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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Taichung is 4.5% more expensive than Kaohsiung without rent, and 2.9% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Taichung is 5% more expensive than Kaohsiung without rent, and 0.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.16 NT$162
$4.09 NT$129
26.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.33 NT$954
$33.40 NT$1,051
-9.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.57 NT$175
$5.29 NT$167
5.29%
Cappuccino
$3.03 NT$95.2
$3.06 NT$96.4
-0.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.15 NT$36.12
$0.98 NT$30.87
17.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 NT$26.18
$0.73 NT$22.84
13.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 NT$68.9
$1.71 NT$53.9
28.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.94 NT$92.6
$2.63 NT$82.9
11.79%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.84 NT$121
$3.54 NT$111
8.47%
White Bread (500g)
$1.72 NT$54.0
$2.01 NT$63.2
-14.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.77 NT$87.1
$2.65 NT$83.3
4.53%
Eggs
$3.17 NT$99.9
$3.37 NT$106
-5.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$31.24 NT$983
$15.60 NT$491
100.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.34 NT$262
$9.04 NT$284
-7.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.65 NT$493
$17.91 NT$564
-12.62%
Apples (1kg)
$4.69 NT$148
$6.06 NT$191
-22.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 NT$57.0
$2.56 NT$80.4
-29.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 NT$68.8
$2.73 NT$86.1
-19.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.07 NT$96.7
$4.11 NT$129
-25.30%
Potato (1kg)
$1.30 NT$40.78
$2.90 NT$91.1
-55.17%
Onion (1kg)
$1.96 NT$61.8
$2.22 NT$69.9
-11.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.29 NT$72.1
$1.94 NT$61.2
18.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 NT$40.40
$1.16 NT$36.48
10.34%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.10 NT$129
$4.44 NT$140
-7.66%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.89 NT$500
$13.79 NT$434
15.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 NT$52.3
$1.67 NT$52.6
-0.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 NT$79.5
$2.55 NT$80.1
-0.78%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 NT$27.69
$0.81 NT$25.46
8.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.32 NT$923
$26.56 NT$836
10.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.95 NT$92.9
$2.95 NT$92.8
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.19 NT$37.48
$0.73 NT$23.02
63.01%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.12 NT$319
$6.00 NT$189
68.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.01 NT$31.72
$1.07 NT$33.79
-5.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K NT$1.1M
$34.5K NT$1.1M
-1.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.4K NT$829.9K
$25.7K NT$807.6K
2.77%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$94.3 NT$2,966
$104 NT$3,273
-9.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.30 NT$765
$25.62 NT$806
-5.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.75 NT$685
$25.08 NT$789
-13.28%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.14 NT$1,137
$38.48 NT$1,211
-6.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.08 NT$317
$11.16 NT$351
-9.68%
Cinema Ticket
$10.60 NT$334
$10.11 NT$318
4.85%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$358 NT$11.3K
$426 NT$13.4K
-16.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.8K NT$654.5K
$11.3K NT$354.9K
84.43%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.7 NT$2,634
$96.7 NT$3,044
-13.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.37 NT$1,081
$35.54 NT$1,118
-3.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.8 NT$2,951
$89.9 NT$2,829
4.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$129 NT$4,049
$103 NT$3,233
25.23%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$379 NT$11.9K
$433 NT$13.6K
-12.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$291 NT$9,161
$283 NT$8,898
2.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,053 NT$33.1K
$949 NT$29.9K
11.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$735 NT$23.1K
$690 NT$21.7K
6.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,082 NT$222.9K
$4,810 NT$151.4K
47.24%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,358 NT$168.6K
$3,210 NT$101.0K
66.91%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,494 NT$47.0K
$1,516 NT$47.7K
-1.46%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: April 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
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