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

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Kaohsiung is 5.9% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 8.2% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Kaohsiung is 23.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 12.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Kaohsiung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.11 NT$121
$11.99 MX$227
-65.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.16 NT$1,008
$42.47 MX$803
-19.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.28 NT$156
$10.47 MX$198
-49.57%
Cappuccino
$3.02 NT$89.1
$3.6 MX$68.2
-16.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.99 NT$29.07
$1.44 MX$27.16
-31.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 NT$21.02
$0.89 MX$16.79
-20.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.74 NT$51.3
$3.09 MX$58.5
-43.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.65 NT$78.2
$4.58 MX$86.6
-42.14%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Kaohsiung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.45 NT$102
$1.38 MX$26.04
150.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 NT$61.6
$1.85 MX$34.9
12.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.67 NT$78.7
$1.57 MX$29.68
70.06%
Eggs
$3.23 NT$95.3
$2.55 MX$48.3
26.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.69 NT$463
$8.61 MX$163
82.23%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.32 NT$275
$8.54 MX$161
9.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.1 NT$534
$10.98 MX$208
64.85%
Apples (1kg)
$6.12 NT$181
$2.72 MX$51.4
125.00%
Banana (1kg)
$2.51 NT$74.1
$1.51 MX$28.57
66.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.86 NT$84.3
$1.88 MX$35.63
52.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.1 NT$121
$2.19 MX$41.42
87.21%
Potato (1kg)
$2.95 NT$86.9
$1.87 MX$35.3
57.75%
Onion (1kg)
$2.13 NT$62.9
$2.19 MX$41.37
-2.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.94 NT$57.2
$1.07 MX$20.23
81.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 NT$34.06
$1.09 MX$20.64
5.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.44 NT$131
$3.96 MX$74.9
12.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.93 NT$352
$8.86 MX$167
34.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 NT$49.65
$1.72 MX$32.53
-2.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 NT$72.9
$2.61 MX$49.37
-5.36%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Kaohsiung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.83 NT$24.59
$0.52 MX$9.74
59.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.56 NT$813
$26.59 MX$503
3.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.95 NT$87
$3.24 MX$61.2
-8.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.74 NT$21.85
$2.38 MX$44.94
-68.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.14 NT$181
$3.11 MX$58.7
97.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.03 NT$30.24
$1.31 MX$24.85
-21.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.6K NT$1M
$30.3K MX$573K
14.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.9K NT$734.8K
$24K MX$453.6K
3.81%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kaohsiung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 NT$3,023
$84.2 MX$1,592
21.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.11 NT$741
$22.14 MX$419
13.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.81 NT$732
$30.14 MX$570
-17.68%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Kaohsiung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.75 NT$1,143
$52 MX$983
-25.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.5 NT$339
$18.72 MX$354
-38.57%
Cinema Ticket
$10.36 NT$305
$5.07 MX$95.9
104.34%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Kaohsiung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$430 NT$12.7K
$200 MX$3,787
114.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K NT$334.9K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
112.89%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Kaohsiung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$97.6 NT$2,878
$35.74 MX$676
173.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.1 NT$1,065
$39.8 MX$753
-9.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.2 NT$2,630
$79 MX$1,493
12.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$99.9 NT$2,945
$88.4 MX$1,671
12.99%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Kaohsiung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$434 NT$12.8K
$965 MX$18.3K
-55.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$276 NT$8,129
$474 MX$8,968
-41.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$932 NT$27.5K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-43.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$704 NT$20.8K
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-41.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,920 NT$145.1K
$3,081 MX$58.3K
59.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,251 NT$95.9K
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-56.82%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Kaohsiung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,333 NT$39.3K
$792 MX$15K
68.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.3
11.42
-79.86%

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

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 27, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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