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Compare cities โ€บ Hualien vs Kaohsiung

Hualien vs Kaohsiung cost of living 2026

Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026

Hualien๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ผ HualienTaiwan
VS
Kaohsiung๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ผ KaohsiungTaiwan
Hualien and Kaohsiung cost about the same
Living on $1,666 a month in Hualien feels like about $1,743 in Kaohsiung โ€” same standard of living, compared by feel rather than exchange rate.
Cheaper on how many of 20 items?
Hualien 6tie 6Kaohsiung 8
Compare on YOUR lifestyleSet your rent, eating out, coffee & taxis โ€” see your real monthly difference ยท free
โ€บ
Per day
$141 vs $126
Per month
$1,666 vs $1,743
Local meal
NT$ 130 vs NT$ 150
$4.13 vs $4.76
Taxi 5 km
NT$ 200 vs NT$ 190
$6.35 vs $6.03

At a glance

FoodHualien 5% cheaper
Cafรฉs & drinksHualien 5% cheaper
TransportKaohsiung 9% cheaper
Staysimilar
FunHualien 31% cheaper

By category

Foodsimilar
Hualien
Kaohsiung
Cafรฉs & drinksKaohsiung +9%
Hualien
Kaohsiung
TransportKaohsiung โˆ’11%
Hualien
Kaohsiung
StayKaohsiung โˆ’18%
Hualien
Kaohsiung
FunKaohsiung +34%
Hualien
Kaohsiung

Salary equivalence

Enter a monthly income in Hualien to see what gives the same standard of living in Kaohsiung. Starts at the average Hualien salary.

Travel difficulty

Hualien
Kaohsiung
Overall
Moderate2.8
Moderate2.2
Rip-offs & haggling
2
2
Language
4
3
Getting around
3
2
Payments
3
2
Safety
2
2

Kaohsiung is easier to travel (2.2 vs 2.8). Biggest gap: language โ€” Hualien 4 vs Kaohsiung 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โ€บ

Item by item

ItemHualienKaohsiungCheaper
Local mealper personNT$ 130$4.13NT$ 150$4.76Hualien โˆ’13%
Street food1 itemNT$ 80$2.54NT$ 80$2.54similar
Restaurant dinnerper personNT$ 450$14.3NT$ 450$14.3similar
Coffeeone cupNT$ 110$3.49NT$ 120$3.81Hualien โˆ’8%
Beerone bottleNT$ 120$3.81NT$ 110$3.49Kaohsiung โˆ’8%
Cocktail & wineone cupNT$ 300$9.52NT$ 350$11.1Hualien โˆ’14%
Bottled waterNT$ 25$0.79NT$ 20$0.63Kaohsiung โˆ’20%
Convenience store1 snack or drinkNT$ 35$1.11NT$ 35$1.11similar
Taxi5 km in townNT$ 200$6.35NT$ 190$6.03similar
Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hopNT$ 140$4.44NT$ 110$3.49Kaohsiung โˆ’21%
Transitone rideNT$ 25$0.79NT$ 25$0.79similar
Scooter rentalper dayNT$ 450$14.3NT$ 400$12.7Kaohsiung โˆ’11%
Hotel night3-starNT$ 2,800$88.9NT$ 2,300$73Kaohsiung โˆ’18%
Studio rent (month)NT$ 10,000$317NT$ 12,500$397Hualien โˆ’20%
LaundryNT$ 120$3.81NT$ 100$3.17Kaohsiung โˆ’17%
SIM card1 week dataNT$ 500$15.9NT$ 450$14.3Kaohsiung โˆ’10%
HaircutcutNT$ 250$7.94NT$ 250$7.94similar
Massage1 hourNT$ 900$28.6NT$ 750$23.8Kaohsiung โˆ’17%
Half-day tourper personNT$ 800$25.4NT$ 1,500$47.6Hualien โˆ’47%
Entry ticketTourist townNT$ 60$1.9NT$ 100$3.17Hualien โˆ’40%

Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.

Compare on your own lifestyle in the appSet your rent, eating out, coffee and taxis โ€” see your real monthly difference and live traveler prices. No sign-up.
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FAQ

Which is cheaper, Hualien or Kaohsiung?

Hualien and Kaohsiung cost about the same. Daily budget $141 vs $126; a month $1,666 vs $1,743.

Which is easier to travel, Hualien or Kaohsiung?

Kaohsiung is easier: Kaohsiung 2.2/5 vs Hualien 2.8/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).

How do monthly costs compare between Hualien and Kaohsiung?

With a short-term studio and living costs, Hualien is about $1,666 and Kaohsiung about $1,743 per month.

Where do the numbers come from?

They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.

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