Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaohsiung: $1,108 a month against $1,561 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
Learn more

Kaohsiung Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,108

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaohsiung and in Mexico City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kaohsiung and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,108 in Kaohsiung versus $1,561 in Mexico City.

Kaohsiung $1,108
Mexico City $1,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,821 in Kaohsiung versus $2,440 in Mexico City.

Kaohsiung $1,821
Mexico City $2,440

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,535 in Kaohsiung versus $3,319 in Mexico City.

Kaohsiung $2,535
Mexico City $3,319

Living in Kaohsiung costs roughly 29% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kaohsiung is 17% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.46 NT$174

$11.12 MX$204

-50.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.96 NT$1,020

$48.99 MX$900

-34.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.87 NT$155

$11.23 MX$206

-56.63%

Cappuccino

$2.83 NT$90.4

$3.76 MX$69.0

-24.73%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 NT$36.40

$1.65 MX$30.34

-30.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 NT$22.76

$1.28 MX$23.48

-44.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 NT$48.85

$3.26 MX$59.8

-53.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 NT$81.5

$5.66 MX$104

-54.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.25 NT$104

$1.81 MX$33.23

79.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 NT$69.7

$2.94 MX$54.0

-25.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 NT$98.1

$2.05 MX$37.62

49.76%

Eggs

$2.67 NT$85.2

$2.93 MX$53.7

-8.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.13 NT$515

$11.95 MX$219

34.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.08 NT$258

$9.51 MX$175

-15.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.24 NT$486

$14.84 MX$273

2.70%

Apples (1kg)

$6.80 NT$217

$3.14 MX$57.7

116.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 NT$90.1

$2.01 MX$36.99

40.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 NT$82.0

$2.08 MX$38.10

23.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.08 NT$98.4

$2.22 MX$40.72

38.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 NT$90.7

$2.06 MX$37.82

37.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 NT$65.8

$1.88 MX$34.46

9.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 NT$78.2

$1.48 MX$27.18

65.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 NT$33.18

$1.35 MX$24.70

-22.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 NT$145

$5.41 MX$99.3

-16.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 NT$502

$16.86 MX$310

-6.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 NT$53.4

$1.98 MX$36.43

-15.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 NT$71.7

$4.32 MX$79.4

-47.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 NT$21.68

$0.34 MX$6.33

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.67 NT$404

$20.23 MX$371

-37.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.76 NT$88.0

$2.10 MX$38.47

31.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$23.98

$0.53 MX$9.74

41.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.51 NT$176

$5.41 MX$99.3

1.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.50

$1.52 MX$27.91

-32.89%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$33.6K NT$1.1M

$21.7K MX$399.0K

54.81%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.0K NT$735.3K

$24.8K MX$455.6K

-7.13%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$84.8 NT$2,705

$63.0 MX$1,156

34.64%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.34 NT$553

$28.88 MX$530

-39.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.77 NT$822

$33.93 MX$623

-24.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.21 NT$1,315

$55.8 MX$1,024

-26.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.41 NT$332

$24.90 MX$457

-58.19%

Cinema Ticket

$10.96 NT$350

$6.77 MX$124

61.89%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$462 NT$14.7K

$428 MX$7,854

8.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K NT$449.2K

$11.9K MX$218.0K

18.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.5 NT$2,982

$70.0 MX$1,286

33.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.88 NT$1,017

$53.7 MX$986

-40.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.9 NT$2,740

$110 MX$2,016

-21.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,314

$115 MX$2,115

-9.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 NT$13.2K

$1,062 MX$19.5K

-60.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 NT$8,808

$671 MX$12.3K

-58.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 NT$31.2K

$2,379 MX$43.7K

-58.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$668 NT$21.3K

$1,260 MX$23.1K

-47.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,588 NT$146.4K

$3,716 MX$68.2K

23.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,154 NT$100.7K

$1,976 MX$36.3K

59.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,462 NT$46.7K

$997 MX$18.3K

46.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.56

11.3

-77.35%

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

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 3, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Kaohsiung

$368 33.1%

Mexico City

$327 20.7% 11.1% $41

Accommodation & Living

Kaohsiung

$276 24.9%

Mexico City

$671 42.4% 143% $395

Clothing & Footwear

Kaohsiung

$142 12.8%

Mexico City

$157 9.9% 10.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaohsiung

$128 11.5%

Mexico City

$126 8% 1.6% $2.1

Eating Out

Kaohsiung

$112 10.1%

Mexico City

$207 13.1% 84.2% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Kaohsiung

$63 5.7%

Mexico City

$69 4.4% 9.8% $6.2

Getting Around

Kaohsiung

$22 2%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 20.3% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $415 in Kaohsiung and $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaohsiung pays 47% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Kaohsiung vs $49.00 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $368 vs $327, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

06:26 6:26 AM

14 h behind Kaohsiung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,777,873

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.76 TWD (100 TWD = 2.8 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kaohsiung Mexico City 13,670 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Kaohsiung
Mexico City

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Kaohsiung vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaohsiung and Mexico City differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($1,108 vs $1,561 including rent). Kaohsiung is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 47% higher in Kaohsiung, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $415 in Kaohsiung versus $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $462 in Kaohsiung versus $428 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Mexico City pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,108 in Kaohsiung versus $1,561 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kaohsiung but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Kaohsiung the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Kaohsiung and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kaohsiung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.