Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Taitung

For one person, living is cheaper in Taitung: $1,040 a month against $1,141 in Kaohsiung, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Taitung
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Taitung Living Index

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Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,141

/mo nomad

Taitung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaohsiung and in Taitung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,141 in Kaohsiung versus $1,040 in Taitung.

Kaohsiung $1,141
Taitung $1,040

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,815 in Kaohsiung versus $1,750 in Taitung.

Kaohsiung $1,815
Taitung $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,490 in Kaohsiung versus $2,460 in Taitung.

Kaohsiung $2,490
Taitung $2,460

Living in Kaohsiung is roughly 10% more expensive than in Taitung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kaohsiung 16% lower, Taitung 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.23 NT$139

$3.71 NT$122

14.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.04 NT$1,019

$46.72 NT$1,533

-33.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.84 NT$159

$5.82 NT$191

-16.84%

Cappuccino

$2.85 NT$93.7

$3.26 NT$107

-12.58%

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

$1.03 NT$33.76

$0.87 NT$28.50

18.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$22.13

$0.67 NT$22.01

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 NT$50.9

$2.95 NT$96.8

-47.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 NT$76.4

$3.60 NT$118

-35.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 NT$102

$2.92 NT$95.9

6.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 NT$68.9

$1.79 NT$58.8

17.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 NT$102

$3.07 NT$101

1.63%

Eggs

$2.51 NT$82.5

$2.19 NT$71.7

14.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.82 NT$552

$19.44 NT$638

-13.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.57 NT$248

$3.59 NT$118

110.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.32 NT$503

$21.06 NT$691

-27.26%

Apples (1kg)

$6.62 NT$217

$1.87 NT$61.3

254.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.65 NT$87.0

$2.69 NT$88.2

-1.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 NT$80.2

$1.80 NT$59.2

35.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.08 NT$101

$4.43 NT$145

-30.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 NT$86.3

$2.76 NT$90.5

-4.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 NT$66.2

$2.19 NT$71.9

-7.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 NT$76.8

$1.64 NT$53.8

42.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 NT$32.91

$1.12 NT$36.74

-10.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 NT$141

$3.82 NT$125

12.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.50 NT$509

$13.98 NT$459

10.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 NT$53.3

$1.61 NT$52.8

0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 NT$69.8

$2.12 NT$69.7

0.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 NT$19.33

$0.60 NT$19.75

-1.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.04 NT$395

$34.09 NT$1,119

-64.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 NT$86.3

$2.56 NT$84.0

2.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 NT$24.94

$0.81 NT$26.52

-6.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.61 NT$184

$9.37 NT$308

-40.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 NT$31.91

$0.95 NT$31.13

2.11%

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

$36.1K NT$1.2M

$33.9K NT$1.1M

6.67%

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

$22.6K NT$741.9K

$23.0K NT$755.2K

-1.76%

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

$90.4 NT$2,968

$85.2 NT$2,795

6.18%

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

$16.73 NT$549

$17.57 NT$577

-4.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.06 NT$790

$26.85 NT$881

-10.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.98 NT$1,312

$35.26 NT$1,157

13.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.36 NT$340

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 NT$335

$9.08 NT$298

12.33%

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

$448 NT$14.7K

$572 NT$18.8K

-21.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K NT$549.9K

$23.5K NT$771.6K

-28.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.3 NT$2,965

$27.39 NT$899

229.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.36 NT$898

$15.30 NT$502

78.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.4 NT$2,770

$48.97 NT$1,607

72.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 NT$3,294

$104 NT$3,408

-3.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$456 NT$15.0K

$406 NT$13.3K

12.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$331 NT$10.9K

$277 NT$9,076

19.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$966 NT$31.7K

$1,140 NT$37.4K

-15.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$677 NT$22.2K

$691 NT$22.7K

-2.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,150 NT$136.2K

$5,806 NT$190.6K

-28.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,885 NT$94.7K

$3,826 NT$125.6K

-24.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,473 NT$48.3K

$613 NT$20.1K

140.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.68

2.37

13.08%

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

Last update for Kaohsiung: November 1, 2026

Last update for Taitung: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaohsiung

$360 31.6%

Taitung

$335 32.2% 6.8% $25

Accommodation & Living

Kaohsiung

$331 29%

Taitung

$277 26.6% 16.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Kaohsiung

$136 11.9%

Taitung

$88 8.5% 35.4% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaohsiung

$131 11.5%

Taitung

$130 12.5% 1.2% $1.6

Eating Out

Kaohsiung

$102 8.9%

Taitung

$114 11% 12.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Kaohsiung

$60 5.3%

Taitung

$53 5.1% 11.5% $7

Getting Around

Kaohsiung

$21 1.8%

Taitung

$43 4.1% 107% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $456 in Kaohsiung and $406 in Taitung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaohsiung pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $31 in Kaohsiung vs $47 in Taitung. Groceries flip the comparison at $360 vs $335, with Taitung cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taitung

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

Same time as Kaohsiung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,777,873

106,368

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.05 USD

100 TWD = 2.71 EUR

100 TWD = 3.05 USD

100 TWD = 2.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Kaohsiung Taitung 87 km

From you

Kaohsiung
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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 Taitung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,141 in Kaohsiung and $1,040 in Taitung, so Taitung is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Kaohsiung is about 2.4 times higher, 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: $456 in Kaohsiung versus $406 in Taitung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $448 in Kaohsiung versus $572 in Taitung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Kaohsiung. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

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

It comes down to priorities – Taitung wins on affordability, Kaohsiung on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.