Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Chang-hua

For one person, living is cheaper in Chang-hua: $852 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Chang-hua
Learn more

Chang-hua Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Chang-hua

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Chang-hua

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $852 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Chang-hua $852

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,325 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Chang-hua $1,325

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,799 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Chang-hua $1,799

Playa del Carmen costs about 41% more than Chang-hua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Chang-hua are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Chang-hua 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$3.74 NT$121

191.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$810

$32.20 NT$1,044

34.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$5.77 NT$187

104.16%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.2

$1.66 NT$53.8

129.52%

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

$1.28 MX$23.96

$0.93 NT$30.18

37.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.63

$0.55 NT$17.71

41.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.2

$1.37 NT$44.37

131.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.2

$2.21 NT$71.6

123.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.28

$2.26 NT$73.2

-37.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.43

$2.02 NT$65.6

9.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.48

$2.79 NT$90.5

-49.10%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.14

$2.73 NT$88.6

-7.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$15.78 NT$512

-53.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$9.82 NT$318

-21.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$20.95 NT$679

-39.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.0

$4.85 NT$157

-42.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.56

$3.16 NT$102

-56.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.66

$2.88 NT$93.3

-11.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.67

$3.09 NT$100

-31.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.22

$2.66 NT$86.3

-27.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.24

$2.08 NT$67.5

-9.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.42

$1.67 NT$54.1

-31.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.03

$0.80 NT$25.79

47.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.3

$3.83 NT$124

12.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$9.19 NT$298

8.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.59

$1.40 NT$45.48

12.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.91

$2.15 NT$69.8

24.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.34

$1.50 NT$48.73

-63.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

$34.11 NT$1,106

-21.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.9

$2.58 NT$83.7

92.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.2

$0.79 NT$25.54

321.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$8.99 NT$292

-40.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.98

$1.04 NT$33.72

38.46%

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

$20.7K MX$386.2K

$34.5K NT$1.1M

-40.14%

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

$23.5K MX$438.5K

$23.4K NT$760.1K

0.10%

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

$84.8 MX$1,584

$30.39 NT$985

179.01%

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

$23.41 MX$437

$16.96 NT$550

38.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$535

$18.24 NT$592

57.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,066

$31.70 NT$1,028

79.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.0

$9.40 NT$305

-45.32%

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

$207 MX$3,860

$614 NT$19.9K

-66.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.4K

$7,800 NT$252.9K

-49.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$810

$48.48 NT$1,572

-10.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$774

$15.10 NT$490

174.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,386

$76.1 NT$2,469

-2.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,668

$48.18 NT$1,562

85.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$255 NT$8,259

284.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,116

$168 NT$5,432

127.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.9K

$490 NT$15.9K

248.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$170 NT$5,510

532.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

$2,897 NT$93.9K

36.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

$1,606 NT$52.1K

283.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$1,973 NT$64.0K

-62.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.2

420.45%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chang-hua: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Chang-hua

$168 19.7% 56% $213

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Chang-hua

$352 41.4% 38.3% $98

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Chang-hua

$84 9.9% 58.3% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Chang-hua

$66 7.7% 52.1% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Chang-hua

$85 9.9% 24.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Chang-hua

$51 5.9% 25% $17

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Chang-hua

$47 5.5% 7.6% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $255 in Chang-hua. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chang-hua are about 2.7 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $32 in Chang-hua. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $352 in Chang-hua – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇼 Chang-hua

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

20:02 8:02 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

226,564

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.09 TWD (100 TWD = 2.77 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Chang-hua 14,210 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Chang-hua

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

Playa del Carmen vs Chang-hua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 41% more than Chang-hua, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,277 in Chang-hua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chang-hua, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $255 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $852 in Chang-hua. That’s a gap of about 41%.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $852 in Chang-hua. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $852 in Chang-hua to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.