Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Kaohsiung Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Kaohsiung

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Taichung is 6.3% more expensive than Kaohsiung without rent, and 4.4% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Taichung is 0.2% more expensive than Kaohsiung without rent, and 3.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.98 NT$147
$4.11 NT$121
21.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.94 NT$883
$34.16 NT$1,008
-12.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.33 NT$157
$5.28 NT$156
0.95%
Cappuccino
$2.91 NT$85.9
$3.02 NT$89.1
-3.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 NT$32.91
$0.99 NT$29.07
13.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 NT$25.31
$0.71 NT$21.02
21.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.14 NT$63.2
$1.74 NT$51.3
22.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.96 NT$87.3
$2.65 NT$78.2
11.70%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.74 NT$110
$3.45 NT$102
8.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.77 NT$52.3
$2.09 NT$61.6
-15.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.76 NT$81.3
$2.67 NT$78.7
3.37%
Eggs
$3.24 NT$95.5
$3.23 NT$95.3
0.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$31.12 NT$918
$15.69 NT$463
98.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.99 NT$236
$9.32 NT$275
-14.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.12 NT$476
$18.1 NT$534
-10.94%
Apples (1kg)
$4.65 NT$137
$6.12 NT$181
-24.02%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 NT$53.4
$2.51 NT$74.1
-27.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 NT$64.7
$2.86 NT$84.3
-23.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.97 NT$87.6
$4.1 NT$121
-27.56%
Potato (1kg)
$1.34 NT$39.66
$2.95 NT$86.9
-54.58%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 NT$57.3
$2.13 NT$62.9
-8.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.31 NT$68.1
$1.94 NT$57.2
19.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 NT$36.88
$1.15 NT$34.06
8.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 NT$120
$4.44 NT$131
-8.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.99 NT$413
$11.93 NT$352
17.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 NT$50.9
$1.68 NT$49.65
2.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.65 NT$78.2
$2.47 NT$72.9
7.29%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.92 NT$27.28
$0.83 NT$24.59
10.84%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.28 NT$834
$27.56 NT$813
2.61%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.8 NT$82.6
$2.95 NT$87
-5.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.23 NT$36.31
$0.74 NT$21.85
66.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.19 NT$301
$6.14 NT$181
65.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1 NT$29.62
$1.03 NT$30.24
-2.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.5K NT$1M
$34.6K NT$1M
-0.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K NT$762.5K
$24.9K NT$734.8K
3.77%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.5 NT$2,875
$102 NT$3,023
-4.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.72 NT$729
$25.11 NT$741
-1.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.97 NT$648
$24.81 NT$732
-11.45%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.59 NT$1,079
$38.75 NT$1,143
-5.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.01 NT$295
$11.5 NT$339
-12.96%
Cinema Ticket
$10.55 NT$311
$10.36 NT$305
1.83%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$353 NT$10.4K
$430 NT$12.7K
-17.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.4K NT$601K
$11.4K NT$334.9K
79.47%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.9 NT$2,504
$97.6 NT$2,878
-13.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.33 NT$1,013
$36.1 NT$1,065
-4.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.8 NT$2,856
$89.2 NT$2,630
8.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$129 NT$3,817
$99.9 NT$2,945
29.59%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$387 NT$11.4K
$434 NT$12.8K
-10.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$291 NT$8,573
$276 NT$8,129
5.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,018 NT$30K
$932 NT$27.5K
9.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$733 NT$21.6K
$704 NT$20.8K
4.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,529 NT$222.1K
$4,920 NT$145.1K
53.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,064 NT$237.9K
$3,251 NT$95.9K
148.05%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,461 NT$43.1K
$1,333 NT$39.3K
9.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.18
2.3
-5.22%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Taichung: October 28, 2025

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 27, 2025

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