Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Kaohsiung

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaohsiung: $1,108 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,108

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $1,108 in Kaohsiung.

Melbourne $2,852
Kaohsiung $1,108

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $1,821 in Kaohsiung.

Melbourne $4,297
Kaohsiung $1,821

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $2,535 in Kaohsiung.

Melbourne $5,742
Kaohsiung $2,535

Living in Melbourne is roughly 157% more expensive than in Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 113% above, Kaohsiung is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$5.46 NT$174

225.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$31.96 NT$1,020

165.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$4.87 NT$155

149.69%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$2.83 NT$90.4

38.87%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$1.14 NT$36.40

175.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.71 NT$22.76

242.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$1.53 NT$48.85

547.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$2.55 NT$81.5

225.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$3.25 NT$104

-52.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$2.19 NT$69.7

37.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$3.07 NT$98.1

-6.19%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$2.67 NT$85.2

103.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$16.13 NT$515

-34.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$8.08 NT$258

18.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$15.24 NT$486

-1.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$6.80 NT$217

-38.97%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$2.82 NT$90.1

8.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$2.57 NT$82.0

28.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$3.08 NT$98.4

54.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$2.84 NT$90.7

7.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$2.06 NT$65.8

23.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$2.45 NT$78.2

1.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$1.04 NT$33.18

56.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$4.54 NT$145

870.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$15.72 NT$502

-20.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$1.67 NT$53.4

219.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$2.25 NT$71.7

129.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$0.68 NT$21.68

464.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$12.67 NT$404

1016.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$2.76 NT$88.0

59.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.75 NT$23.98

86.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$5.51 NT$176

441.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.02 NT$32.50

43.14%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$33.6K NT$1.1M

-16.33%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$23.0K NT$735.3K

12.60%

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

$233 A$333

$84.8 NT$2,705

174.42%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$17.34 NT$553

57.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$25.77 NT$822

121.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$41.21 NT$1,315

27.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$10.41 NT$332

117.29%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$10.96 NT$350

56.02%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$462 NT$14.7K

413.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$14.1K NT$449.2K

116.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$93.5 NT$2,982

-16.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$31.88 NT$1,017

58.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$85.9 NT$2,740

40.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$104 NT$3,314

28.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$415 NT$13.2K

312.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$276 NT$8,808

407.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$979 NT$31.2K

240.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$668 NT$21.3K

278.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$4,588 NT$146.4K

52.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$3,154 NT$100.7K

114.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$1,462 NT$46.7K

189.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.56

130.47%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Kaohsiung

$276 24.9% 80.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Kaohsiung

$368 33.1% 4.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Kaohsiung

$128 11.5% 59.7% $189

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Kaohsiung

$112 10.1% 64.2% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Kaohsiung

$142 12.8% 17.6% $30

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Kaohsiung

$22 2% 87% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Kaohsiung

$63 5.7% 27.3% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $415 in Kaohsiung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 189% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $32.00 in Kaohsiung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $368 per month, with Kaohsiung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🕒 Local time

18:04 6:04 PM

15:04 3:04 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

2,777,873

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.79 TWD (100 TWD = 2.79 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Melbourne Kaohsiung 7,200 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Melbourne vs Kaohsiung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Kaohsiung differ by about 157% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $1,108 including rent). Kaohsiung is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 189% higher in Melbourne, 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: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $415 in Kaohsiung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $462 in Kaohsiung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,108 in Kaohsiung versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kaohsiung but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Kaohsiung the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Melbourne and Kaohsiung are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kaohsiung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 157% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.