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

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Hsinchu is 16.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 4% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Hsinchu is 29.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 11.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Hsinchu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.02 NT$119
$11.99 MX$227
-66.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.75 NT$996
$42.47 MX$803
-20.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.35 NT$158
$10.47 MX$198
-48.90%
Cappuccino
$3.12 NT$91.9
$3.6 MX$68.2
-13.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.96 NT$28.45
$1.44 MX$27.16
-33.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 NT$21.77
$0.89 MX$16.79
-16.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.65 NT$48.6
$3.09 MX$58.5
-46.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.4 NT$70.7
$4.58 MX$86.6
-47.60%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Hsinchu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.12 NT$92.1
$1.38 MX$26.04
126.09%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 NT$53.9
$1.85 MX$34.9
-1.08%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.33 NT$128
$1.57 MX$29.68
175.80%
Eggs
$2.49 NT$73.5
$2.55 MX$48.3
-2.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.73 NT$405
$8.61 MX$163
59.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.81 NT$142
$8.54 MX$161
-43.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.94 NT$470
$10.98 MX$208
45.17%
Apples (1kg)
$4.28 NT$126
$2.72 MX$51.4
57.35%
Banana (1kg)
$2.44 NT$72.1
$1.51 MX$28.57
61.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.74 NT$80.8
$1.88 MX$35.63
45.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.86 NT$114
$2.19 MX$41.42
76.26%
Potato (1kg)
$2.91 NT$85.8
$1.87 MX$35.3
55.61%
Onion (1kg)
$2.24 NT$66
$2.19 MX$41.37
2.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.86 NT$54.8
$1.07 MX$20.23
73.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.2 NT$35.39
$1.09 MX$20.64
10.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.36 NT$129
$3.96 MX$74.9
10.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.26 NT$539
$8.86 MX$167
106.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 NT$50.6
$1.72 MX$32.53
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.46 NT$72.6
$2.61 MX$49.37
-5.75%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Hsinchu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.85 NT$25.1
$0.52 MX$9.74
63.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$39.9 NT$1,177
$26.59 MX$503
50.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.93 NT$86.5
$3.24 MX$61.2
-9.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.74 NT$21.81
$2.38 MX$44.94
-68.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.04 NT$178
$3.11 MX$58.7
94.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.06 NT$31.33
$1.31 MX$24.85
-19.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35K NT$1M
$30.3K MX$573K
15.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K NT$743.7K
$24K MX$453.6K
5.07%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hsinchu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$74.5 NT$2,197
$84.2 MX$1,592
-11.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.59 NT$755
$22.14 MX$419
15.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.24 NT$745
$30.14 MX$570
-16.26%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Hsinchu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.56 NT$1,285
$52 MX$983
-16.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.3 NT$687
$18.72 MX$354
24.47%
Cinema Ticket
$10.27 NT$303
$5.07 MX$95.9
102.56%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Hsinchu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$426 NT$12.6K
$200 MX$3,787
112.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.5K NT$338K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
114.84%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Hsinchu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.5 NT$2,610
$35.74 MX$676
147.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.77 NT$1,055
$39.8 MX$753
-10.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.7 NT$2,675
$79 MX$1,493
14.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$102 NT$3,010
$88.4 MX$1,671
15.48%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Hsinchu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$556 NT$16.4K
$965 MX$18.3K
-42.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$363 NT$10.7K
$474 MX$8,968
-23.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,196 NT$35.3K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-27.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$773 NT$22.8K
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-35.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,978 NT$264.8K
$3,081 MX$58.3K
191.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,795 NT$200.5K
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-9.75%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Hsinchu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,315 NT$68.3K
$792 MX$15K
192.37%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
1.57
11.42
-86.25%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Hsinchu: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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