Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Kaohsiung

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaohsiung: $1,108 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
Learn more

Kaohsiung Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,108

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,182 in Sydney versus $1,108 in Kaohsiung.

Sydney $3,182
Kaohsiung $1,108

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,696 in Sydney versus $1,821 in Kaohsiung.

Sydney $4,696
Kaohsiung $1,821

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,210 in Sydney versus $2,535 in Kaohsiung.

Sydney $6,210
Kaohsiung $2,535

Living in Sydney is roughly 187% more expensive than in Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 137% above, Kaohsiung is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.28

$5.46 NT$174

223.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$31.96 NT$1,020

203.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.09

$4.87 NT$155

145.17%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.72

$2.83 NT$90.4

41.34%

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

$2.84 A$4.06

$1.14 NT$36.40

149.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.25

$0.71 NT$22.76

219.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.29

$1.53 NT$48.85

415.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.20

$2.55 NT$81.5

179.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$3.25 NT$104

-48.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.00

$2.19 NT$69.7

27.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.33

$3.07 NT$98.1

-24.43%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.92

$2.67 NT$85.2

107.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.28

$16.13 NT$515

-25.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.09

$8.08 NT$258

21.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.78

$15.24 NT$486

8.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.76

$6.80 NT$217

-40.88%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.51

$2.82 NT$90.1

11.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.01

$2.57 NT$82.0

36.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.39

$3.08 NT$98.4

45.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

$2.84 NT$90.7

16.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$2.06 NT$65.8

11.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.35

$2.45 NT$78.2

-4.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$1.04 NT$33.18

10.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.4

$4.54 NT$145

891.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

$15.72 NT$502

-11.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.70

$1.67 NT$53.4

138.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.82

$2.25 NT$71.7

80.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.52

$0.68 NT$21.68

364.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$12.67 NT$404

1083.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.94

$2.76 NT$88.0

25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.75 NT$23.98

117.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.2

$5.51 NT$176

625.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.02 NT$32.50

37.25%

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

$28.4K A$40.7K

$33.6K NT$1.1M

-15.52%

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

$29.4K A$42.1K

$23.0K NT$735.3K

27.61%

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

$220 A$315

$84.8 NT$2,705

159.37%

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

$27.70 A$39.64

$17.34 NT$553

59.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.5

$25.77 NT$822

115.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$106

$41.21 NT$1,315

80.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.28

$10.41 NT$332

130.07%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.37

$10.96 NT$350

61.77%

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

$2,157 A$3,087

$462 NT$14.7K

366.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.5K

$14.1K NT$449.2K

100.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$93.5 NT$2,982

-16.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$31.88 NT$1,017

121.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$85.9 NT$2,740

29.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$104 NT$3,314

26.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,598

$415 NT$13.2K

505.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,478

$276 NT$8,808

527.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$6,996

$979 NT$31.2K

399.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,349

$668 NT$21.3K

355.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$4,588 NT$146.4K

187.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.6K

$3,154 NT$100.7K

157.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,842

$1,462 NT$46.7K

179.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

2.56

128.13%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Kaohsiung

$276 24.9% 84.1% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Kaohsiung

$368 33.1% 3.3% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Kaohsiung

$128 11.5% 57.8% $175

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Kaohsiung

$112 10.1% 62.4% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Kaohsiung

$142 12.8% 19.6% $35

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Kaohsiung

$22 2% 87.4% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Kaohsiung

$63 5.7% 42.5% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,514 in Sydney and $415 in Kaohsiung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 179% 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: $97.0 in Sydney vs $32.00 in Kaohsiung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $368 per month, with Kaohsiung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

19:19 7:19 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

2,777,873

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 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 = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.76 TWD (100 TWD = 2.8 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney Kaohsiung 7,080 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Kaohsiung

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

Sydney vs Kaohsiung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Kaohsiung differ by about 187% in total monthly costs ($3,182 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 179% higher in Sydney, 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: $2,514 in Sydney versus $415 in Kaohsiung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,157 in Sydney 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 3% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,108 in Kaohsiung versus $3,182 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kaohsiung but tight or insufficient in Sydney. 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, Sydney 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 187% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.