Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kyoto and Taipei

For one person, living costs are similar in Kyoto and in Taipei: $1,290 and $1,330 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kyoto
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Kyoto Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

Jump to prices

Kyoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,290

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kyoto 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 Kyoto and in Taipei actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,290 per month in Kyoto vs $1,330 in Taipei, rent included.

Kyoto $1,290
Taipei $1,330

A couple spends around $1,932 per month in Kyoto vs $2,145 in Taipei, rent included.

Kyoto $1,932
Taipei $2,145

A family of three spends $2,574 per month in Kyoto vs $2,959 in Taipei, rent included.

Kyoto $2,574
Taipei $2,959

Kyoto is about 3% cheaper than Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kyoto and Taipei are more affordable than the global median – Kyoto 5% lower, Taipei 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.77 ¥1,542

$4.70 NT$152

107.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.34 ¥5,106

$46.13 NT$1,494

-29.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥807

$5.80 NT$188

-11.90%

Cappuccino

$3.22 ¥508

$3.37 NT$109

-4.45%

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

$0.89 ¥141

$0.91 NT$29.42

-2.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥112

$0.66 NT$21.44

7.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 ¥509

$2.98 NT$96.5

8.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 ¥924

$3.64 NT$118

60.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥245

$2.95 NT$95.6

-47.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥254

$1.92 NT$62.4

-16.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.84 ¥923

$3.10 NT$100

88.39%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥333

$2.62 NT$84.8

-19.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.84 ¥1,395

$19.04 NT$617

-53.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.92 ¥1,251

$9.54 NT$309

-16.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 ¥1,690

$20.87 NT$676

-48.73%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 ¥819

$4.72 NT$153

9.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ¥374

$3.33 NT$108

-28.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.15 ¥813

$2.95 NT$95.5

74.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.69 ¥582

$4.26 NT$138

-13.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 ¥295

$2.75 NT$89.2

-32.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ¥262

$2.22 NT$72.1

-25.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥180

$1.66 NT$53.7

-31.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$1.08 NT$34.86

-12.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 ¥639

$3.95 NT$128

2.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.73 ¥1,221

$13.89 NT$450

-44.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥255

$1.58 NT$51.3

1.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ¥531

$2.18 NT$70.5

54.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ¥225

$0.58 NT$18.86

144.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.1 ¥9,804

$36.25 NT$1,174

71.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 ¥520

$2.54 NT$82.2

29.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.88 ¥612

$0.75 NT$24.29

417.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.99 NT$291

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.00 NT$32.42

10.00%

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

$22.7K ¥3.6M

$34.6K NT$1.1M

-34.43%

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

$15.5K ¥2.4M

$23.0K NT$746.2K

-32.73%

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

$101 ¥16.0K

$85.6 NT$2,773

18.18%

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

$23.51 ¥3,712

$16.94 NT$549

38.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.41 ¥4,801

$26.94 NT$873

12.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ¥8,145

$39.55 NT$1,281

30.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.87 ¥2,980

$15.36 NT$498

22.85%

Cinema Ticket

$13.72 ¥2,166

$9.72 NT$315

41.15%

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

$718 ¥113.4K

$710 NT$23.0K

1.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,490 ¥1.0M

$16.3K NT$529.4K

-60.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 ¥8,956

$62.0 NT$2,009

-8.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.07 ¥7,116

$39.30 NT$1,273

14.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 ¥11.1K

$84.1 NT$2,724

-16.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.1K

$102 NT$3,295

0.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$638 ¥100.7K

$961 NT$31.1K

-33.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 ¥59.9K

$456 NT$14.8K

-16.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,176 ¥185.6K

$1,511 NT$49.0K

-22.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$577 ¥91.1K

$919 NT$29.8K

-37.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,226 ¥667.2K

$11.4K NT$369.6K

-62.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,921 ¥461.2K

$6,882 NT$223.0K

-57.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,873 ¥295.6K

$1,703 NT$55.2K

9.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

2.4

-7.08%

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

Last update for Kyoto: 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

Kyoto

$379 29.4%

Taipei

$456 34.3% 20.1% $76

Groceries & Markets

Kyoto

$296 22.9%

Taipei

$388 29.2% 31.2% $92

Eating Out

Kyoto

$166 12.9%

Taipei

$124 9.3% 25.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kyoto

$155 12%

Taipei

$129 9.7% 16.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Kyoto

$123 9.6%

Taipei

$129 9.7% 4.6% $5.7

Getting Around

Kyoto

$90 7%

Taipei

$45 3.4% 50.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Kyoto

$79 6.1%

Taipei

$59 4.4% 25.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $638 in Kyoto versus $961 in Taipei. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 10% higher in Kyoto, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Kyoto versus $46 in Taipei. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $296 vs $388 – making Kyoto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kyoto

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

02:04 2:04 AM

1 h behind Kyoto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,183

2,635,286 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

100 TWD = 3.09 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 32.4 TWD (100 TWD = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 36.07 TWD (100 TWD = 2.77 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Kyoto Taipei 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Kyoto
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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

Kyoto vs Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,290 in Kyoto, $1,330 in Taipei – roughly 3% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,934 per month in Kyoto and $1,995 in Taipei. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kyoto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $638 there versus $961 in Taipei.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Taipei, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Kyoto and $46 in Taipei. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,290 in Kyoto and $1,330 in Taipei, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Kyoto has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,290 in Kyoto to $1,330 in Taipei. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.