Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Taoyuan Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Taoyuan

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,188 in Kaohsiung versus $1,107 in Taoyuan.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,951 in Kaohsiung versus $1,706 in Taoyuan.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,714 in Kaohsiung versus $2,305 in Taoyuan.

Living in Kaohsiung is roughly 7% more expensive than Taoyuan, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kaohsiung 12% lower, Taoyuan 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.05 NT$128

$5.00 NT$158

-19.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.24 NT$1,082

$25.74 NT$814

33.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.51 NT$174

$6.02 NT$190

-8.47%

Cappuccino

$3.09 NT$97.8

$2.83 NT$89.6

9.19%

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

$0.97 NT$30.78

$1.23 NT$38.97

-21.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 NT$22.50

$0.77 NT$24.25

-7.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 NT$52.4

$1.63 NT$51.6

1.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 NT$86.2

$2.36 NT$74.5

15.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.50 NT$110

$3.30 NT$104

6.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 NT$63.3

$1.38 NT$43.61

44.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 NT$82.4

$2.51 NT$79.4

3.98%

Eggs

$3.33 NT$105

$2.29 NT$72.4

45.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.02 NT$506

$9.09 NT$287

76.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 NT$297

$7.84 NT$248

20.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.01 NT$569

$16.02 NT$506

12.42%

Apples (1kg)

$6.17 NT$195

$3.17 NT$100

94.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.56 NT$81.1

$1.91 NT$60.4

34.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 NT$89.9

$2.65 NT$83.7

7.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 NT$126

$3.03 NT$95.7

31.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.01 NT$95.1

$2.39 NT$75.6

25.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 NT$67.2

$1.83 NT$57.9

16.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.85 NT$58.6

$2.53 NT$79.9

-26.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 NT$37.52

$0.93 NT$29.49

27.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 NT$139

$6.29 NT$199

-30.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.51 NT$490

$11.26 NT$356

37.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 NT$54.3

$1.82 NT$57.6

-5.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 NT$77.7

$2.35 NT$74.4

4.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 NT$25.79

$0.66 NT$20.79

24.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.56 NT$840

$41.47 NT$1,311

-35.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 NT$92.9

$2.97 NT$94.0

-1.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 NT$24.73

$0.73 NT$23.13

6.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.28 NT$198

$7.92 NT$250

-20.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$32.71

$1.06 NT$33.46

-2.83%

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

$33.9K NT$1.1M

$36.9K NT$1.2M

-8.05%

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

$25.7K NT$811.1K

$26.4K NT$833.4K

-2.68%

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

$102 NT$3,225

$64.3 NT$2,032

58.67%

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

$25.18 NT$796

$29.32 NT$927

-14.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.61 NT$810

$19.22 NT$607

33.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.43 NT$1,246

$37.56 NT$1,187

4.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.15 NT$352

$10.20 NT$322

9.31%

Cinema Ticket

$10.08 NT$319

$10.22 NT$323

-1.37%

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

$428 NT$13.5K

$579 NT$18.3K

-25.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K NT$362.7K

$15.3K NT$483.8K

-25.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.0 NT$3,004

$80.1 NT$2,533

18.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.01 NT$1,138

$23.42 NT$740

53.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 NT$2,824

$83.5 NT$2,639

7.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 NT$3,191

$101 NT$3,185

0.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$443 NT$14.0K

$432 NT$13.6K

2.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$281 NT$8,897

$352 NT$11.1K

-20.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$950 NT$30.0K

$839 NT$26.5K

13.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$682 NT$21.6K

$599 NT$18.9K

13.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,584 NT$144.9K

$7,660 NT$242.1K

-40.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,194 NT$101.0K

$4,716 NT$149.1K

-32.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,503 NT$47.5K

$1,557 NT$49.2K

-3.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.3

1.57

46.50%

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

Last update for Kaohsiung: June 7, 2026

Last update for Taoyuan: June 8, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $443 in Kaohsiung and $432 in Taoyuan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taoyuan pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $34.00 in Kaohsiung vs $26.00 in Taoyuan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $302 per month, with Taoyuan cheaper across the board.

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 Taoyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaohsiung and Taoyuan differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,188 vs $1,107 including rent). Taoyuan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Taoyuan earns 4% less. 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: $443 in Kaohsiung versus $432 in Taoyuan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $428 in Kaohsiung versus $579 in Taoyuan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Kaohsiung. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,107 in Taoyuan versus $1,188 in Kaohsiung, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taoyuan but tight or insufficient in Kaohsiung. The gap between the two cities makes Taoyuan 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 Taoyuan 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 Taoyuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Kaohsiung. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.