Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Keelung and Kaohsiung

For one person, living is cheaper in Keelung: $932 a month against $1,105 in Kaohsiung, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Keelung
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Keelung Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index

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Keelung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$932

/mo nomad

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Keelung and in Kaohsiung

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Keelung and in Kaohsiung actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $932 in Keelung versus $1,105 in Kaohsiung.

Keelung $932
Kaohsiung $1,105

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,652 in Keelung versus $1,796 in Kaohsiung.

Keelung $1,652
Kaohsiung $1,796

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,372 in Keelung versus $2,487 in Kaohsiung.

Keelung $2,372
Kaohsiung $2,487

Living in Keelung costs roughly 16% less than in Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Keelung 32% lower, Kaohsiung 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.54 NT$148

$4.74 NT$155

-4.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.22 NT$1,018

$30.77 NT$1,003

1.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 NT$160

$4.60 NT$150

6.52%

Cappuccino

$2.81 NT$91.5

$2.93 NT$95.4

-4.10%

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

$0.99 NT$32.15

$1.05 NT$34.21

-5.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 NT$22.95

$0.69 NT$22.61

1.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 NT$49.44

$1.51 NT$49.24

0.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 NT$86.6

$2.39 NT$78.1

11.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.05 NT$99.4

$3.16 NT$103

-3.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 NT$46.36

$2.18 NT$71.1

-34.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 NT$38.08

$2.87 NT$93.5

-59.23%

Eggs

$2.26 NT$73.7

$2.54 NT$82.9

-11.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.14 NT$918

$15.21 NT$496

85.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.52 NT$180

$8.03 NT$262

-31.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.09 NT$525

$14.77 NT$481

8.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.29 NT$140

$6.40 NT$209

-32.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 NT$61.1

$2.79 NT$90.9

-32.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 NT$99.7

$2.42 NT$78.8

26.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 NT$68.3

$3.02 NT$98.6

-30.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 NT$39.50

$2.68 NT$87.4

-54.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 NT$63.1

$1.97 NT$64.4

-2.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 NT$76.6

$2.30 NT$74.9

2.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 NT$27.50

$1.02 NT$33.12

-17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.70 NT$121

$4.24 NT$138

-12.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.37 NT$305

$15.44 NT$503

-39.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 NT$34.78

$1.61 NT$52.5

-33.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 NT$79.4

$2.09 NT$68.0

16.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 NT$19.44

$0.62 NT$20.35

-3.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.32 NT$1,119

$12.04 NT$393

185.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 NT$83.2

$2.64 NT$86.0

-3.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 NT$29.44

$0.78 NT$25.48

15.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.37 NT$305

$5.68 NT$185

64.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$33.67

$0.97 NT$31.78

6.19%

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

$35.3K NT$1.1M

$37.1K NT$1.2M

-5.09%

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

$23.1K NT$752.3K

$22.7K NT$739.4K

1.75%

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

$40.48 NT$1,320

$82.1 NT$2,676

-50.68%

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

$14.89 NT$485

$16.89 NT$551

-11.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.96 NT$358

$25.27 NT$824

-56.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.53 NT$1,126

$39.20 NT$1,278

-11.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.95 NT$1,009

$10.12 NT$330

205.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 NT$256

$10.11 NT$330

-22.45%

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

$339 NT$11.0K

$448 NT$14.6K

-24.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$542.2K

$13.7K NT$445.8K

21.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 NT$2,331

$90.0 NT$2,935

-20.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 NT$1,137

$31.24 NT$1,019

11.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.95 NT$1,498

$86.0 NT$2,805

-46.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.00 NT$1,011

$99.3 NT$3,239

-68.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$403 NT$13.2K

$430 NT$14.0K

-6.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 NT$8,292

$301 NT$9,806

-15.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 NT$33.3K

$985 NT$32.1K

3.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$747 NT$24.3K

$681 NT$22.2K

9.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,319 NT$108.2K

$4,146 NT$135.2K

-19.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,300 NT$75.0K

$2,875 NT$93.7K

-19.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,427 NT$79.1K

$1,401 NT$45.7K

73.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

2.56

-11.33%

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

Last update for Keelung: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Keelung

$330 35.4%

Kaohsiung

$355 32.1% 7.6% $25

Accommodation & Living

Keelung

$254 27.3%

Kaohsiung

$301 27.2% 18.3% $46

Eating Out

Keelung

$104 11.2%

Kaohsiung

$106 9.6% 1.7% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Keelung

$82 8.9%

Kaohsiung

$138 12.5% 67.2% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Keelung

$66 7.1%

Kaohsiung

$124 11.3% 87.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Keelung

$50 5.4%

Kaohsiung

$59 5.4% 18.4% $9.2

Getting Around

Keelung

$44 4.7%

Kaohsiung

$21 1.9% 51.8% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $403 in Keelung and $430 in Kaohsiung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Keelung pays 73% 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 Keelung vs $31 in Kaohsiung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $355 per month, with Keelung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Keelung

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

Same time as Keelung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

372,100

2,777,873

💱 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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Keelung Kaohsiung 310 km

From you

Keelung
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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

Keelung vs Kaohsiung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $932 in Keelung and $1,105 in Kaohsiung, so Keelung is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 73% higher in Keelung, 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: $403 in Keelung versus $430 in Kaohsiung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $339 in Keelung versus $448 in Kaohsiung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Kaohsiung runs roughly 65% less than in Keelung. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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