Kaohsiung City at a glance
- Kaohsiung City ranks 3rd of 6 priced cities in Taiwan on cost: $696 a month in essentials, 2% above Tainan City, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $1,478 covers that 2.1×.
- 106.2 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at city level.
- PM2.5 averages 25.4 µg/m³ a year, 5× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 6 Taiwan cities we track, so every row says whether Kaohsiung City is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $696 | $707 | $11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $277 | $275 | $2 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $379 | $412 | $32 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $182 | $189 | $7 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $116 | $112 | $4 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $109 | $109 | same |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $12 | $35 | 2.92ร as much |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $1,478 | $1,491 | $13 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $668 | $748 | $80 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $952 | $1,030 | $78 |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Kaohsiung City, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $4.64 | $4.64 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $30.94 | $29.40 | $1.54 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $4.95 | $5.11 | $0.16 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $2.77 | $2.95 | $0.18 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $1.55 | $1.86 | $0.31 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $2.48 | $2.63 | $0.15 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $1.06 | $0.98 | $0.08 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.68 | $0.69 | $0.01 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $3.16 | $3.09 | $0.07 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $2.17 | $1.72 | 1.26ร as much |
| White rice, 1 kg | $2.94 | $2.84 | $0.10 |
| Eggs, 12 | $2.59 | $2.56 | $0.02 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $15.88 | $20.55 | 1.29ร as much |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $7.83 | $7.81 | $0.02 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $6.57 | $3.99 | 1.65ร as much |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $2.75 | $2.54 | $0.21 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $3.11 | $3.31 | $0.20 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $2.68 | $2.71 | $0.03 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $1.98 | $2.12 | $0.14 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $1.04 | $1.09 | $0.05 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.70 | $0.66 | $0.04 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $12.35 | $35.20 | 2.85ร as much |
| Taxi start | $2.63 | $2.63 | same |
| Taxi, 1 km | $0.77 | $0.77 | same |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.01 | $1.00 | $0.01 |
| Basic utilities, 85 mยฒ flat | $83.49 | $85.59 | $2.10 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $25.78 | $22.51 | $3.27 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $17.00 | $17.11 | $0.11 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $39.71 | $38.37 | $1.34 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $10.83 | $9.86 | $0.97 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Kaohsiung City has 106.2 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (city level). That is the 3rd-highest of 6 Taiwan cities we track.
Every Taiwan region by male-to-female ratio →
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Kaohsiung City ranks against every city we track
Kaohsiung City sits ahead of 92% of the 534 cities we track on salary against local costs. On safety it is ahead of 91% of 562. Its weakest measure is clean air, ahead of only 11% of 898.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Kaohsiung City sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: ๆฏ่ฒๅคงๅฐ็บ, CC BY-SA 2.0.
