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 3.8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 5.5% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Hsinchu is 1.5% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 12% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Hsinchu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.18 NT$133
$11.85 MX$212
-64.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.42 NT$1,097
$42.16 MX$755
-18.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.48 NT$175
$10.75 MX$192
-49.02%
Cappuccino
$3.00 NT$95.7
$3.47 MX$62.2
-13.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 NT$29.15
$1.45 MX$26.01
-37.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 NT$21.96
$0.90 MX$16.16
-23.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.72 NT$55.0
$3.05 MX$54.7
-43.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 NT$76.0
$4.42 MX$79.1
-46.15%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Hsinchu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.27 NT$104
$1.37 MX$24.51
138.69%
White Bread (500g)
$1.78 NT$56.8
$1.87 MX$33.51
-4.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.33 NT$138
$1.54 MX$27.63
181.17%
Eggs
$2.54 NT$81.1
$2.50 MX$44.81
1.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.92 NT$444
$8.61 MX$154
61.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.89 NT$156
$8.63 MX$155
-43.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.01 NT$510
$11.02 MX$197
45.28%
Apples (1kg)
$4.46 NT$142
$2.75 MX$49.22
62.18%
Banana (1kg)
$2.54 NT$80.8
$1.43 MX$25.56
77.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 NT$89.8
$1.87 MX$33.52
50.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.76 NT$120
$2.17 MX$38.80
73.27%
Potato (1kg)
$3.05 NT$97.2
$1.88 MX$33.70
62.23%
Onion (1kg)
$2.24 NT$71.5
$2.25 MX$40.21
-0.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.88 NT$60.0
$1.07 MX$19.11
75.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 NT$36.82
$1.07 MX$19.22
8.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.31 NT$137
$4.15 MX$74.4
3.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.87 NT$474
$10.34 MX$185
43.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 NT$55.5
$1.68 MX$30.06
3.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.58 NT$82.2
$2.48 MX$44.46
4.03%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Hsinchu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.86 NT$27.39
$0.55 MX$9.93
56.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.96 NT$1,305
$26.53 MX$475
54.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.89 NT$92.3
$3.22 MX$57.6
-10.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.73 NT$23.21
$2.48 MX$44.42
-70.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.03 NT$192
$3.11 MX$55.7
93.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.07 NT$34.19
$1.26 MX$22.48
-15.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.3K NT$1.1M
$30.7K MX$548.8K
11.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K NT$821.5K
$24.0K MX$430.3K
7.23%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hsinchu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$75.6 NT$2,408
$82.5 MX$1,476
-8.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.21 NT$803
$22.29 MX$399
13.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.11 NT$800
$30.02 MX$537
-16.36%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Hsinchu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.77 NT$1,427
$51.4 MX$921
-12.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.66 NT$754
$18.29 MX$327
29.36%
Cinema Ticket
$10.01 NT$319
$4.98 MX$89.2
101.00%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Hsinchu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$421 NT$13.4K
$200 MX$3,580
110.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K NT$358.8K
$5,304 MX$94.9K
112.23%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Hsinchu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.4 NT$2,817
$35.71 MX$639
147.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.89 NT$1,112
$39.56 MX$708
-11.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.6 NT$2,919
$80.6 MX$1,442
13.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 NT$3,284
$88.3 MX$1,581
16.66%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Hsinchu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$544 NT$17.3K
$969 MX$17.4K
-43.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$362 NT$11.5K
$482 MX$8,632
-24.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,243 NT$39.6K
$1,595 MX$28.6K
-22.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$779 NT$24.8K
$1,184 MX$21.2K
-34.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,375 NT$266.9K
$4,050 MX$72.5K
106.77%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,060 NT$193.1K
$6,522 MX$116.7K
-7.08%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Hsinchu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,625 NT$83.7K
$756 MX$13.5K
247.03%
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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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