Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Pingtung city

For one person, living is cheaper in Pingtung city: $890 a month against $1,105 in Kaohsiung, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Pingtung city
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Pingtung city Living Index

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Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,105

/mo nomad

Pingtung city

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$890

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaohsiung and in Pingtung 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 Pingtung city actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,105 in Kaohsiung versus $890 in Pingtung city.

Kaohsiung $1,105
Pingtung city $890

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,796 in Kaohsiung versus $1,441 in Pingtung city.

Kaohsiung $1,796
Pingtung city $1,441

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,487 in Kaohsiung versus $1,993 in Pingtung city.

Kaohsiung $2,487
Pingtung city $1,993

Living in Kaohsiung is roughly 24% more expensive than in Pingtung city, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kaohsiung 19% lower, Pingtung city 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.74 NT$155

$4.51 NT$147

5.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.77 NT$1,003

$30.78 NT$1,003

-0.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.60 NT$150

$4.74 NT$154

-2.95%

Cappuccino

$2.93 NT$95.4

$2.95 NT$96.3

-0.68%

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

$1.05 NT$34.21

$1.02 NT$33.23

2.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 NT$22.61

$0.64 NT$20.76

7.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 NT$49.24

$1.46 NT$47.49

3.42%

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

$3.22 NT$105

-1.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 NT$71.1

$1.87 NT$60.8

16.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 NT$93.5

$2.54 NT$82.9

12.99%

Eggs

$2.54 NT$82.9

$2.55 NT$83.3

-0.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.21 NT$496

$15.44 NT$504

-1.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.03 NT$262

$7.67 NT$250

4.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 NT$481

$14.97 NT$488

-1.34%

Apples (1kg)

$6.40 NT$209

$4.32 NT$141

48.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.9

$1.92 NT$62.7

45.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 NT$78.8

$2.53 NT$82.5

-4.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 NT$98.6

Potato (1kg)

$2.68 NT$87.4

$1.22 NT$39.81

119.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 NT$64.4

$1.86 NT$60.8

5.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NT$74.9

$2.26 NT$73.8

1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 NT$33.12

$0.84 NT$27.39

21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.24 NT$138

$3.72 NT$121

13.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.44 NT$503

$15.66 NT$511

-1.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 NT$52.5

$1.54 NT$50.2

4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NT$68.0

$2.16 NT$70.6

-3.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 NT$20.35

$0.48 NT$15.66

29.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.04 NT$393

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 NT$86.0

$2.63 NT$85.7

0.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 NT$25.48

$0.80 NT$26.00

-2.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.68 NT$185

$6.25 NT$204

-9.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 NT$31.78

$0.99 NT$32.36

-2.02%

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

$37.1K NT$1.2M

$34.7K NT$1.1M

6.91%

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

$22.7K NT$739.4K

$22.2K NT$722.4K

2.36%

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

$82.1 NT$2,676

$108 NT$3,527

-24.12%

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

$16.89 NT$551

$14.35 NT$468

17.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.27 NT$824

$25.28 NT$824

-0.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.20 NT$1,278

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.12 NT$330

Cinema Ticket

$10.11 NT$330

$9.96 NT$325

1.51%

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

$448 NT$14.6K

$328 NT$10.7K

36.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K NT$445.8K

$13.6K NT$443.2K

0.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.0 NT$2,935

$69.5 NT$2,267

29.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.24 NT$1,019

$30.29 NT$988

3.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 NT$2,805

$80.8 NT$2,635

6.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 NT$3,239

$100 NT$3,268

-0.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 NT$14.0K

$243 NT$7,923

77.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 NT$9,806

$153 NT$5,000

96.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 NT$32.1K

$713 NT$23.2K

38.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 NT$22.2K

$372 NT$12.1K

82.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,146 NT$135.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,875 NT$93.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,401 NT$45.7K

$1,946 NT$63.4K

-28.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.56

2.27

12.78%

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

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pingtung city: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaohsiung

$355 32.1%

Pingtung city

$329 37% 7.3% $26

Accommodation & Living

Kaohsiung

$301 27.2%

Pingtung city

$153 17.2% 49% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Kaohsiung

$138 12.5%

Pingtung city

$126 14.2% 8.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaohsiung

$124 11.3%

Pingtung city

$148 16.6% 19% $24

Eating Out

Kaohsiung

$106 9.6%

Pingtung city

$105 11.8% 1.5% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Kaohsiung

$59 5.4%

Pingtung city

$20 * 2.2% 66.5% $40

Getting Around

Kaohsiung

$21 1.9%

Pingtung city

$8.5 * 1% 59.5% $13

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 $243 in Pingtung city. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pingtung city pays 39% 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 Pingtung city. Groceries flip the comparison at $355 vs $329, with Pingtung city cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Pingtung city

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

Same time as Kaohsiung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,777,873

201,644

💱 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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Kaohsiung Pingtung city 19 km

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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 Pingtung city: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,105 in Kaohsiung and $890 in Pingtung city, so Pingtung city is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 28% 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 $243 in Pingtung city. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $448 in Kaohsiung versus $328 in Pingtung city. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,105 per month in Kaohsiung versus $890 in Pingtung city – Pingtung city is about 19% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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