Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kinmen and Taichung

For one person, living is cheaper in Kinmen: $1,088 a month against $1,145 in Taichung, rent and utilities included – about $680 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Taichung outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

53

Cost of Living Index in Kinmen
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Kinmen Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index

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Kinmen

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,088

/mo nomad

Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,145

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kinmen and in Taichung

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

A single person spends $1,088 per month in Kinmen vs $1,145 in Taichung, rent included.

Kinmen $1,088
Taichung $1,145

A couple spends around $1,849 per month in Kinmen vs $1,901 in Taichung, rent included.

Kinmen $1,849
Taichung $1,901

A family of three spends $2,611 per month in Kinmen vs $2,657 in Taichung, rent included.

Kinmen $2,611
Taichung $2,657

Kinmen is about 5% cheaper than Taichung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Kinmen and Taichung are more affordable than the global median – Kinmen 19% lower, Taichung 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.77 NT$155

$4.67 NT$151

2.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.40 NT$1,018

$31.15 NT$1,010

0.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.75 NT$154

$4.60 NT$149

3.26%

Cappuccino

$2.90 NT$94.0

$2.71 NT$87.8

7.01%

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

$0.98 NT$31.62

$0.99 NT$31.98

-1.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 NT$21.01

$0.71 NT$23.04

-8.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 NT$50.1

$1.58 NT$51.4

-1.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 NT$82.9

$2.89 NT$93.6

-11.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.03 NT$98.2

$3.14 NT$102

-3.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 NT$60.8

$1.74 NT$56.6

7.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 NT$96.1

$2.59 NT$84.0

14.29%

Eggs

$2.71 NT$87.9

$2.59 NT$83.9

4.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 NT$633

$28.15 NT$913

-30.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.82 NT$254

$7.89 NT$256

-0.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.99 NT$681

$16.90 NT$548

24.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.27 NT$139

$4.22 NT$137

1.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 NT$81.0

$1.96 NT$63.4

27.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 NT$96.7

$3.00 NT$97.4

-0.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.25 NT$105

$2.16 NT$69.9

50.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 NT$92.1

$1.19 NT$38.55

138.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 NT$69.7

$1.89 NT$61.4

13.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 NT$64.8

$2.32 NT$75.1

-13.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 NT$34.85

$0.91 NT$29.66

17.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.95 NT$128

$3.78 NT$122

4.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.64 NT$410

$15.59 NT$506

-18.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$52.9

$1.57 NT$50.8

3.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.3

$2.46 NT$79.8

-6.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.75

$0.67 NT$21.69

-8.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.67 NT$1,189

$31.36 NT$1,017

16.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 NT$88.8

$2.67 NT$86.7

2.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 NT$26.72

$0.97 NT$31.57

-15.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.51 NT$308

$9.65 NT$313

-1.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.92

$1.06 NT$34.36

-3.77%

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

$34.3K NT$1.1M

$33.9K NT$1.1M

1.06%

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

$24.7K NT$801.0K

$22.7K NT$735.4K

8.92%

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

$88.5 NT$2,869

$122 NT$3,945

-27.27%

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

$17.67 NT$573

$15.08 NT$489

17.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.41 NT$727

$21.01 NT$681

6.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 NT$1,202

$31.97 NT$1,037

15.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.54 NT$374

Cinema Ticket

$9.78 NT$317

$9.53 NT$309

2.62%

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

$535 NT$17.3K

$333 NT$10.8K

60.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$538.1K

$16.6K NT$537.7K

0.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 NT$2,092

$71.7 NT$2,326

-10.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.43 NT$1,019

$35.65 NT$1,156

-11.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 NT$2,757

$83.4 NT$2,706

1.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 NT$3,284

$116 NT$3,768

-12.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 NT$13.3K

$391 NT$12.7K

4.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$255 NT$8,261

$281 NT$9,111

-9.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$973 NT$31.5K

$1,218 NT$39.5K

-20.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$745 NT$24.2K

$758 NT$24.6K

-1.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,994 NT$259.2K

$8,582 NT$278.3K

-6.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,078 NT$164.7K

$5,309 NT$172.2K

-4.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,443 NT$46.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.38

2.27

4.85%

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

Last update for Kinmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Taichung: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kinmen

$369 33.9%

Taichung

$371 32.4% 0.8% $2.8

Accommodation & Living

Kinmen

$255 23.4%

Taichung

$281 24.5% 10.3% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kinmen

$129 11.8%

Taichung

$158 13.8% 22.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Kinmen

$127 11.7%

Taichung

$138 12.1% 8.8% $11

Eating Out

Kinmen

$107 9.8%

Taichung

$104 9.1% 2.3% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Kinmen

$57 5.2%

Taichung

$51 4.5% 9.9% $5.6

Getting Around

Kinmen

$46 4.2%

Taichung

$42 3.6% 9.5% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $409 in Kinmen versus $391 in Taichung. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Kinmen versus $31.00 in Taichung. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $369 vs $371 – making Kinmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kinmen

🇹🇼 Taichung

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

Same time as Kinmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,568

2,767,239

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Kinmen vs Taichung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Taichung is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,632 per month in Kinmen and $1,717 in Taichung. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kinmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Kinmen and $333 in Taichung. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Taichung, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kinmen, where all-in costs run around $1,088, than in Taichung at $1,145. In Kinmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Taichung it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kinmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Kinmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Taichung makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.