Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Zhongli City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongli City: $1,005 a month against $1,105 in Kaohsiung, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Zhongli City
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Zhongli City Living Index

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Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,105

/mo nomad

Zhongli City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaohsiung and in Zhongli City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,105 in Kaohsiung versus $1,005 in Zhongli City.

Kaohsiung $1,105
Zhongli City $1,005

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,796 in Kaohsiung versus $1,698 in Zhongli City.

Kaohsiung $1,796
Zhongli City $1,698

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,487 in Kaohsiung versus $2,392 in Zhongli City.

Kaohsiung $2,487
Zhongli City $2,392

Living in Kaohsiung is roughly 10% more expensive than in Zhongli City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kaohsiung 19% lower, Zhongli City 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.74 NT$155

$4.60 NT$150

3.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.77 NT$1,003

$30.45 NT$993

1.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.60 NT$150

$4.86 NT$158

-5.35%

Cappuccino

$2.93 NT$95.4

$2.52 NT$82.3

16.27%

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

$1.05 NT$34.21

$0.99 NT$32.20

6.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 NT$22.61

$0.68 NT$22.12

1.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 NT$49.24

$1.50 NT$48.99

0.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 NT$78.1

$2.68 NT$87.4

-10.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.16 NT$103

$3.22 NT$105

-1.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 NT$71.1

$1.67 NT$54.5

30.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 NT$93.5

$2.62 NT$85.3

9.54%

Eggs

$2.54 NT$82.9

$2.51 NT$81.7

1.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.21 NT$496

$12.15 NT$396

25.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.03 NT$262

$6.60 NT$215

21.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 NT$481

$15.66 NT$511

-5.68%

Apples (1kg)

$6.40 NT$209

$3.64 NT$119

75.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.9

$1.85 NT$60.5

50.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 NT$78.8

$2.93 NT$95.6

-17.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 NT$98.6

$2.13 NT$69.5

41.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.68 NT$87.4

$1.22 NT$39.89

119.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 NT$64.4

$1.86 NT$60.5

5.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NT$74.9

$2.29 NT$74.7

0.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 NT$33.12

$0.88 NT$28.56

15.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.24 NT$138

$3.80 NT$124

11.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.44 NT$503

$15.54 NT$507

-0.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 NT$52.5

$1.54 NT$50.2

4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NT$68.0

$2.42 NT$78.9

-13.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 NT$20.35

$0.59 NT$19.37

5.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.04 NT$393

$33.95 NT$1,107

-64.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 NT$86.0

$2.57 NT$83.8

2.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 NT$25.48

$0.52 NT$16.84

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.68 NT$185

$9.25 NT$301

-38.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 NT$31.78

$0.95 NT$31.02

2.11%

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

$37.1K NT$1.2M

$34.4K NT$1.1M

7.89%

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

$22.7K NT$739.4K

$22.3K NT$726.4K

1.80%

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

$82.1 NT$2,676

$101 NT$3,288

-18.61%

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

$16.89 NT$551

$14.83 NT$484

13.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.27 NT$824

$16.67 NT$544

51.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.20 NT$1,278

$36.46 NT$1,189

7.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.12 NT$330

Cinema Ticket

$10.11 NT$330

$10.03 NT$327

0.80%

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

$448 NT$14.6K

$332 NT$10.8K

34.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K NT$445.8K

$16.7K NT$543.5K

-17.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.0 NT$2,935

$71.3 NT$2,323

26.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.24 NT$1,019

$34.96 NT$1,140

-10.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 NT$2,805

$53.6 NT$1,749

60.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 NT$3,239

$105 NT$3,437

-5.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 NT$14.0K

$440 NT$14.4K

-2.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 NT$9,806

$246 NT$8,019

22.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 NT$32.1K

$857 NT$28.0K

14.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 NT$22.2K

$720 NT$23.5K

-5.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,146 NT$135.2K

$6,314 NT$205.9K

-34.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,875 NT$93.7K

$4,301 NT$140.2K

-33.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,401 NT$45.7K

$2,257 NT$73.6K

-37.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.56

2.1

21.90%

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

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zhongli City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaohsiung

$355 32.1%

Zhongli City

$308 30.7% 13.2% $47

Accommodation & Living

Kaohsiung

$301 27.2%

Zhongli City

$246 24.5% 18.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Kaohsiung

$138 12.5%

Zhongli City

$119 11.9% 13.5% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaohsiung

$124 11.3%

Zhongli City

$132 13.2% 6.5% $8.1

Eating Out

Kaohsiung

$106 9.6%

Zhongli City

$101 10.1% 4.7% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Kaohsiung

$59 5.4%

Zhongli City

$57 5.6% 4.9% $2.9

Getting Around

Kaohsiung

$21 1.9%

Zhongli City

$41 4.1% 96.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $430 in Kaohsiung and $440 in Zhongli City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhongli City pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31 in Kaohsiung vs $30 in Zhongli City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $308 per month, with Zhongli City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Zhongli City

🕒 Local time

16:12 4:12 PM

Same time as Kaohsiung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,777,873

396,453

💱 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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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 Zhongli City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,105 in Kaohsiung and $1,005 in Zhongli City, so Zhongli City is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Kaohsiung. 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: $430 in Kaohsiung versus $440 in Zhongli City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $448 in Kaohsiung versus $332 in Zhongli City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% 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 Zhongli City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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