Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Chiayi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiayi: $1,041 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
Learn more

Chiayi Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,041

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,041 in Chiayi.

Mexico City $1,608
Chiayi $1,041

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,471 in Chiayi.

Mexico City $2,549
Chiayi $1,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,901 in Chiayi.

Mexico City $3,490
Chiayi $1,901

Living in Mexico City is roughly 55% more expensive than in Chiayi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Chiayi is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$4.59 NT$150

131.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$46.34 NT$1,511

4.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$5.65 NT$184

83.19%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$3.29 NT$107

12.16%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.85 NT$27.72

96.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.67 NT$21.81

89.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$2.98 NT$97.2

7.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$3.58 NT$117

48.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$2.95 NT$96.2

-41.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.95 NT$63.5

55.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$3.05 NT$99.5

-36.39%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$2.63 NT$85.8

9.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$18.97 NT$619

-42.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$9.89 NT$322

-6.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$21.28 NT$694

-28.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$4.72 NT$154

-35.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$3.28 NT$107

-40.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$2.87 NT$93.5

-29.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$4.23 NT$138

-45.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$2.65 NT$86.2

-23.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$2.20 NT$71.6

-18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.72 NT$56.1

-13.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.12 NT$36.48

13.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$3.75 NT$122

41.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$4.48 NT$146

259.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.58 NT$51.4

25.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$2.13 NT$69.5

99.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$12.12 NT$395

62.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$2.54 NT$82.8

-27.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.45 NT$14.70

17.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$8.97 NT$292

-40.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.00 NT$32.62

51.00%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$34.1K NT$1.1M

-36.15%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$23.5K NT$765.9K

2.11%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$64.7 NT$2,108

-2.60%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$17.55 NT$572

56.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$26.76 NT$872

33.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$30.55 NT$996

92.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$9.62 NT$314

-33.47%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$712 NT$23.2K

-39.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$16.1K NT$525.9K

-29.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$62.2 NT$2,027

9.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$39.01 NT$1,272

36.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$82.8 NT$2,698

30.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$102 NT$3,317

15.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$374 NT$12.2K

197.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$244 NT$7,940

191.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$3,070 NT$100.1K

18.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,843 NT$60.1K

15.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$2,038 NT$66.4K

-53.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

2.4

372.92%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiayi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Chiayi

$244 23.4% 65.7% $467

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Chiayi

$372 35.7% 16.3% $52

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Chiayi

$121 11.7% 38.9% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Chiayi

$129 12.4% 17.5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Chiayi

$109 10.5% 13.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Chiayi

$50 4.8% 30.6% $22

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6% 33.5% $8.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $374 in Chiayi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiayi pays about 2.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $46 in Chiayi. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $372, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

17:03 5:03 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

269,874

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.39 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Chiayi 13,600 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Chiayi

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

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

Chiayi wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiayi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 54% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $374 in Chiayi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,041 in Chiayi – Chiayi is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Chiayi runs roughly 39% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Chiayi is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.