Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taoyuan and Kaohsiung

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaohsiung: $1,105 a month against $1,183 in Taoyuan, rent and utilities included – about $940 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Taoyuan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Taoyuan
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Taoyuan Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index

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Taoyuan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,183

/mo nomad

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,183 in Taoyuan versus $1,105 in Kaohsiung.

Taoyuan $1,183
Kaohsiung $1,105

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,731 in Taoyuan versus $1,796 in Kaohsiung.

Taoyuan $1,731
Kaohsiung $1,796

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,278 in Taoyuan versus $2,487 in Kaohsiung.

Taoyuan $2,278
Kaohsiung $2,487

Living in Taoyuan is roughly 7% more expensive than in Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taoyuan 13% lower, Kaohsiung 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.13 NT$135

$4.74 NT$155

-12.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.84 NT$810

$30.77 NT$1,003

-19.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.46 NT$178

$4.60 NT$150

18.70%

Cappuccino

$3.00 NT$97.8

$2.93 NT$95.4

2.39%

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

$1.00 NT$32.66

$1.05 NT$34.21

-4.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 NT$22.65

$0.69 NT$22.61

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 NT$58.9

$1.51 NT$49.24

19.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 NT$73.3

$2.39 NT$78.1

-5.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.76 NT$89.9

$3.16 NT$103

-12.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 NT$37.73

$2.18 NT$71.1

-46.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 NT$84.0

$2.87 NT$93.5

-10.10%

Eggs

$2.14 NT$69.9

$2.54 NT$82.9

-15.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.84 NT$288

$15.21 NT$496

-41.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.14 NT$233

$8.03 NT$262

-11.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.23 NT$692

$14.77 NT$481

43.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.77 NT$123

$6.40 NT$209

-41.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 NT$63.3

$2.79 NT$90.9

-30.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 NT$99.4

$2.42 NT$78.8

26.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.05 NT$99.5

$3.02 NT$98.6

0.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 NT$79.5

$2.68 NT$87.4

-8.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 NT$62.2

$1.97 NT$64.4

-3.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 NT$74.6

$2.30 NT$74.9

-0.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 NT$28.21

$1.02 NT$33.12

-14.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.85 NT$158

$4.24 NT$138

14.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.78 NT$351

$15.44 NT$503

-30.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 NT$48.27

$1.61 NT$52.5

-8.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 NT$66.3

$2.09 NT$68.0

-2.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 NT$17.07

$0.62 NT$20.35

-16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.11 NT$1,210

$12.04 NT$393

208.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 NT$92.3

$2.64 NT$86.0

7.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 NT$26.32

$0.78 NT$25.48

3.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.89 NT$225

$5.68 NT$185

21.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 NT$31.03

$0.97 NT$31.78

-2.06%

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

$36.5K NT$1.2M

$37.1K NT$1.2M

-1.78%

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

$23.0K NT$748.9K

$22.7K NT$739.4K

1.28%

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

$66.9 NT$2,180

$82.1 NT$2,676

-18.53%

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

$17.45 NT$569

$16.89 NT$551

3.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.84 NT$712

$25.27 NT$824

-13.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.19 NT$984

$39.20 NT$1,278

-22.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.09 NT$231

$10.12 NT$330

-29.94%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 NT$352

$10.11 NT$330

6.82%

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

$521 NT$17.0K

$448 NT$14.6K

16.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K NT$1.0M

$13.7K NT$445.8K

129.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.0 NT$2,871

$90.0 NT$2,935

-2.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.36 NT$794

$31.24 NT$1,019

-22.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.0 NT$2,707

$86.0 NT$2,805

-3.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.0 NT$3,129

$99.3 NT$3,239

-3.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 NT$20.9K

$430 NT$14.0K

48.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 NT$14.2K

$301 NT$9,806

45.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 NT$25.3K

$985 NT$32.1K

-21.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 NT$19.9K

$681 NT$22.2K

-10.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,226 NT$203.0K

$4,146 NT$135.2K

50.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,079 NT$133.0K

$2,875 NT$93.7K

41.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,507 NT$49.1K

$1,401 NT$45.7K

7.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.38

2.56

-7.03%

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

Last update for Taoyuan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taoyuan

$437 36.9%

Kaohsiung

$301 27.2% 31.2% $136

Groceries & Markets

Taoyuan

$306 25.8%

Kaohsiung

$355 32.1% 16.2% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Taoyuan

$131 11.1%

Kaohsiung

$138 12.5% 5.2% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taoyuan

$106 9%

Kaohsiung

$124 11.3% 17.1% $18

Eating Out

Taoyuan

$106 8.9%

Kaohsiung

$106 9.6% 0.4% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Taoyuan

$52 4.4%

Kaohsiung

$59 5.4% 14.8% $7.6

Getting Around

Taoyuan

$46 3.9%

Kaohsiung

$21 1.9% 54.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $641 in Taoyuan and $430 in Kaohsiung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taoyuan pays 8% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Taoyuan vs $31 in Kaohsiung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $306 vs $355 per month, with Taoyuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taoyuan

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🕒 Local time

02:17 2:17 AM

Same time as Taoyuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,147,763

2,777,873

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Taoyuan Kaohsiung 280 km

From you

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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

Taoyuan vs Kaohsiung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,183 in Taoyuan and $1,105 in Kaohsiung, so Kaohsiung is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Taoyuan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $641 in Taoyuan versus $430 in Kaohsiung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $521 in Taoyuan versus $448 in Kaohsiung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Taoyuan pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Kaohsiung gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Kaohsiung is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Taoyuan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Taoyuan and Kaohsiung are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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