Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and New Taipei City

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaohsiung: $1,105 a month against $1,185 in New Taipei City, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in New Taipei City
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New Taipei City Living Index

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Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,105

/mo nomad

New Taipei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaohsiung and in New Taipei City

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 New Taipei City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,105 in Kaohsiung versus $1,185 in New Taipei City.

Kaohsiung $1,105
New Taipei City $1,185

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,796 in Kaohsiung versus $1,998 in New Taipei City.

Kaohsiung $1,796
New Taipei City $1,998

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,487 in Kaohsiung versus $2,810 in New Taipei City.

Kaohsiung $2,487
New Taipei City $2,810

Living in Kaohsiung costs roughly 7% less than in New Taipei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kaohsiung 19% lower, New Taipei City 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.74 NT$155

$4.67 NT$152

1.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.77 NT$1,003

$30.83 NT$1,005

-0.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.60 NT$150

$5.18 NT$169

-11.20%

Cappuccino

$2.93 NT$95.4

$2.31 NT$75.4

26.84%

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

$1.05 NT$34.21

$0.82 NT$26.80

28.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 NT$22.61

$0.53 NT$17.19

30.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 NT$49.24

$1.58 NT$51.7

-4.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 NT$78.1

$2.43 NT$79.3

-1.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.16 NT$103

$3.13 NT$102

0.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 NT$71.1

$1.85 NT$60.4

17.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 NT$93.5

$2.13 NT$69.6

34.74%

Eggs

$2.54 NT$82.9

$2.15 NT$70.1

18.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.21 NT$496

$24.36 NT$794

-37.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.03 NT$262

$10.65 NT$347

-24.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 NT$481

$18.90 NT$616

-21.85%

Apples (1kg)

$6.40 NT$209

$4.01 NT$131

59.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.9

$2.49 NT$81.2

12.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 NT$78.8

$2.76 NT$89.9

-12.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 NT$98.6

$4.01 NT$131

-24.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.68 NT$87.4

$3.96 NT$129

-32.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 NT$64.4

$2.08 NT$67.8

-5.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NT$74.9

$1.59 NT$51.9

44.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 NT$33.12

$1.01 NT$32.93

0.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.24 NT$138

$4.30 NT$140

-1.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.44 NT$503

$9.16 NT$299

68.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 NT$52.5

$1.36 NT$44.40

18.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NT$68.0

$2.28 NT$74.3

-8.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 NT$20.35

$0.63 NT$20.66

-1.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.04 NT$393

$37.16 NT$1,212

-67.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 NT$86.0

$2.66 NT$86.7

-0.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 NT$25.48

$0.94 NT$30.71

-17.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.68 NT$185

$9.35 NT$305

-39.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 NT$31.78

$0.99 NT$32.28

-2.02%

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

$37.1K NT$1.2M

$33.2K NT$1.1M

12.01%

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

$22.7K NT$739.4K

$23.6K NT$768.0K

-3.72%

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

$82.1 NT$2,676

$112 NT$3,650

-26.68%

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

$16.89 NT$551

$16.63 NT$542

1.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.27 NT$824

$23.01 NT$750

9.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.20 NT$1,278

$37.65 NT$1,227

4.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.12 NT$330

$7.72 NT$252

31.09%

Cinema Ticket

$10.11 NT$330

$10.65 NT$347

-5.07%

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

$448 NT$14.6K

$634 NT$20.7K

-29.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K NT$445.8K

$21.0K NT$683.8K

-34.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.0 NT$2,935

$35.02 NT$1,142

157.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.24 NT$1,019

$31.03 NT$1,012

0.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 NT$2,805

$89.3 NT$2,910

-3.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 NT$3,239

$98.2 NT$3,202

1.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 NT$14.0K

$613 NT$20.0K

-29.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 NT$9,806

$335 NT$10.9K

-10.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 NT$32.1K

$1,377 NT$44.9K

-28.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 NT$22.2K

$920 NT$30.0K

-26.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,146 NT$135.2K

$10.2K NT$331.8K

-59.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,875 NT$93.7K

$5,980 NT$195.0K

-51.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,401 NT$45.7K

$1,359 NT$44.3K

3.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.56

2.81

-8.90%

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

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 26, 2026

Last update for New Taipei City: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaohsiung

$355 32.1%

New Taipei City

$380 32.1% 7.1% $25

Accommodation & Living

Kaohsiung

$301 27.2%

New Taipei City

$335 28.2% 11.3% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Kaohsiung

$138 12.5%

New Taipei City

$114 9.6% 17.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaohsiung

$124 11.3%

New Taipei City

$152 12.8% 22% $27

Eating Out

Kaohsiung

$106 9.6%

New Taipei City

$99 8.3% 6.9% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Kaohsiung

$59 5.4%

New Taipei City

$59 5% 0.8% $0.5

Getting Around

Kaohsiung

$21 1.9%

New Taipei City

$47 4% 123% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $430 in Kaohsiung and $613 in New Taipei City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaohsiung pays 3% 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 $31 in New Taipei City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $380 per month, with Kaohsiung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 New Taipei City

🕒 Local time

20:16 8:16 PM

Same time as Kaohsiung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,777,873

4,004,367

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 New Taipei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,105 in Kaohsiung and $1,185 in New Taipei City, so Kaohsiung is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Kaohsiung, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $430 in Kaohsiung versus $613 in New Taipei City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $448 in Kaohsiung versus $634 in New Taipei City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Kaohsiung runs roughly 68% less than in New Taipei City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Kaohsiung gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Kaohsiung is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in New Taipei City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Kaohsiung and New Taipei City are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.