105
Miaoli $768

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,796 in Kaohsiung versus $1,069 in Miaoli.

Kaohsiung $1,796
Miaoli $1,069

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,487 in Kaohsiung versus $1,370 in Miaoli.

Kaohsiung $2,487
Miaoli $1,370

Living in Kaohsiung is roughly 44% more expensive than in Miaoli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kaohsiung 19% lower, Miaoli 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.74 NT$154

$2.53 NT$82.1

87.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.77 NT$997

$23.04 NT$747

33.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.60 NT$149

$4.69 NT$152

-1.92%

Cappuccino

$2.93 NT$94.8

$2.94 NT$95.3

-0.34%

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

$1.05 NT$33.99

$0.83 NT$26.74

26.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 NT$22.47

$0.55 NT$17.89

25.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 NT$48.93

$1.20 NT$38.78

25.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 NT$77.6

$1.28 NT$41.53

86.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.16 NT$102

$2.64 NT$85.5

19.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 NT$70.7

$1.22 NT$39.59

78.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 NT$92.9

$2.64 NT$85.7

8.71%

Eggs

$2.54 NT$82.4

$2.05 NT$66.6

23.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.21 NT$493

$8.96 NT$290

69.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.03 NT$260

$7.43 NT$241

8.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 NT$478

$21.11 NT$684

-30.03%

Apples (1kg)

$6.40 NT$207

$3.77 NT$122

69.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.3

$1.96 NT$63.5

42.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 NT$78.3

$2.91 NT$94.3

-16.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 NT$98.0

$3.10 NT$100

-2.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.68 NT$86.9

$2.53 NT$81.9

5.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 NT$64.0

$1.91 NT$61.7

3.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NT$74.5

$2.20 NT$71.2

4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 NT$32.91

$0.89 NT$28.98

14.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.24 NT$137

$3.86 NT$125

9.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.44 NT$500

$10.90 NT$353

41.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 NT$52.1

$1.40 NT$45.41

15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NT$67.6

$2.10 NT$68.2

-0.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 NT$20.22

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.04 NT$390

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 NT$85.4

$2.81 NT$91.1

-6.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 NT$25.32

$0.74 NT$23.95

5.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.68 NT$184

$7.07 NT$229

-19.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 NT$31.58

$1.01 NT$32.79

-3.96%

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

$37.1K NT$1.2M

$36.7K NT$1.2M

1.28%

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

$22.7K NT$734.7K

$22.8K NT$738.3K

-0.49%

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

$82.1 NT$2,659

$68.0 NT$2,203

20.71%

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

$16.89 NT$547

$17.30 NT$560

-2.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.27 NT$819

$21.61 NT$700

16.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.20 NT$1,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.12 NT$328

Cinema Ticket

$10.11 NT$328

$10.84 NT$351

-6.73%

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

$448 NT$14.5K

$508 NT$16.5K

-11.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K NT$443.0K

$30.8K NT$999.4K

-55.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.0 NT$2,916

$12.19 NT$395

638.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.24 NT$1,012

$23.87 NT$773

30.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 NT$2,787

$62.2 NT$2,014

38.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 NT$3,218

$94.1 NT$3,049

5.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 NT$13.9K

$211 NT$6,834

104.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 NT$9,744

$156 NT$5,060

92.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 NT$31.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 NT$22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,146 NT$134.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,875 NT$93.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,401 NT$45.4K

$2,374 NT$76.9K

-41.01%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Miaoli: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaohsiung

$355 32.1%

Miaoli

$306 39.9% 13.7% $49

Accommodation & Living

Kaohsiung

$301 27.2%

Miaoli

$156 20.3% 48.1% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Kaohsiung

$138 12.5%

Miaoli

$87 11.3% 37.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaohsiung

$124 11.3%

Miaoli

$107 13.9% 14% $17

Eating Out

Kaohsiung

$106 9.6%

Miaoli

$84 10.9% 21.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Kaohsiung

$59 5.4%

Miaoli

$22 * 2.8% 63.5% $38

Getting Around

Kaohsiung

$21 1.9%

Miaoli

$6.5 * 0.9% 69.1% $15

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 $211 in Miaoli. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Miaoli pays 70% 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 $23 in Miaoli for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $306 per month, with Miaoli cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Miaoli

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

Same time as Kaohsiung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,777,873

89,892

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.09 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

100 TWD = 3.09 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Kaohsiung Miaoli 220 km

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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 Miaoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaohsiung and Miaoli differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,105 vs $768 including rent). Miaoli is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 41% 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 $211 in Miaoli. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $448 in Kaohsiung versus $508 in Miaoli. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Miaoli – a meal for two runs $23 versus $31 in Kaohsiung. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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