Kaohsiung airport is only about 6 km from downtown, so transport costs are among the lowest you will find at any international airport. Both the MRT and the taxis run on published tariffs, so you can work out what you will pay before you land.
The MRT fare formula
Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation sets MRT fares purely by distance:
| Distance | Fare |
|---|---|
| First 5 km | NT$20 |
| 5–17 km | +NT$5 per additional 2 km |
| 17–20 km | +NT$5 per additional 3 km |
| Maximum | NT$60 |
Fixed-price private transfer
KHH Kaohsiung City Center
From€65for 2 passengers
Because the airport sits close to the centre, city-centre stations are at the bottom of that scale. Zuoying HSR station, at the far northern end of the Red Line, is the longest ride from the airport and lands much higher up it. The ticket machine shows the exact fare to your station before you pay, and the fare enquiry at krtc.com.tw does the same from home.
A single MRT fare covers the whole journey to any station, including a transfer to the Orange Line.
The taxi tariff
The Kaohsiung City Transportation Bureau sets the taxi tariff (effective 27 March 2024):
| Element | Rate |
|---|---|
| First 1.25 km | NT$85 |
| Each additional 200 m | NT$5 |
| Crawling below 5 km/h | NT$5 per 100 seconds |
| International terminal pickup | +NT$50 |
| 23:00–06:00 | +20% |
Run over the 6–9 km into central Kaohsiung, that comes to roughly NT$250–330 including the international-terminal fee, before any waiting time in traffic. Longer trips — Zuoying, Cijin, the far side of the city — scale up from the same formula.
A correction worth making: there is an airport surcharge on taxis at KHH. Pickups from the international terminal carry a NT$50 stopover service fee, confirmed by both the airport and the city. Domestic terminal pickups do not. It is small, but it is real, and it is not the driver inventing it.
Why Kaohsiung is so affordable
The airport's proximity to the city is doing the work. The meter simply does not have time to run up, and the MRT's distance-based formula puts the airport in its cheapest band. There is no expensive dedicated airport express here — just the ordinary city metro, at ordinary city prices.
Private transfers
A private transfer is priced per vehicle and fixed at booking, so you know the figure before you fly and it does not move with the clock. For central Kaohsiung it is a premium convenience rather than a necessity — the MRT and taxis are good enough that most solo travellers and couples will not need one. It becomes practical for:
- Kenting trips (about 90 km south, a 2-hour drive), where a fixed price and door-to-door service earn their keep. Note the budget alternative: bus 9117/9117A runs to Kenting directly from the airport.
- Families with car seats, since taxis do not provide them
- Large groups with too much luggage for a standard taxi
- Late arrivals past midnight when the MRT has stopped
Get a quote for your actual address and party size — that is the only transfer number worth having.
Stored-value cards
An iPass or EasyCard, available at any MRT station, costs a small refundable deposit plus whatever you load. It gives a discount on MRT and bus fares and works at convenience stores, supermarkets and many restaurants. For a single ride into town, a single-journey ticket is perfectly fine.
Both the MRT formula and the taxi tariff are revised from time to time. Check the current ones before you rely on them.