Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Taichung Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Taichung

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Kaohsiung is 6% cheaper than Taichung without rent, and 4.2% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Kaohsiung is 0.2% cheaper than Taichung without rent, and 3.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Kaohsiung
Taichung
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.11 NT$121
$4.98 NT$147
-17.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.16 NT$1,008
$29.94 NT$883
14.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.28 NT$156
$5.33 NT$157
-0.94%
Cappuccino
$3.02 NT$89.1
$2.91 NT$85.9
3.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.99 NT$29.07
$1.12 NT$32.91
-11.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 NT$21.02
$0.86 NT$25.31
-17.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.74 NT$51.3
$2.14 NT$63.2
-18.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.65 NT$78.2
$2.96 NT$87.3
-10.47%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Kaohsiung
Taichung
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.45 NT$102
$3.74 NT$110
-7.75%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 NT$61.6
$1.77 NT$52.3
18.08%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.67 NT$78.7
$2.76 NT$81.3
-3.26%
Eggs
$3.23 NT$95.3
$3.24 NT$95.5
-0.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.69 NT$463
$31.12 NT$918
-49.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.32 NT$275
$7.99 NT$236
16.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.1 NT$534
$16.12 NT$476
12.28%
Apples (1kg)
$6.12 NT$181
$4.65 NT$137
31.61%
Banana (1kg)
$2.51 NT$74.1
$1.81 NT$53.4
38.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.86 NT$84.3
$2.19 NT$64.7
30.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.1 NT$121
$2.97 NT$87.6
38.05%
Potato (1kg)
$2.95 NT$86.9
$1.34 NT$39.66
120.15%
Onion (1kg)
$2.13 NT$62.9
$1.94 NT$57.3
9.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.94 NT$57.2
$2.31 NT$68.1
-16.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 NT$34.06
$1.25 NT$36.88
-8.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.44 NT$131
$4.06 NT$120
9.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.93 NT$352
$13.99 NT$413
-14.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 NT$49.65
$1.72 NT$50.9
-2.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 NT$72.9
$2.65 NT$78.2
-6.79%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Kaohsiung
Taichung
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.83 NT$24.59
$0.92 NT$27.28
-9.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.56 NT$813
$28.28 NT$834
-2.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.95 NT$87
$2.8 NT$82.6
5.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.74 NT$21.85
$1.23 NT$36.31
-39.84%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.14 NT$181
$10.19 NT$301
-39.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.03 NT$30.24
$1 NT$29.62
3.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.6K NT$1M
$34.5K NT$1M
0.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.9K NT$734.8K
$25.8K NT$762.5K
-3.63%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kaohsiung
Taichung
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 NT$3,023
$97.5 NT$2,875
5.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.11 NT$741
$24.72 NT$729
1.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.81 NT$732
$21.97 NT$648
12.93%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Kaohsiung
Taichung
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.75 NT$1,143
$36.59 NT$1,079
5.90%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.5 NT$339
$10.01 NT$295
14.89%
Cinema Ticket
$10.36 NT$305
$10.55 NT$311
-1.80%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Kaohsiung
Taichung
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$430 NT$12.7K
$353 NT$10.4K
21.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K NT$334.9K
$20.4K NT$601K
-44.28%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Kaohsiung
Taichung
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$97.6 NT$2,878
$84.9 NT$2,504
14.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.1 NT$1,065
$34.33 NT$1,013
5.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.2 NT$2,630
$96.8 NT$2,856
-7.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$99.9 NT$2,945
$129 NT$3,817
-22.84%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Kaohsiung
Taichung
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$434 NT$12.8K
$387 NT$11.4K
11.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$276 NT$8,129
$291 NT$8,573
-5.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$932 NT$27.5K
$1,018 NT$30K
-8.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$704 NT$20.8K
$733 NT$21.6K
-3.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,920 NT$145.1K
$7,529 NT$222.1K
-34.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,251 NT$95.9K
$8,064 NT$237.9K
-59.69%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Kaohsiung
Taichung
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,333 NT$39.3K
$1,461 NT$43.1K
-8.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.3
2.18
5.50%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 27, 2025

Last update for Taichung: October 28, 2025

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