Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tainan and Kaohsiung

For one person, living is cheaper in Tainan: $1,068 a month against $1,131 in Kaohsiung, rent and utilities included – about $760 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kaohsiung outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

52

Cost of Living Index in Tainan
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Tainan Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index

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Tainan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,068

/mo nomad

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,068 in Tainan versus $1,131 in Kaohsiung.

Tainan $1,068
Kaohsiung $1,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,837 in Tainan versus $1,838 in Kaohsiung.

Tainan $1,837
Kaohsiung $1,838

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,606 in Tainan versus $2,544 in Kaohsiung.

Tainan $2,606
Kaohsiung $2,544

Living in Tainan costs roughly 6% less than in Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tainan 21% lower, Kaohsiung 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 NT$121

$5.63 NT$183

-33.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.62 NT$799

$31.36 NT$1,017

-21.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 NT$155

$4.65 NT$151

3.01%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NT$106

$2.78 NT$90.1

17.63%

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

$0.95 NT$30.66

$1.08 NT$34.99

-12.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 NT$20.54

$0.66 NT$21.40

-4.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.6

$1.52 NT$49.14

88.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 NT$113

$2.49 NT$80.7

40.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 NT$100

$3.10 NT$100

-0.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 NT$57.5

$2.18 NT$70.7

-18.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 NT$102

$2.94 NT$95.3

7.14%

Eggs

$2.75 NT$89.3

$2.68 NT$86.9

2.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.50 NT$632

$15.81 NT$513

23.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.88 NT$320

$8.12 NT$263

21.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.04 NT$682

$15.55 NT$504

35.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 NT$161

$6.60 NT$214

-24.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$2.73 NT$88.5

4.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NT$97.4

$2.54 NT$82.2

18.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 NT$145

$3.13 NT$102

43.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 NT$86.4

$2.78 NT$90.2

-4.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 NT$73.6

$2.00 NT$64.9

13.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 NT$55.3

$2.43 NT$78.7

-29.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NT$37.31

$1.02 NT$33.12

12.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 NT$124

$4.45 NT$144

-14.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.94 NT$452

$15.54 NT$504

-10.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 NT$53.4

$1.57 NT$51.0

5.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 NT$70.3

$2.20 NT$71.5

-1.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.68

$0.71 NT$23.13

-14.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.89 NT$1,099

$12.65 NT$410

167.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 NT$82.2

$2.70 NT$87.6

-6.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 NT$24.92

$0.75 NT$24.34

2.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 NT$186

$5.48 NT$178

4.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 NT$32.90

$1.05 NT$33.97

-3.81%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$33.6K NT$1.1M

-2.49%

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

$24.1K NT$780.6K

$23.6K NT$765.3K

2.00%

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

$87.2 NT$2,828

$85.5 NT$2,773

2.00%

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

$17.51 NT$568

$17.29 NT$561

1.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.30 NT$691

$26.39 NT$856

-19.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.65 NT$1,480

$40.61 NT$1,317

12.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.33 NT$335

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 NT$311

$11.13 NT$361

-13.75%

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

$433 NT$14.1K

$473 NT$15.3K

-8.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,413 NT$175.5K

$14.1K NT$456.9K

-61.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 NT$2,050

$92.9 NT$3,013

-31.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.20 NT$1,271

$31.16 NT$1,011

25.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.7 NT$2,716

$88.0 NT$2,855

-4.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NT$3,353

$102 NT$3,310

1.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 NT$9,624

$437 NT$14.2K

-32.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 NT$6,470

$301 NT$9,746

-33.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 NT$27.4K

$1,005 NT$32.6K

-15.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 NT$22.6K

$681 NT$22.1K

2.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,123 NT$133.7K

$4,523 NT$146.7K

-8.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,022 NT$98.0K

$3,193 NT$103.5K

-5.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,376 NT$44.6K

$1,471 NT$47.7K

-6.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

2.56

-6.25%

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

Last update for Tainan: 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

Tainan

$393 36.9%

Kaohsiung

$363 32.1% 7.8% $31

Accommodation & Living

Tainan

$200 18.7%

Kaohsiung

$301 26.6% 50.6% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Tainan

$130 12.2%

Kaohsiung

$141 12.5% 8.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tainan

$126 11.8%

Kaohsiung

$129 11.4% 2.5% $3.2

Eating Out

Tainan

$111 10.4%

Kaohsiung

$112 9.9% 0.7% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Tainan

$65 6.1%

Kaohsiung

$63 5.6% 3% $2

Getting Around

Tainan

$43 4%

Kaohsiung

$22 1.9% 48.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $297 in Tainan and $437 in Kaohsiung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaohsiung pays 7% 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: $25.00 in Tainan vs $31.00 in Kaohsiung. Groceries flip the comparison at $393 vs $363, with Kaohsiung cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Tainan

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

Same time as Tainan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,886,033

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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Tainan Kaohsiung 43 km

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Tainan
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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

Tainan vs Kaohsiung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tainan and Kaohsiung differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,068 vs $1,131 including rent). Tainan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% 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: $297 in Tainan versus $437 in Kaohsiung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $433 in Tainan versus $473 in Kaohsiung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Kaohsiung pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,068 in Tainan versus $1,131 in Kaohsiung, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tainan but tight or insufficient in Kaohsiung. The gap between the two cities makes Tainan 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, Tainan 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 Tainan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Kaohsiung. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.