Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Yilan

For one person, living is cheaper in Yilan: $984 a month against $1,105 in Kaohsiung, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Yilan
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Yilan Living Index

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Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,105

/mo nomad

Yilan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaohsiung and in Yilan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,105 in Kaohsiung versus $984 in Yilan.

Kaohsiung $1,105
Yilan $984

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,796 in Kaohsiung versus $1,699 in Yilan.

Kaohsiung $1,796
Yilan $1,699

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,487 in Kaohsiung versus $2,413 in Yilan.

Kaohsiung $2,487
Yilan $2,413

Living in Kaohsiung is roughly 12% more expensive than in Yilan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kaohsiung 19% lower, Yilan 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.74 NT$155

$3.43 NT$112

38.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.77 NT$1,003

$29.68 NT$968

3.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.60 NT$150

$4.84 NT$158

-4.96%

Cappuccino

$2.93 NT$95.4

$2.86 NT$93.2

2.45%

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

$1.05 NT$34.21

$0.99 NT$32.29

6.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 NT$22.61

$0.69 NT$22.42

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 NT$49.24

$1.47 NT$47.96

2.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 NT$78.1

$2.57 NT$83.7

-7.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.16 NT$103

$3.07 NT$100

2.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 NT$71.1

$1.74 NT$56.7

25.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 NT$93.5

$2.65 NT$86.4

8.30%

Eggs

$2.54 NT$82.9

$2.52 NT$82.0

0.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.21 NT$496

$28.23 NT$920

-46.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.03 NT$262

$7.94 NT$259

1.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 NT$481

$16.10 NT$525

-8.26%

Apples (1kg)

$6.40 NT$209

$4.31 NT$140

48.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.9

$1.83 NT$59.8

52.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 NT$78.8

$2.95 NT$96.2

-17.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 NT$98.6

$2.13 NT$69.5

41.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.68 NT$87.4

$1.20 NT$39.13

123.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 NT$64.4

$1.94 NT$63.4

1.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NT$74.9

$2.35 NT$76.5

-2.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 NT$33.12

$0.88 NT$28.81

15.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.24 NT$138

$3.74 NT$122

13.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.44 NT$503

$15.68 NT$511

-1.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 NT$52.5

$1.36 NT$44.45

18.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NT$68.0

$2.50 NT$81.7

-16.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 NT$20.35

$0.76 NT$24.75

-18.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.04 NT$393

$33.33 NT$1,087

-63.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 NT$86.0

$2.69 NT$87.6

-1.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 NT$25.48

$0.95 NT$31.09

-17.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.68 NT$185

$9.33 NT$304

-39.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 NT$31.78

$0.95 NT$30.96

2.11%

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

$37.1K NT$1.2M

$25.1K NT$817.2K

48.20%

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

$22.7K NT$739.4K

$19.1K NT$621.9K

18.89%

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

$82.1 NT$2,676

$45.67 NT$1,489

79.70%

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

$16.89 NT$551

$14.60 NT$476

15.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.27 NT$824

$20.72 NT$676

21.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.20 NT$1,278

$30.18 NT$984

29.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.12 NT$330

Cinema Ticket

$10.11 NT$330

$7.76 NT$253

30.28%

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

$448 NT$14.6K

$329 NT$10.7K

36.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K NT$445.8K

$16.1K NT$525.0K

-15.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.0 NT$2,935

$54.4 NT$1,773

65.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.24 NT$1,019

$30.53 NT$995

2.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 NT$2,805

$84.1 NT$2,742

2.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 NT$3,239

$61.7 NT$2,013

60.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 NT$14.0K

$264 NT$8,607

63.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 NT$9,806

$247 NT$8,066

21.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 NT$32.1K

$1,047 NT$34.1K

-5.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 NT$22.2K

$722 NT$23.5K

-5.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,146 NT$135.2K

$7,590 NT$247.5K

-45.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,875 NT$93.7K

$4,807 NT$156.7K

-40.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,401 NT$45.7K

$1,016 NT$33.1K

37.82%

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 Yilan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaohsiung

$355 32.1%

Yilan

$367 37.3% 3.4% $12

Accommodation & Living

Kaohsiung

$301 27.2%

Yilan

$247 25.1% 17.7% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Kaohsiung

$138 12.5%

Yilan

$104 10.6% 24.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaohsiung

$124 11.3%

Yilan

$81 8.2% 34.8% $43

Eating Out

Kaohsiung

$106 9.6%

Yilan

$95 9.7% 10.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Kaohsiung

$59 5.4%

Yilan

$46 4.6% 23.1% $14

Getting Around

Kaohsiung

$21 1.9%

Yilan

$44 4.5% 108% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $430 in Kaohsiung and $264 in Yilan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaohsiung pays 38% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $31 in Kaohsiung vs $30 in Yilan. Groceries flip the comparison at $355 vs $367, with Kaohsiung cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Yilan

🕒 Local time

11:45 11:45 AM

Same time as Kaohsiung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,777,873

95,907

💱 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 Yilan 280 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 Yilan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,105 in Kaohsiung and $984 in Yilan, so Yilan is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 38% 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: $430 in Kaohsiung versus $264 in Yilan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $448 in Kaohsiung versus $329 in Yilan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Kaohsiung pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

For families, Yilan 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 Yilan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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