Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Keelung

For one person, living is cheaper in Keelung: $978 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,567
/mo nomad
Keelung
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$978
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Keelung actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $978 in Keelung.

  • Mexico City $1,567
  • Keelung $978

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $1,717 in Keelung.

  • Mexico City $2,450
  • Keelung $1,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $2,457 in Keelung.

  • Mexico City $3,333
  • Keelung $2,457

Living in Mexico City is roughly 60% more expensive than in Keelung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Keelung is 28% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Keelung
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.75 MX$199
$4.65 NT$151
131.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.3 MX$929
$31.92 NT$1,035
57.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.10 MX$205
$4.85 NT$157
128.87%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.1
$2.85 NT$92.4
29.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$30.42
$1.03 NT$33.31
60.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.08
$0.73 NT$23.60
78.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.32 MX$61.3
$1.54 NT$50.1
115.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.54 MX$102
$2.81 NT$91.1
97.15%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Keelung
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.77 MX$32.68
$3.24 NT$105
-45.37%
White Bread (500g)
$3.05 MX$56.4
$1.39 NT$45.01
119.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.01 MX$37.20
$1.12 NT$36.44
79.46%
Eggs
$2.77 MX$51.1
$2.22 NT$72.1
24.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.91 MX$220
$29.36 NT$952
-59.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.33 MX$172
$5.83 NT$189
60.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.02 MX$278
$17.08 NT$554
-12.06%
Apples (1kg)
$3.08 MX$56.8
$4.35 NT$141
-29.20%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 MX$35.97
$1.89 NT$61.4
3.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.54
$3.02 NT$98.0
-32.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.21 MX$40.92
$2.16 NT$70.1
2.31%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.41
$1.19 NT$38.69
69.75%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 MX$33.67
$1.90 NT$61.6
-4.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.52 MX$28.07
$2.42 NT$78.5
-37.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.65
$0.91 NT$29.60
40.66%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.27 MX$97.4
$3.76 NT$122
40.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.12 MX$298
$9.24 NT$300
74.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 MX$36.05
$1.09 NT$35.21
78.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$78.6
$2.56 NT$83.0
66.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Keelung
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.82
$0.64 NT$20.87
-51.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.85 MX$367
$63.7 NT$2,064
-68.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.00 MX$36.93
$2.61 NT$84.7
-23.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.86
$0.96 NT$31.16
-44.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.62 MX$104
$9.61 NT$311
-41.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 MX$28.07
$1.03 NT$33.31
47.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K MX$388.7K
$33.3K NT$1.1M
-36.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K MX$465.3K
$23.0K NT$744.6K
9.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Keelung
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.5 MX$1,155
$41.52 NT$1,346
50.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.77 MX$532
$15.14 NT$491
90.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.45 MX$637
$11.07 NT$359
211.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Keelung
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,055
$34.14 NT$1,107
67.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.81 MX$458
$32.11 NT$1,041
-22.73%
Cinema Ticket
$6.67 MX$123
$7.92 NT$257
-15.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Keelung
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$431 MX$7,964
$336 NT$10.9K
28.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.7K MX$216.9K
$16.9K NT$546.4K
-30.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Keelung
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.8 MX$1,308
$73.0 NT$2,368
-3.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.8 MX$958
$36.15 NT$1,172
43.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 MX$2,011
$47.16 NT$1,529
130.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 MX$2,076
$31.66 NT$1,027
254.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Keelung
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,051 MX$19.4K
$401 NT$13.0K
162.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$665 MX$12.3K
$254 NT$8,247
161.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,346 MX$43.3K
$978 NT$31.7K
139.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,227 MX$22.7K
$731 NT$23.7K
67.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,554 MX$65.7K
$3,385 NT$109.8K
4.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,977 MX$36.5K
$2,352 NT$76.3K
-15.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Keelung
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$975 MX$18.0K
$2,436 NT$79.0K
-59.98%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.3
2.27
397.80%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Keelung: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$665
Keelung
$254 61.8% $411
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$323
Keelung
$341 5.8% $19
Eating Out
Mexico City
$203
Keelung
$106 47.6% $97
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$155
Keelung
$85 45.3% $70
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Keelung
$68 46.1% $58
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$70
Keelung
$50 29% $20
Getting Around
Mexico City
$26
Keelung
$74 186% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $401 in Keelung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Keelung pays 150% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $32.00 in Keelung. Groceries flip the comparison at $323 vs $341, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇹🇼 Keelung
🕒 Local time
14:14 2:14 PM
04:14 4:14 AM
14 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
372,100
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Keelung 13,370 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Keelung

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 Keelung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Mexico City and in Keelung?
Mexico City and Keelung differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $978 including rent). Keelung is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 150% lower in Keelung. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Mexico City and in Keelung?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $401 in Keelung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Mexico City pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Keelung – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $978 in Keelung versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Keelung but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Keelung the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Mexico City and Keelung?
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.
Is Mexico City or Keelung safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Mexico City and Keelung are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Mexico City or Keelung?
Expats usually find Keelung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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