Kaohsiung American School
American
Fee not published
Confirmed on its own website
Cost of Living inKaohsiung, Taiwan
Takao, Taiwan2.7MRemote-work friendly
Image credit: VSA-itamax
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Your money goes 3.16x further
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Taiwan: $82,615/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 56% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Overall
2.3x further
Prices are 56% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
9.5x further
Prices are 90% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
1.6x further
Prices are 38% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
4.0x further
Prices are 75% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Happiness
6.5 / 10
#30 globally
GDP per Capita
$82,615
PPP, International $
City Population
2.7M
Monthly Costs
Rent
1BR City Center$402/mo
1BR Outside Center$278/mo
3BR City Center$972/mo
3BR Outside Center$690/mo
Food
Cheap Meal$3.79
Mid-Range (2 people)$32
Milk (1L)$3.45
Eggs (12)$2.65
Transport
Monthly Pass$13
Gasoline (1L)$0.96
Utilities
Basic (85m² apt)$79/mo
Internet (60+ Mbps)$24/mo
Education
Preschool$442/mo
Intl Primary School$11,448/yr
Child Education
Public-school quality + expat access, alongside international and private school cost — the two paths a relocating family weighs.
Public schools
This describes Taiwan as a whole. Enrollment rules and school quality can vary within the country, so check with schools in Kaohsiung.
Quality
Good public schools
Assessment snapshot: 2022
Expat access
Available to residents
conditionalInstruction
Mandarin
Local-language fluency usually matters.
PISA / outcomes
536
Well above OECD avg
PISA 2022 · OECD avg ~480
Why this quality rating
Taiwan’s public system performs extremely well academically, especially in math and science.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Resident families can use the public system, but Mandarin is the default classroom language and that is the main barrier for expats.
📋 Homeschooling
Legal with school approvalRegistration requiredCurriculum approvalPeriodic assessment
Taiwan's Nonschool-Form Experimental Education Act (2014) provides a clear legal framework for homeschooling. Parents must submit a plan to the local government. Annual assessments required. Well-established community, especially in Taipei.
Homeschool legality in Taiwan — check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
International & private schools
2 confirmed schools
1 more suggested by AI, not verified
- American2
Morrison Academy Kaohsiung
American
Fee not published
Confirmed on its own website
Schools' websites are found with Wikidata and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), and each is checked on the school's own site.
Childcare & Domestic Help
Estimate-only country fallback for the family-support costs we track in Taiwan.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$1,100
Estimate-only country fallback
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$2,100
Estimate-only country fallback
Source: curated family relocation research(derived country fallback)
Getting Around
Neighborhood mobility profiles are rolling out city by city.Kaohsiung is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Taiwan.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
139 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 7 months ago
Healthcare system
GoodDeep nursing capacity, solid hospital-bed capacity, and maternal mortality is low support this rating.
Public care
LimitedCountry-level outcomes are comparatively strong support this rating.
Private care
MixedA meaningful tracked hospital and clinic network help, but self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse.
Physicians
2.31/1k
2023
Hospital beds
7.33/1k
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
79.8 yrs
2022
Maternal mortality
14/100k
2021
Neonatal mortality
4.3/1k
2023
International patient readiness
MixedMultiple facilities have websites and country-level outcomes are comparatively strong help, but price transparency is still sparse.
Pricing transparency
LimitedMultiple facilities have crawlable websites help, but published self-pay prices are scarce.
Facility coverage
Clinic: 63Pharmacy: 47Dentist: 14Hospital: 7Doctor: 5Laboratory: 3
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Taiwan yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
System metrics: Taiwan MOHW Health and Welfare Report 2024 · Updated 2026-11-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Safety Index79/100
Crime Index21/100
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
Political Stability+0.80
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | — |
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Hospitality & Food Service | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Mining & Quarrying | — |
| Other Services | — |
| Professional & Scientific Services | — |
| Real Estate | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
| Utilities | — |
2024 annual wages in Kaohsiung, Taiwan · Source: GDP-derived estimate (national)
Price Comparison vs. US
beer
$2.50Estimated68% cheaper
big mac
$2.37Estimated62% cheaper
bread 500g
$1.84Estimated46% cheaper
budget hotel
$106.23Survey-verified193% more
childcare preschool
$442.34Estimated72% cheaper
cinema
$8.00Estimated52% cheaper
coca cola
$0.85Estimated60% cheaper
eggs dozen
$2.65Estimated45% cheaper
gasoline liter
$12.59Survey-verified1122% more
inexpensive meal
$7.05Survey-verified67% cheaper
internet 60mbps
$24.01Estimated65% cheaper
iphone
$1049.00Estimated5% more
jeans
$50.00Estimated2% cheaper
latte
$3.50Estimated34% cheaper
luxury hotel
$106.23Survey-verified78% cheaper
mcmeal
$7.05Survey-verified30% cheaper
milk liter
$3.45Estimated183% more
monthly pass
$12.59Survey-verified82% cheaper
nike shoes
$75.00Estimated18% cheaper
rent 1br
$407.35Survey-verified78% cheaper
rent 2br
$407.35Survey-verified91% cheaper
rent 3br
$972.36Estimated69% cheaper
subway fare
$12.59Survey-verified422% more
taxi km
$0.87Estimated53% cheaper
utilities basic
$79.45Estimated63% cheaper
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
visa freeUp to 90 days
US passport holders can stay up to 90 days without a visa.
Long-Term Visa Programs
digital nomad
Employment Gold Card
36 monthsRenewableMin. $5,583.33/mo income
Migrated from legacy digital_nomad_visas row 34
working holiday
Working Holiday Visa12 months
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Kaohsiung compared with the US?
Your money goes about 3.2x further in Kaohsiung than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate.
Is Kaohsiung cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Kaohsiung is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 56% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Kaohsiung.
How does rent in Kaohsiung compare with New York City?
Rent in Kaohsiung is about 90% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City).
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Kaohsiung?
Groceries in Kaohsiung are about 38% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 75% cheaper than the same benchmark.
About Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung is Taiwan's largest port and third-largest city, on the southwestern coast and historically the country's heavy-industry base with petrochemicals, steel through China Steel Corporation, and shipbuilding still anchoring the economy. The relocation calculus has shifted as the city aggressively repositions toward cultural and creative industries through the Pier-2 Art Center and the Weiwuying performing-arts complex. Relocators weighing Kaohsiung over Taipei typically gain warmer drier winters, substantially lower rents, and the most extensive metro and light-rail network outside Taipei, while accepting more summer humidity, hotter peaks, and weaker English support. Mandarin is essential; Taiwanese Hokkien is widely spoken. Direct international flights are routed through Kaohsiung International Airport with strong regional Asia coverage.
Subtropical/tropical: hot, humid summers (30-37°C), mild winters; typhoon season July-SeptemberExcellent internet: 15-100 Mbps widely available; 5G expanding rapidlyGrowing expat community: smaller than Taipei but welcoming; active meetup groups and co-living spacesHighly walkable: MRT + bus network comprehensive; central districts easily navigable on footWorld-class street food scene: night markets, seafood, traditional snacks at rock-bottom pricesEmerging nightlife: fewer clubs than Taipei but riverside bars, live music venues in Pier-2Multiple coworking spaces: Akode, WeWork alternatives; café culture strongVery safe: low crime, excellent public safety; friendly locals, easy navigation for foreigners
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