Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Taichung

For one person, living costs are similar in Kaohsiung and in Taichung: $1,131 and $1,145 a month, rent and utilities included.

55

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index

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Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,131

/mo nomad

Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,145

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaohsiung and in Taichung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Kaohsiung versus $1,145 in Taichung.

Kaohsiung $1,131
Taichung $1,145

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,838 in Kaohsiung versus $1,901 in Taichung.

Kaohsiung $1,838
Taichung $1,901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,544 in Kaohsiung versus $2,657 in Taichung.

Kaohsiung $2,544
Taichung $2,657

Living in Kaohsiung costs roughly 1% less than in Taichung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kaohsiung 16% lower, Taichung 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.63 NT$183

$4.67 NT$151

20.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.36 NT$1,017

$31.15 NT$1,010

0.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.65 NT$151

$4.60 NT$149

1.09%

Cappuccino

$2.78 NT$90.1

$2.71 NT$87.8

2.58%

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

$1.08 NT$34.99

$0.99 NT$31.98

9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 NT$21.40

$0.71 NT$23.04

-7.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 NT$49.14

$1.58 NT$51.4

-3.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 NT$80.7

$2.89 NT$93.6

-13.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.10 NT$100

$3.14 NT$102

-1.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 NT$70.7

$1.74 NT$56.6

25.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 NT$95.3

$2.59 NT$84.0

13.51%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$2.59 NT$83.9

3.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.81 NT$513

$28.15 NT$913

-43.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.12 NT$263

$7.89 NT$256

2.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.55 NT$504

$16.90 NT$548

-7.99%

Apples (1kg)

$6.60 NT$214

$4.22 NT$137

56.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 NT$88.5

$1.96 NT$63.4

39.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 NT$82.2

$3.00 NT$97.4

-15.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 NT$102

$2.16 NT$69.9

44.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 NT$90.2

$1.19 NT$38.55

133.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 NT$64.9

$1.89 NT$61.4

5.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 NT$78.7

$2.32 NT$75.1

4.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 NT$33.12

$0.91 NT$29.66

12.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 NT$144

$3.78 NT$122

17.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.54 NT$504

$15.59 NT$506

-0.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 NT$51.0

$1.57 NT$50.8

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 NT$71.5

$2.46 NT$79.8

-10.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 NT$23.13

$0.67 NT$21.69

5.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 NT$410

$31.36 NT$1,017

-59.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 NT$87.6

$2.67 NT$86.7

1.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$24.34

$0.97 NT$31.57

-22.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.48 NT$178

$9.65 NT$313

-43.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 NT$33.97

$1.06 NT$34.36

-0.94%

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

$33.6K NT$1.1M

$33.9K NT$1.1M

-0.88%

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

$23.6K NT$765.3K

$22.7K NT$735.4K

4.06%

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

$85.5 NT$2,773

$122 NT$3,945

-29.72%

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

$17.29 NT$561

$15.08 NT$489

14.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.39 NT$856

$21.01 NT$681

25.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.61 NT$1,317

$31.97 NT$1,037

27.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.33 NT$335

$11.54 NT$374

-10.49%

Cinema Ticket

$11.13 NT$361

$9.53 NT$309

16.79%

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

$473 NT$15.3K

$333 NT$10.8K

41.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K NT$456.9K

$16.6K NT$537.7K

-15.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 NT$3,013

$71.7 NT$2,326

29.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.16 NT$1,011

$35.65 NT$1,156

-12.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 NT$2,855

$83.4 NT$2,706

5.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NT$3,310

$116 NT$3,768

-12.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$437 NT$14.2K

$391 NT$12.7K

11.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 NT$9,746

$281 NT$9,111

6.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 NT$32.6K

$1,218 NT$39.5K

-17.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 NT$22.1K

$758 NT$24.6K

-10.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,523 NT$146.7K

$8,582 NT$278.3K

-47.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,193 NT$103.5K

$5,309 NT$172.2K

-39.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,471 NT$47.7K

$1,443 NT$46.8K

1.94%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Taichung: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaohsiung

$363 32.1%

Taichung

$371 32.4% 2.4% $8.6

Accommodation & Living

Kaohsiung

$301 26.6%

Taichung

$281 24.5% 6.5% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Kaohsiung

$141 12.5%

Taichung

$138 12.1% 2.3% $3.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaohsiung

$129 11.4%

Taichung

$158 13.8% 22.1% $29

Eating Out

Kaohsiung

$112 9.9%

Taichung

$104 9.1% 6.9% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Kaohsiung

$63 5.6%

Taichung

$51 4.5% 18.8% $12

Getting Around

Kaohsiung

$22 1.9%

Taichung

$42 3.6% 89.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $437 in Kaohsiung and $391 in Taichung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaohsiung pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31.00 in Kaohsiung vs $31.00 in Taichung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $371 per month, with Kaohsiung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taichung

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

Same time as Kaohsiung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,777,873

2,767,239

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 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 Taichung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaohsiung and Taichung differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,131 vs $1,145 including rent). Kaohsiung is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2% 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: $437 in Kaohsiung versus $391 in Taichung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $473 in Kaohsiung versus $333 in Taichung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Taichung. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,131 in Kaohsiung versus $1,145 in Taichung, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kaohsiung but tight or insufficient in Taichung. 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 Taichung 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 1% less than in Taichung. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.