Keelung (Chi-Lung) vs Abasha: Which City Wins for Expats in 2026?

Abasha costs roughly 7.6x less than Keelung (Chi-Lung). Keelung (Chi-Lung) scores significantly higher on safety and retiree suitability — worth weighing against the cost gap. Use our tool below to personalize the estimate based on your income and lifestyle.

Household
Lifestyle
Schooling

Abasha is approximately 125% less expensive than Keelung (Chi-Lung) based on cost of living including rent. This makes Abasha a more budget-friendly option for expats considering a move.

Abasha has a FIRE Score of 86/100, indicating its suitability for financial independence and early retirement. The city's safety index is 60, which is relatively safe.

Recommended profile: Abasha is ideal for GeoArbitragers and remote workers looking to maximize savings.

Overall Winner

Keelung (Chi-Lung)

Taiwan
FIRE81

About Keelung (Chi-Lung)

Keelung is a budget-friendly outlier in Taiwan, where a single adult can live comfortably on $1,020/mo and rent a one-bedroom downtown for just $564/mo, yet the average local salary of $2,437/mo leaves plenty of room to save. The city is safe (crime index 15/100) and has excellent healthcare, but English proficiency is limited and the expat community is small, so you'll need Mandarin to truly settle in. Its proximity to Taipei (45 km from TPE) makes it a practical base, though the air quality index of 55 and a subtropical climate that brings rain are real trade-offs. If you want a cheap, secure launchpad for Taiwan without the capital's costs, Keelung delivers, but don't expect a buzzing international scene.

About Taiwan

No retirement visa exists, and the digital nomad route demands $4,977/month income (remote work allowed), so budget retirees are locked out. This suits high-earning remote workers who want elite healthcare (86.5 index), high safety (82.9), and fast internet, and can tolerate a complex path to permanent residency and 40% top tax rates.

MONTHLY SAVINGS

$2,143/mo

Nomad Viability
Moderate Suitability

Cost of Living (Without Rent)

Single Person$938/mo
Family of Four$3,388/mo

Rent Per Month

1 Bedroom (City Centre)
$564
1 Bedroom (Outside Centre)
$470
3 Bedroom (City Centre)
$1,033
3 Bedroom (Outside Centre)
$939

Attractiveness

FIRE Score
77/100
Retiree Score
75/100
Nomad Score
27/100



City Details

About Abasha

Abasha is a dirt-cheap Georgian backwater where a single adult can live on $650 a month, but that's about all it has going for it. The local average salary of $350 a month means you'll be living off savings or remote income, and the $24,657 monthly income requirement for the Georgia Remotely From Georgia Program is absurdly out of step with local costs. With a population of just 4,000, limited English, and fair healthcare, this is a place for hardcore budget expats who want zero frills, not for retirees or digital nomads seeking community or convenience. If you can handle the isolation and the 36 Mbps internet, it's a steal; otherwise, look elsewhere.

About Georgia

Skip this one if you need a dedicated retirement visa or high-quality healthcare (55.6 index, no clear retirement pathway). Georgia works for remote workers: the digital nomad visa needs just $24,657/mo income, rent runs $509/mo in-center, and 20% flat tax keeps math simple. Best for younger, flexible expats, not retirees prioritizing medical infrastructure.

MONTHLY SAVINGS

$2,050/mo

Nomad Viability
Moderate Suitability

Cost of Living (Without Rent)

Single Person$1,550/mo
Family of Four$5,600/mo

Rent Per Month

1 Bedroom (City Centre)
$250
1 Bedroom (Outside Centre)
$180
3 Bedroom (City Centre)
$420
3 Bedroom (Outside Centre)
$300

Attractiveness

FIRE Score
74/100
Retiree Score
62/100
Nomad Score
22/100



City Details

Which visa fits your move?

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Battle of Lifestyles

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MetricKeelung (Chi-Lung)Abasha
1BR Apartment (Center)$563.67$250
1BR Apartment (Outside)$469.72$180
3BR Apartment (Center)$1033.39$420
3BR Apartment (Outside)$939.44$300
Safety Index8560
Internet Speed125Mbps36.2Mbps
Walkability ScoreN/AN/A

Monthly cost by categoryOne person, computed from each city's own average prices

CategoryKeelung (Chi-Lung)Abasha
Total (rent included)$886/mo$619/mo
Excluding rent$416/mo$439/mo
Rent$470/mo$180/mo
Groceries$156/mo$149/mo
Dining out$47.00/mo$113/mo
Entertainment & lifestyle$83.00/mo$56.00/mo
Utilities & connectivity$67.00/mo$121/mo
Transport$63.00/moN/A

Usage-based estimates from this city's own average prices. A row marked N/A means that city is missing data, so no figure is shown instead of a stale one.

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Keelung (Chi-Lung) vs Abasha -- Frequently Asked Questions

Click any question to expand the answer.

The Rewire Abroad city comparison tool lets you compare any two cities side by side across metrics that matter most for expats: cost of living, rent, safety, internet speed, and unique attractiveness scores like FIRE and Nomad scores.

The FIRE Score is a financial runway index based on your specific income relative to the local cost of living and rent in that city.

The Retiree Score is a holistic measure of healthcare quality, safety, and general pace of life.

The Nomad Score measures suitability for remote workers, prioritizing average internet speeds, coworking density, and the size of the local expat community.

The monthly cost includes rent and living expenses adjusted using country-level cost of living averages and lifestyle multipliers.

The Savings Rate is the percentage of your income left over after covering all estimated monthly costs in that city.

The tool compares exactly two cities at a time for a clean head-to-head breakdown.

Rewire Abroad has data on hundreds of cities worldwide. If a city appears in the search dropdown, full data is available.

We aggregate data from private and official international sources, adjusted by country-level data for accuracy.