Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Kaohsiung

For one person, living costs are similar in Taichung and in Kaohsiung: $1,145 and $1,131 a month, rent and utilities included.

56

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index

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Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,145

/mo nomad

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,145 in Taichung versus $1,131 in Kaohsiung.

Taichung $1,145
Kaohsiung $1,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,901 in Taichung versus $1,838 in Kaohsiung.

Taichung $1,901
Kaohsiung $1,838

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,657 in Taichung versus $2,544 in Kaohsiung.

Taichung $2,657
Kaohsiung $2,544

Living in Taichung is roughly 1% more expensive than in Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taichung 15% lower, Kaohsiung 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.67 NT$151

$5.63 NT$183

-17.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.15 NT$1,010

$31.36 NT$1,017

-0.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.60 NT$149

$4.65 NT$151

-1.08%

Cappuccino

$2.71 NT$87.8

$2.78 NT$90.1

-2.52%

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

$0.99 NT$31.98

$1.08 NT$34.99

-8.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 NT$23.04

$0.66 NT$21.40

7.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 NT$51.4

$1.52 NT$49.14

3.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NT$93.6

$2.49 NT$80.7

16.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.14 NT$102

$3.10 NT$100

1.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 NT$56.6

$2.18 NT$70.7

-20.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 NT$84.0

$2.94 NT$95.3

-11.90%

Eggs

$2.59 NT$83.9

$2.68 NT$86.9

-3.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.15 NT$913

$15.81 NT$513

78.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 NT$256

$8.12 NT$263

-2.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.90 NT$548

$15.55 NT$504

8.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 NT$137

$6.60 NT$214

-36.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 NT$63.4

$2.73 NT$88.5

-28.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NT$97.4

$2.54 NT$82.2

18.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 NT$69.9

$3.13 NT$102

-30.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 NT$38.55

$2.78 NT$90.2

-57.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 NT$61.4

$2.00 NT$64.9

-5.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 NT$75.1

$2.43 NT$78.7

-4.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 NT$29.66

$1.02 NT$33.12

-10.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 NT$122

$4.45 NT$144

-15.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.59 NT$506

$15.54 NT$504

0.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 NT$50.8

$1.57 NT$51.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 NT$79.8

$2.20 NT$71.5

11.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 NT$21.69

$0.71 NT$23.13

-5.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 NT$1,017

$12.65 NT$410

147.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 NT$86.7

$2.70 NT$87.6

-1.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 NT$31.57

$0.75 NT$24.34

29.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.65 NT$313

$5.48 NT$178

76.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 NT$34.36

$1.05 NT$33.97

0.95%

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

$33.9K NT$1.1M

$33.6K NT$1.1M

0.89%

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

$22.7K NT$735.4K

$23.6K NT$765.3K

-3.90%

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

$122 NT$3,945

$85.5 NT$2,773

42.28%

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

$15.08 NT$489

$17.29 NT$561

-12.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.01 NT$681

$26.39 NT$856

-20.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.97 NT$1,037

$40.61 NT$1,317

-21.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.54 NT$374

$10.33 NT$335

11.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.53 NT$309

$11.13 NT$361

-14.38%

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

$333 NT$10.8K

$473 NT$15.3K

-29.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$537.7K

$14.1K NT$456.9K

17.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.7 NT$2,326

$92.9 NT$3,013

-22.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.65 NT$1,156

$31.16 NT$1,011

14.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 NT$2,706

$88.0 NT$2,855

-5.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 NT$3,768

$102 NT$3,310

13.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 NT$12.7K

$437 NT$14.2K

-10.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$281 NT$9,111

$301 NT$9,746

-6.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 NT$39.5K

$1,005 NT$32.6K

21.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 NT$24.6K

$681 NT$22.1K

11.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,582 NT$278.3K

$4,523 NT$146.7K

89.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,309 NT$172.2K

$3,193 NT$103.5K

66.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,443 NT$46.8K

$1,471 NT$47.7K

-1.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

2.56

-11.33%

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

Last update for Taichung: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taichung

$371 32.4%

Kaohsiung

$363 32.1% 2.3% $8.6

Accommodation & Living

Taichung

$281 24.5%

Kaohsiung

$301 26.6% 7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taichung

$158 13.8%

Kaohsiung

$129 11.4% 18.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Taichung

$138 12.1%

Kaohsiung

$141 12.5% 2.3% $3.2

Eating Out

Taichung

$104 9.1%

Kaohsiung

$112 9.9% 7.5% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Taichung

$51 4.5%

Kaohsiung

$63 5.6% 23.2% $12

Getting Around

Taichung

$42 3.6%

Kaohsiung

$22 1.9% 47.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $391 in Taichung and $437 in Kaohsiung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaohsiung pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31.00 in Taichung vs $31.00 in Kaohsiung. Groceries flip the comparison at $371 vs $363, with Kaohsiung cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taichung

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🕒 Local time

07:45 7:45 AM

Same time as Taichung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,767,239

2,777,873

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Taichung vs Kaohsiung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taichung and Kaohsiung differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,145 vs $1,131 including rent). Kaohsiung is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 2% lower in Kaohsiung. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $391 in Taichung versus $437 in Kaohsiung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $333 in Taichung versus $473 in Kaohsiung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Taichung. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,131 in Kaohsiung versus $1,145 in Taichung, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kaohsiung but tight or insufficient in Taichung. 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, Taichung 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 1% less than in Taichung. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.