Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Kobe

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,330 a month against $1,392 in Kobe, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kobe outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

64

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Kobe
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Kobe Living Index

Jump to prices

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,330

/mo nomad

Kobe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,392

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Kobe

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Taipei and in Kobe actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,330 in Taipei versus $1,392 in Kobe.

Taipei $1,330
Kobe $1,392

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,145 in Taipei versus $2,067 in Kobe.

Taipei $2,145
Kobe $2,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Taipei versus $2,742 in Kobe.

Taipei $2,959
Kobe $2,742

Living in Taipei costs roughly 4% less than in Kobe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Taipei is 2% below, Kobe is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 NT$153

$7.70 ¥1,214

-38.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 NT$1,504

$31.86 ¥5,024

44.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 NT$189

$4.91 ¥775

18.13%

Cappuccino

$3.37 NT$110

$2.37 ¥374

42.19%

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

$0.91 NT$29.61

$1.19 ¥188

-23.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 NT$21.58

$0.57 ¥89.9

15.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 NT$97.2

$2.12 ¥335

40.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 NT$119

$2.30 ¥363

58.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.95 NT$96.2

$1.57 ¥248

87.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 NT$62.8

$1.34 ¥211

43.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 NT$101

$4.17 ¥657

-25.66%

Eggs

$2.62 NT$85.3

$2.04 ¥321

28.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.04 NT$621

$12.61 ¥1,988

50.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 NT$311

$6.78 ¥1,069

40.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.87 NT$680

$17.06 ¥2,691

22.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 NT$154

$7.70 ¥1,215

-38.70%

Banana (1kg)

$3.33 NT$109

$3.06 ¥483

8.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 NT$96.1

$4.97 ¥783

-40.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 NT$139

$7.71 ¥1,215

-44.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 NT$89.8

$3.84 ¥605

-28.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 NT$72.5

$3.45 ¥544

-35.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 NT$54.1

$1.13 ¥179

46.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 NT$35.08

$0.94 ¥148

14.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.95 NT$129

$3.48 ¥548

13.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 NT$453

$8.05 ¥1,269

72.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 NT$51.7

$1.96 ¥309

-19.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NT$71.0

$1.45 ¥229

50.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 NT$18.98

$1.45 ¥229

-60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.25 NT$1,182

$62.4 ¥9,843

-41.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 NT$82.7

$3.11 ¥491

-18.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$24.44

$3.24 ¥511

-76.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.99 NT$293

$26.72 ¥4,213

-66.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 NT$32.62

$1.06 ¥168

-5.66%

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

$34.6K NT$1.1M

$19.9K ¥3.1M

74.11%

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

$23.0K NT$750.9K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

49.16%

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

$85.6 NT$2,791

$148 ¥23.3K

-42.09%

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

$16.94 NT$552

$23.26 ¥3,667

-27.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.94 NT$878

$31.25 ¥4,927

-13.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.55 NT$1,290

$46.90 ¥7,396

-15.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.36 NT$501

$11.83 ¥1,866

29.84%

Cinema Ticket

$9.72 NT$317

$12.86 ¥2,028

-24.42%

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

$710 NT$23.1K

$321 ¥50.5K

121.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K NT$532.8K

$6,141 ¥968.3K

166.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 NT$2,021

$50.6 ¥7,980

22.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.30 NT$1,281

$25.01 ¥3,944

57.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 NT$2,742

$45.98 ¥7,251

82.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NT$3,316

$65.6 ¥10.3K

55.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 NT$31.3K

$691 ¥108.9K

39.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 NT$14.9K

$463 ¥73.0K

-1.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 NT$49.3K

$1,100 ¥173.5K

37.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$919 NT$30.0K

$737 ¥116.2K

24.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.4K NT$372.0K

$4,325 ¥682.0K

163.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,882 NT$224.4K

$2,894 ¥456.3K

137.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,703 NT$55.5K

$1,975 ¥311.4K

-13.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

2.02

18.81%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kobe: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$456 34.3%

Kobe

$463 33.3% 1.6% $7.1

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$388 29.2%

Kobe

$355 25.5% 8.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$129 9.7%

Kobe

$202 14.5% 56.2% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$129 9.7%

Kobe

$84 6.1% 34.8% $45

Eating Out

Taipei

$124 9.3%

Kobe

$127 9.1% 2.6% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$59 4.4%

Kobe

$73 5.2% 23.1% $14

Getting Around

Taipei

$45 3.4%

Kobe

$88 6.3% 95.1% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $961 in Taipei and $691 in Kobe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kobe pays 16% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $46 in Taipei vs $32 in Kobe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $355 per month, with Kobe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇯🇵 Kobe

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

22:05 10:05 PM

1 h ahead of Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

1,537,272

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.39 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taipei Kobe 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Taipei
Kobe

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Taipei vs Kobe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipei wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Kobe. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Taipei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Taipei. 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: $961 in Taipei versus $691 in Kobe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Taipei runs roughly 42% less than in Kobe. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $710 in Taipei versus $321 in Kobe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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, Taipei and Kobe are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Taipei wins on affordability, Kobe on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.