Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Kaohsiung Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Kaohsiung

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Taipei is 8.4% more expensive than Kaohsiung without rent, and 27.6% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Taipei is 9.2% more expensive than Kaohsiung without rent, and 21% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Taipei
Kaohsiung
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.68 NT$197
$4.11 NT$121
62.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.44 NT$1,222
$34.16 NT$1,008
21.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.88 NT$173
$5.28 NT$156
11.36%
Cappuccino
$3.86 NT$114
$3.02 NT$89.1
27.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.17 NT$34.64
$0.99 NT$29.07
18.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.77 NT$22.83
$0.71 NT$21.02
8.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.3 NT$97.4
$1.74 NT$51.3
89.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.47 NT$102
$2.65 NT$78.2
30.94%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Taipei
Kaohsiung
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.14 NT$92.5
$3.45 NT$102
-8.99%
White Bread (500g)
$1.92 NT$56.6
$2.09 NT$61.6
-8.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.04 NT$89.6
$2.67 NT$78.7
13.86%
Eggs
$2.9 NT$85.6
$3.23 NT$95.3
-10.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.8 NT$584
$15.69 NT$463
26.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.81 NT$289
$9.32 NT$275
5.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.94 NT$588
$18.1 NT$534
10.17%
Apples (1kg)
$5.2 NT$153
$6.12 NT$181
-15.03%
Banana (1kg)
$2.96 NT$87.3
$2.51 NT$74.1
17.93%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.87 NT$84.6
$2.86 NT$84.3
0.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.12 NT$121
$4.1 NT$121
0.49%
Potato (1kg)
$2.8 NT$82.7
$2.95 NT$86.9
-5.08%
Onion (1kg)
$2.28 NT$67.1
$2.13 NT$62.9
7.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.91 NT$56.3
$1.94 NT$57.2
-1.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 NT$38.79
$1.15 NT$34.06
13.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.11 NT$121
$4.44 NT$131
-7.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.3 NT$451
$11.93 NT$352
28.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 NT$51.4
$1.68 NT$49.65
3.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 NT$72
$2.47 NT$72.9
-1.21%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Taipei
Kaohsiung
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 NT$25.91
$0.83 NT$24.59
6.02%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$39.9 NT$1,177
$27.56 NT$813
44.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 NT$85.8
$2.95 NT$87
-1.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.74 NT$21.74
$0.74 NT$21.85
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.28 NT$303
$6.14 NT$181
67.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.03 NT$30.4
$1.03 NT$30.24
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.7K NT$1.1M
$34.6K NT$1M
12.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.9K NT$823.3K
$24.9K NT$734.8K
12.04%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taipei
Kaohsiung
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.8 NT$2,530
$102 NT$3,023
-16.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.22 NT$567
$25.11 NT$741
-23.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.94 NT$736
$24.81 NT$732
0.52%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Taipei
Kaohsiung
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.04 NT$1,240
$38.75 NT$1,143
8.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.65 NT$403
$11.5 NT$339
18.70%
Cinema Ticket
$11.66 NT$344
$10.36 NT$305
12.55%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Taipei
Kaohsiung
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$624 NT$18.4K
$430 NT$12.7K
45.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.6K NT$548.2K
$11.4K NT$334.9K
63.69%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Taipei
Kaohsiung
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.8 NT$1,734
$97.6 NT$2,878
-39.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.93 NT$1,001
$36.1 NT$1,065
-6.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92 NT$2,713
$89.2 NT$2,630
3.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 NT$3,608
$99.9 NT$2,945
22.48%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Taipei
Kaohsiung
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$794 NT$23.4K
$434 NT$12.8K
83.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$549 NT$16.2K
$276 NT$8,129
99.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,665 NT$49.1K
$932 NT$27.5K
78.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,082 NT$31.9K
$704 NT$20.8K
53.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$14.2K NT$419.8K
$4,920 NT$145.1K
189.24%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,248 NT$243.3K
$3,251 NT$95.9K
153.71%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Taipei
Kaohsiung
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,690 NT$49.9K
$1,333 NT$39.3K
26.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.19
2.3
-4.78%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 28, 2025

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 27, 2025

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