Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kobe and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,330 a month against $1,392 in Kobe, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kobe outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

67

Cost of Living Index in Kobe
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Kobe Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

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Kobe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,392

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kobe and in Taipei

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,392 in Kobe versus $1,330 in Taipei.

Kobe $1,392
Taipei $1,330

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Kobe versus $2,145 in Taipei.

Kobe $2,067
Taipei $2,145

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,742 in Kobe versus $2,959 in Taipei.

Kobe $2,742
Taipei $2,959

Living in Kobe is roughly 5% more expensive than in Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kobe is 2% above, Taipei is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.70 ¥1,214

$4.70 NT$153

63.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.86 ¥5,024

$46.13 NT$1,504

-30.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ¥775

$5.80 NT$189

-15.34%

Cappuccino

$2.37 ¥374

$3.37 NT$110

-29.67%

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

$1.19 ¥188

$0.91 NT$29.61

30.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥89.9

$0.66 NT$21.58

-13.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 ¥335

$2.98 NT$97.2

-28.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ¥363

$3.64 NT$119

-36.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ¥248

$2.95 NT$96.2

-46.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ¥211

$1.92 NT$62.8

-30.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.17 ¥657

$3.10 NT$101

34.52%

Eggs

$2.04 ¥321

$2.62 NT$85.3

-22.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 ¥1,988

$19.04 NT$621

-33.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.78 ¥1,069

$9.54 NT$311

-28.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.06 ¥2,691

$20.87 NT$680

-18.26%

Apples (1kg)

$7.70 ¥1,215

$4.72 NT$154

63.14%

Banana (1kg)

$3.06 ¥483

$3.33 NT$109

-8.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.97 ¥783

$2.95 NT$96.1

68.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.71 ¥1,215

$4.26 NT$139

80.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 ¥605

$2.75 NT$89.8

39.64%

Onion (1kg)

$3.45 ¥544

$2.22 NT$72.5

55.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ¥179

$1.66 NT$54.1

-31.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$1.08 NT$35.08

-12.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.48 ¥548

$3.95 NT$129

-11.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 ¥1,269

$13.89 NT$453

-42.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 ¥309

$1.58 NT$51.7

24.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥229

$2.18 NT$71.0

-33.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ¥229

$0.58 NT$18.98

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 ¥9,843

$36.25 NT$1,182

72.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥491

$2.54 NT$82.7

22.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.24 ¥511

$0.75 NT$24.44

332.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.72 ¥4,213

$8.99 NT$293

197.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.00 NT$32.62

6.00%

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

$19.9K ¥3.1M

$34.6K NT$1.1M

-42.57%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$23.0K NT$750.9K

-32.96%

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

$148 ¥23.3K

$85.6 NT$2,791

72.67%

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

$23.26 ¥3,667

$16.94 NT$552

37.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.25 ¥4,927

$26.94 NT$878

16.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.90 ¥7,396

$39.55 NT$1,290

18.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.83 ¥1,866

$15.36 NT$501

-22.98%

Cinema Ticket

$12.86 ¥2,028

$9.72 NT$317

32.30%

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

$321 ¥50.5K

$710 NT$23.1K

-54.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,141 ¥968.3K

$16.3K NT$532.8K

-62.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 ¥7,980

$62.0 NT$2,021

-18.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.01 ¥3,944

$39.30 NT$1,281

-36.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.98 ¥7,251

$84.1 NT$2,742

-45.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 ¥10.3K

$102 NT$3,316

-35.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$691 ¥108.9K

$961 NT$31.3K

-28.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 ¥73.0K

$456 NT$14.9K

1.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 ¥173.5K

$1,511 NT$49.3K

-27.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$737 ¥116.2K

$919 NT$30.0K

-19.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,325 ¥682.0K

$11.4K NT$372.0K

-62.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,894 ¥456.3K

$6,882 NT$224.4K

-57.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,975 ¥311.4K

$1,703 NT$55.5K

15.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

2.4

-15.83%

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

Last update for Kobe: October 25, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kobe

$463 33.3%

Taipei

$456 34.3% 1.5% $7.1

Groceries & Markets

Kobe

$355 25.5%

Taipei

$388 29.2% 9.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kobe

$202 14.5%

Taipei

$129 9.7% 36% $73

Eating Out

Kobe

$127 9.1%

Taipei

$124 9.3% 2.5% $3.2

Getting Around

Kobe

$88 6.3%

Taipei

$45 3.4% 48.7% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Kobe

$84 6.1%

Taipei

$129 9.7% 53.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Kobe

$73 5.2%

Taipei

$59 4.4% 18.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $691 in Kobe and $961 in Taipei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kobe pays 16% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Kobe vs $46 in Taipei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $388 per month, with Kobe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kobe

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

20:09 8:09 PM

19:09 7:09 PM

1 h behind Kobe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,537,272

2,635,286 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.39 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kobe Taipei 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kobe
Taipei

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

Kobe vs Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipei wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Kobe. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Taipei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Kobe, 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: $691 in Kobe versus $961 in Taipei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Taipei runs roughly 42% less than in Kobe. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $321 in Kobe versus $710 in Taipei. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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, Kobe and Taipei are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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