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 8.5% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 8.7% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Kaohsiung is 2.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 10.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Kaohsiung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.03 NT$128
$11.85 MX$212
-65.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.61 NT$1,071
$42.16 MX$755
-20.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.46 NT$174
$10.75 MX$192
-49.21%
Cappuccino
$3.06 NT$97.4
$3.47 MX$62.2
-11.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.99 NT$31.47
$1.45 MX$26.01
-31.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 NT$23.06
$0.90 MX$16.16
-20.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.73 NT$55.1
$3.05 MX$54.7
-43.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 NT$85.2
$4.42 MX$79.1
-39.59%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Kaohsiung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.58 NT$114
$1.37 MX$24.51
161.31%
White Bread (500g)
$1.98 NT$63.1
$1.87 MX$33.51
5.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.73 NT$86.9
$1.54 MX$27.63
77.27%
Eggs
$3.36 NT$107
$2.50 MX$44.81
34.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.15 NT$515
$8.61 MX$154
87.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.40 NT$300
$8.63 MX$155
8.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.59 NT$561
$11.02 MX$197
59.62%
Apples (1kg)
$6.26 NT$199
$2.75 MX$49.22
127.64%
Banana (1kg)
$2.60 NT$82.8
$1.43 MX$25.56
81.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.78 NT$88.6
$1.87 MX$33.52
48.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.18 NT$133
$2.17 MX$38.80
92.63%
Potato (1kg)
$3.06 NT$97.4
$1.88 MX$33.70
62.77%
Onion (1kg)
$2.24 NT$71.4
$2.25 MX$40.21
-0.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.94 NT$61.9
$1.07 MX$19.11
81.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 NT$38.15
$1.07 MX$19.22
12.15%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.44 NT$141
$4.15 MX$74.4
6.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.55 NT$496
$10.34 MX$185
50.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.67 NT$53.3
$1.68 MX$30.06
-0.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 NT$81.0
$2.48 MX$44.46
2.42%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Kaohsiung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.84 NT$26.69
$0.55 MX$9.93
52.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.81 NT$854
$26.53 MX$475
1.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.82 NT$89.8
$3.22 MX$57.6
-12.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.79 NT$25.08
$2.48 MX$44.42
-68.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.92 NT$189
$3.11 MX$55.7
90.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.06 NT$33.78
$1.26 MX$22.48
-15.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K NT$1.1M
$30.7K MX$548.8K
12.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.6K NT$816.5K
$24.0K MX$430.3K
6.58%
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$3,238
$82.5 MX$1,476
23.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.94 NT$795
$22.29 MX$399
11.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.43 NT$810
$30.02 MX$537
-15.29%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Kaohsiung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.54 NT$1,260
$51.4 MX$921
-23.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.17 NT$356
$18.29 MX$327
-38.93%
Cinema Ticket
$10.21 NT$326
$4.98 MX$89.2
105.02%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Kaohsiung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$427 NT$13.6K
$200 MX$3,580
113.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.5K NT$366.6K
$5,304 MX$94.9K
116.85%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Kaohsiung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$96.0 NT$3,060
$35.71 MX$639
168.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.47 NT$1,130
$39.56 MX$708
-10.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.2 NT$2,842
$80.6 MX$1,442
10.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$100 NT$3,193
$88.3 MX$1,581
13.45%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Kaohsiung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$446 NT$14.2K
$969 MX$17.4K
-53.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$276 NT$8,789
$482 MX$8,632
-42.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$927 NT$29.5K
$1,595 MX$28.6K
-41.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$692 NT$22.1K
$1,184 MX$21.2K
-41.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,744 NT$151.2K
$4,050 MX$72.5K
17.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,257 NT$103.8K
$6,522 MX$116.7K
-50.07%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Kaohsiung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,446 NT$46.1K
$756 MX$13.5K
91.16%
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: March 1, 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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