Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Taitung

For one person, living is cheaper in Taitung: $1,040 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Taitung
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Taitung Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Taitung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,040 in Taitung.

Mexico City $1,674
Taitung $1,040

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,750 in Taitung.

Mexico City $2,606
Taitung $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $2,460 in Taitung.

Mexico City $3,537
Taitung $2,460

Living in Mexico City is roughly 61% more expensive than in Taitung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Taitung is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$3.71 NT$122

185.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$46.72 NT$1,533

11.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$5.82 NT$191

84.36%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$3.26 NT$107

16.56%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$0.87 NT$28.50

85.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.67 NT$22.01

80.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$2.95 NT$96.8

7.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$3.60 NT$118

51.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$2.92 NT$95.9

-41.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$1.79 NT$58.8

65.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$3.07 NT$101

-37.13%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$2.19 NT$71.7

26.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$19.44 NT$638

-39.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$3.59 NT$118

164.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$21.06 NT$691

-27.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$1.87 NT$61.3

65.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$2.69 NT$88.2

-27.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.80 NT$59.2

10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$4.43 NT$145

-47.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$2.76 NT$90.5

-26.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$2.19 NT$71.9

-16.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$1.64 NT$53.8

-6.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$1.12 NT$36.74

16.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$3.82 NT$125

40.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$13.98 NT$459

15.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.61 NT$52.8

21.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$2.12 NT$69.7

105.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.60 NT$19.75

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$34.09 NT$1,119

-42.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$2.56 NT$84.0

-25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$0.81 NT$26.52

-41.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$9.37 NT$308

-42.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$0.95 NT$31.13

55.79%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$33.9K NT$1.1M

-36.93%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$23.0K NT$755.2K

3.24%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$85.2 NT$2,795

-27.22%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$17.57 NT$577

62.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$26.85 NT$881

27.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$35.26 NT$1,157

65.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$9.08 NT$298

-27.42%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$572 NT$18.8K

-24.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$23.5K NT$771.6K

-40.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$27.39 NT$899

149.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$15.30 NT$502

258.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$48.97 NT$1,607

126.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$104 NT$3,408

11.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$406 NT$13.3K

190.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$277 NT$9,076

178.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$1,140 NT$37.4K

125.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$691 NT$22.7K

105.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$5,806 NT$190.6K

-38.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$3,826 NT$125.6K

-46.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$613 NT$20.1K

63.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

2.37

378.90%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Taitung: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Taitung

$277 26.6% 64.1% $494

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Taitung

$335 32.2% 3.6% $12

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Taitung

$114 11% 43% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Taitung

$88 8.5% 44.1% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Taitung

$130 12.5% 4% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Taitung

$53 5.1% 25.3% $18

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Taitung

$43 4.1% 72.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $406 in Taitung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 63% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $47 in Taitung. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $335, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇹🇼 Taitung

🕒 Local time

03:33 3:33 AM

17:33 5:33 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

106,368

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

100 TWD = 3.05 USD

100 TWD = 2.71 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 32.82 TWD (100 TWD = 3.05 USD). 1 EUR = 36.88 TWD (100 TWD = 2.71 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Taitung 13,600 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Taitung

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 Taitung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,040 in Taitung, so Taitung is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 63% higher in Mexico City, 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $406 in Taitung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 43% less than in Taitung. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $572 in Taitung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Taitung gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Taitung wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.