Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiayi and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiayi and Playa del Carmen

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Chiayi is 7.6% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 6.8% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Chiayi is 29.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 8.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiayi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.71 NT$198
$11.99 MX$227
-44.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.76 NT$1,202
$42.47 MX$803
-4.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.65 NT$167
$10.47 MX$198
-46.04%
Cappuccino
$2.23 NT$65.9
$3.6 MX$68.2
-38.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.17 NT$34.42
$1.44 MX$27.16
-18.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 NT$22.11
$0.89 MX$16.79
-15.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.82 NT$53.6
$3.09 MX$58.5
-41.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 NT$90.6
$4.58 MX$86.6
-32.97%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Chiayi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.1 NT$91.5
$1.38 MX$26.04
124.64%
White Bread (500g)
$1.9 NT$56
$1.85 MX$34.9
2.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.15 NT$93
$1.57 MX$29.68
100.64%
Eggs
$2.92 NT$86.1
$2.55 MX$48.3
14.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$20.27 NT$598
$8.61 MX$163
135.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.14 NT$299
$8.54 MX$161
18.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.1 NT$593
$10.98 MX$208
83.06%
Apples (1kg)
$5.2 NT$153
$2.72 MX$51.4
91.18%
Banana (1kg)
$2.99 NT$88.2
$1.51 MX$28.57
98.01%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.88 NT$84.9
$1.88 MX$35.63
53.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.23 NT$125
$2.19 MX$41.42
93.15%
Potato (1kg)
$2.91 NT$85.9
$1.87 MX$35.3
55.61%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 NT$64.4
$2.19 MX$41.37
-0.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.97 NT$58.3
$1.07 MX$20.23
84.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 NT$39.42
$1.09 MX$20.64
22.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.04 NT$119
$3.96 MX$74.9
2.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.97 NT$147
$8.86 MX$167
-43.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 NT$51.4
$1.72 MX$32.53
1.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 NT$71.7
$2.61 MX$49.37
-6.90%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiayi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 NT$25.6
$0.52 MX$9.74
67.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$39.56 NT$1,167
$26.59 MX$503
48.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.81 NT$82.8
$3.24 MX$61.2
-13.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.45 NT$13.25
$2.38 MX$44.94
-81.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.21 NT$301
$3.11 MX$58.7
228.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1 NT$29.5
$1.31 MX$24.85
-23.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.7K NT$1.1M
$30.3K MX$573K
27.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.8K NT$819.1K
$24K MX$453.6K
15.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiayi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$72.1 NT$2,126
$84.2 MX$1,592
-14.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.19 NT$566
$22.14 MX$419
-13.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.18 NT$743
$30.14 MX$570
-16.46%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Chiayi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.77 NT$1,114
$52 MX$983
-27.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.96 NT$441
$18.72 MX$354
-20.09%
Cinema Ticket
$11.8 NT$348
$5.07 MX$95.9
132.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiayi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$634 NT$18.7K
$200 MX$3,787
216.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19K NT$559.1K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
255.40%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Chiayi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.5 NT$1,696
$35.74 MX$676
60.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33 NT$973
$39.8 MX$753
-17.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.9 NT$2,770
$79 MX$1,493
18.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 NT$3,552
$88.4 MX$1,671
36.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiayi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$431 NT$12.7K
$965 MX$18.3K
-55.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$287 NT$8,471
$474 MX$8,968
-39.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,018 NT$30K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-38.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$724 NT$21.3K
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-39.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,081 NT$208.9K
$3,081 MX$58.3K
129.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,144 NT$151.7K
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-31.68%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Chiayi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,224 NT$65.6K
$792 MX$15K
180.92%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.19
11.42
-80.82%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chiayi: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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