Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yilan and Kaohsiung

For one person, living is cheaper in Yilan: $1,008 a month against $1,131 in Kaohsiung, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Yilan
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Yilan Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index

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Yilan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,008

/mo nomad

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,008 in Yilan versus $1,131 in Kaohsiung.

Yilan $1,008
Kaohsiung $1,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,731 in Yilan versus $1,838 in Kaohsiung.

Yilan $1,731
Kaohsiung $1,838

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,455 in Yilan versus $2,544 in Kaohsiung.

Yilan $2,455
Kaohsiung $2,544

Living in Yilan costs roughly 11% less than in Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yilan 25% lower, Kaohsiung 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.55 NT$115

$5.63 NT$183

-36.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.99 NT$973

$31.36 NT$1,017

-4.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.61 NT$149

$4.65 NT$151

-0.86%

Cappuccino

$2.88 NT$93.5

$2.78 NT$90.1

3.60%

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

$1.03 NT$33.33

$1.08 NT$34.99

-4.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 NT$21.18

$0.66 NT$21.40

-1.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 NT$49.41

$1.52 NT$49.14

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 NT$93.4

$2.49 NT$80.7

15.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.16 NT$102

$3.10 NT$100

1.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 NT$55.3

$2.18 NT$70.7

-21.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 NT$88.7

$2.94 NT$95.3

-6.80%

Eggs

$2.62 NT$84.9

$2.68 NT$86.9

-2.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.52 NT$925

$15.81 NT$513

80.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.15 NT$264

$8.12 NT$263

0.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 NT$554

$15.55 NT$504

9.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.36 NT$142

$6.60 NT$214

-33.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 NT$61.3

$2.73 NT$88.5

-30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 NT$100

$2.54 NT$82.2

22.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 NT$70.5

$3.13 NT$102

-30.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 NT$38.51

$2.78 NT$90.2

-57.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 NT$61.1

$2.00 NT$64.9

-6.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NT$78.0

$2.43 NT$78.7

-0.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 NT$27.78

$1.02 NT$33.12

-15.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 NT$125

$4.45 NT$144

-13.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 NT$509

$15.54 NT$504

1.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 NT$45.55

$1.57 NT$51.0

-10.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 NT$79.3

$2.20 NT$71.5

11.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 NT$24.37

$0.71 NT$23.13

5.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.68 NT$1,189

$12.65 NT$410

189.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 NT$89.1

$2.70 NT$87.6

1.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 NT$31.37

$0.75 NT$24.34

29.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.39 NT$305

$5.48 NT$178

71.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$33.23

$1.05 NT$33.97

-2.86%

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

$25.1K NT$814.8K

$33.6K NT$1.1M

-25.31%

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

$19.5K NT$633.9K

$23.6K NT$765.3K

-17.17%

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

$47.16 NT$1,529

$85.5 NT$2,773

-44.84%

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

$15.12 NT$490

$17.29 NT$561

-12.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.30 NT$691

$26.39 NT$856

-19.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.11 NT$1,009

$40.61 NT$1,317

-23.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.33 NT$335

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 NT$255

$11.13 NT$361

-29.47%

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

$340 NT$11.0K

$473 NT$15.3K

-28.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$537.7K

$14.1K NT$456.9K

17.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 NT$1,781

$92.9 NT$3,013

-40.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.44 NT$1,020

$31.16 NT$1,011

0.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 NT$2,723

$88.0 NT$2,855

-4.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.2 NT$2,016

$102 NT$3,310

-39.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$275 NT$8,930

$437 NT$14.2K

-36.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 NT$8,237

$301 NT$9,746

-15.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 NT$32.3K

$1,005 NT$32.6K

-0.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 NT$23.6K

$681 NT$22.1K

6.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,893 NT$256.0K

$4,523 NT$146.7K

74.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,975 NT$161.3K

$3,193 NT$103.5K

55.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,041 NT$33.8K

$1,471 NT$47.7K

-29.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

2.56

-11.33%

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

Last update for Yilan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yilan

$375 37.2%

Kaohsiung

$363 32.1% 3.2% $12

Accommodation & Living

Yilan

$254 25.2%

Kaohsiung

$301 26.6% 18.3% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Yilan

$105 10.4%

Kaohsiung

$141 12.5% 35.1% $37

Eating Out

Yilan

$97 9.6%

Kaohsiung

$112 9.9% 15.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yilan

$84 8.3%

Kaohsiung

$129 11.4% 54.6% $46

Getting Around

Yilan

$47 4.7%

Kaohsiung

$22 1.9% 53.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Yilan

$47 4.7%

Kaohsiung

$63 5.6% 34.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $275 in Yilan and $437 in Kaohsiung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaohsiung pays 41% 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: $30.00 in Yilan vs $31.00 in Kaohsiung. Groceries flip the comparison at $375 vs $363, with Kaohsiung cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Yilan

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

Same time as Yilan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,907

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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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

Yilan vs Kaohsiung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yilan and Kaohsiung differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,008 vs $1,131 including rent). Yilan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 41% 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: $275 in Yilan versus $437 in Kaohsiung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $340 in Yilan 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 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,008 in Yilan versus $1,131 in Kaohsiung, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Yilan but tight or insufficient in Kaohsiung. The gap between the two cities makes Yilan 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, Yilan 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 Yilan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Kaohsiung. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.