Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaohsiung: $1,108 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

54

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,108

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaohsiung and in Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,108 in Kaohsiung versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen.

Kaohsiung $1,108
Playa del Carmen $1,215

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,821 in Kaohsiung versus $2,144 in Playa del Carmen.

Kaohsiung $1,821
Playa del Carmen $2,144

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,535 in Kaohsiung versus $3,072 in Playa del Carmen.

Kaohsiung $2,535
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Living in Kaohsiung costs roughly 9% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kaohsiung 17% lower, Playa del Carmen 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.46 NT$174

$10.97 MX$201

-50.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.96 NT$1,020

$44.85 MX$823

-28.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.87 NT$155

$11.92 MX$219

-59.14%

Cappuccino

$2.83 NT$90.4

$3.80 MX$69.9

-25.53%

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

$1.14 NT$36.40

$1.31 MX$24.08

-12.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 NT$22.76

$0.86 MX$15.72

-17.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 NT$48.85

$3.21 MX$59.0

-52.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 NT$81.5

$5.01 MX$92.0

-49.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.25 NT$104

$1.46 MX$26.77

122.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 NT$69.7

$2.33 MX$42.72

-6.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 NT$98.1

$1.44 MX$26.48

113.19%

Eggs

$2.67 NT$85.2

$2.46 MX$45.20

8.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.13 NT$515

$7.70 MX$141

109.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.08 NT$258

$7.89 MX$145

2.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.24 NT$486

$12.80 MX$235

19.06%

Apples (1kg)

$6.80 NT$217

$2.92 MX$53.6

132.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 NT$90.1

$1.42 MX$26.11

98.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 NT$82.0

$2.57 MX$47.10

Tomato (1kg)

$3.08 NT$98.4

$2.14 MX$39.24

43.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 NT$90.7

$1.95 MX$35.75

45.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 NT$65.8

$1.94 MX$35.55

6.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 NT$78.2

$1.15 MX$21.13

113.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 NT$33.18

$1.22 MX$22.42

-14.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 NT$145

$4.38 MX$80.3

3.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 NT$502

$9.85 MX$181

59.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 NT$53.4

$1.54 MX$28.23

8.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 NT$71.7

$2.72 MX$49.86

-17.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 NT$21.68

$0.52 MX$9.64

30.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.67 NT$404

$27.42 MX$503

-53.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.76 NT$88.0

$4.91 MX$90.2

-43.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$23.98

$3.52 MX$64.7

-78.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.51 NT$176

$5.69 MX$104

-3.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.50

$1.54 MX$28.27

-33.77%

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

$33.6K NT$1.1M

$21.2K MX$389.9K

58.40%

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

$23.0K NT$735.3K

$24.5K MX$449.6K

-5.90%

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

$84.8 NT$2,705

$83.6 MX$1,535

1.40%

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

$17.34 NT$553

$24.03 MX$441

-27.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.77 NT$822

$29.33 MX$539

-12.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.21 NT$1,315

$64.9 MX$1,191

-36.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.41 NT$332

$29.46 MX$541

-64.66%

Cinema Ticket

$10.96 NT$350

$5.09 MX$93.4

115.32%

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

$462 NT$14.7K

$208 MX$3,813

122.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K NT$449.2K

$4,045 MX$74.3K

248.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.5 NT$2,982

$44.55 MX$818

109.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.88 NT$1,017

$42.06 MX$772

-24.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.9 NT$2,740

$75.5 MX$1,387

13.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,314

$91.4 MX$1,678

13.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 NT$13.2K

$986 MX$18.1K

-57.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 NT$8,808

$385 MX$7,072

-28.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 NT$31.2K

$1,713 MX$31.5K

-42.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$668 NT$21.3K

$1,108 MX$20.4K

-39.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,588 NT$146.4K

$4,016 MX$73.7K

14.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,154 NT$100.7K

$6,247 MX$114.7K

-49.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,462 NT$46.7K

$758 MX$13.9K

92.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.56

11.45

-77.64%

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

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaohsiung

$368 33.1%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 29.2% $107

Accommodation & Living

Kaohsiung

$276 24.9%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 39.5% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Kaohsiung

$142 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 19.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaohsiung

$128 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 7.1% $9.1

Eating Out

Kaohsiung

$112 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 81.5% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Kaohsiung

$63 5.7%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 18.9% $12

Getting Around

Kaohsiung

$22 2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 138% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $415 in Kaohsiung and $986 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaohsiung pays 93% 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 $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $368 vs $260, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:50 5:50 PM

04:50 4:50 AM

13 h behind Kaohsiung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,777,873

149,923

💱 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

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Between locations

Kaohsiung Playa del Carmen 14,360 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Kaohsiung
Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaohsiung and Playa del Carmen differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,108 vs $1,215 including rent). Kaohsiung is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 93% 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 $986 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $462 in Kaohsiung versus $208 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 41% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,108 in Kaohsiung versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kaohsiung but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. 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 Playa del Carmen 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 10% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.