Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Taoyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Taoyuan: $1,183 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Taoyuan
Learn more

Taoyuan Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Taoyuan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,183 in Taoyuan.

Mexico City $1,608
Taoyuan $1,183

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,731 in Taoyuan.

Mexico City $2,549
Taoyuan $1,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,278 in Taoyuan.

Mexico City $3,490
Taoyuan $2,278

Living in Mexico City is roughly 36% more expensive than in Taoyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Taoyuan is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$4.13 NT$135

157.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$24.84 NT$810

94.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$5.46 NT$178

89.56%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$3.00 NT$97.8

23.00%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$1.00 NT$32.66

67.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.69 NT$22.65

84.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$1.81 NT$58.9

76.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$2.25 NT$73.3

136.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$2.76 NT$89.9

-37.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.16 NT$37.73

162.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$2.58 NT$84.0

-24.81%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$2.14 NT$69.9

35.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$8.84 NT$288

24.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$7.14 NT$233

29.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$21.23 NT$692

-28.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$3.77 NT$123

-19.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$1.94 NT$63.3

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$3.05 NT$99.4

-33.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$3.05 NT$99.5

-24.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$2.44 NT$79.5

-16.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$1.91 NT$62.2

-5.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$2.29 NT$74.6

-35.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.87 NT$28.21

45.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$4.85 NT$158

9.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$10.78 NT$351

49.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.48 NT$48.27

33.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$2.03 NT$66.3

109.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.52 NT$17.07

-40.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$37.11 NT$1,210

-46.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$2.83 NT$92.3

-34.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$0.81 NT$26.32

-34.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$6.89 NT$225

-23.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$0.95 NT$31.03

58.95%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$36.5K NT$1.2M

-40.37%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$23.0K NT$748.9K

4.43%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$66.9 NT$2,180

-5.80%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$17.45 NT$569

56.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$21.84 NT$712

63.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$30.19 NT$984

95.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$7.09 NT$231

233.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$10.80 NT$352

-40.74%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$521 NT$17.0K

-17.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$31.3K NT$1.0M

-63.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$88.0 NT$2,871

-22.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$24.36 NT$794

118.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$83.0 NT$2,707

29.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$96.0 NT$3,129

22.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$641 NT$20.9K

73.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$437 NT$14.2K

62.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$777 NT$25.3K

233.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$610 NT$19.9K

130.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$6,226 NT$203.0K

-41.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$4,079 NT$133.0K

-47.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$1,507 NT$49.1K

-37.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

2.38

376.89%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Taoyuan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Taoyuan

$437 36.9% 38.5% $273

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Taoyuan

$306 25.8% 4.4% $14

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Taoyuan

$106 8.9% 46.8% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Taoyuan

$131 11.1% 15.9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Taoyuan

$106 9% 15.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Taoyuan

$52 4.4% 27.8% $20

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Taoyuan

$46 3.9% 81% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $641 in Taoyuan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taoyuan pays 59% 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 $25 in Taoyuan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $306 per month, with Taoyuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇹🇼 Taoyuan

🕒 Local time

13:39 1:39 PM

03:39 3:39 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

2,147,763

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 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 October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Taoyuan 13,420 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Taoyuan

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 Taoyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,183 in Taoyuan, so Taoyuan is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 37% 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 $641 in Taoyuan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 47% less than in Taoyuan. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $521 in Taoyuan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Taoyuan 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.