Comparación del coste de vida entre Playa del Carmen y Chiayi Comparación del coste de vida entre Playa del Carmen y Chiayi

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,287 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,173 in Chiayi.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,961 in Chiayi.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,750 in Chiayi.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 10% more expensive than Chiayi, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 4% lower, Chiayi 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.94 MX$209

$6.76 NT$214

76.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.75 MX$748

$40.59 NT$1,285

5.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 MX$185

$5.62 NT$178

88.43%

Cappuccino

$3.62 MX$63.4

$2.17 NT$68.8

66.82%

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

$1.47 MX$25.69

$1.13 NT$35.65

30.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 MX$16.51

$0.79 NT$24.90

18.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 MX$54.1

$1.88 NT$59.5

64.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MX$78.0

$3.01 NT$95.2

48.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$24.94

$3.26 NT$103

-56.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 MX$32.97

$1.90 NT$60.2

-1.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 MX$28.50

$3.18 NT$101

-48.74%

Eggs

$2.64 MX$46.26

$2.81 NT$89.1

-6.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.21 MX$144

$20.24 NT$641

-59.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 MX$145

$9.87 NT$313

-16.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 MX$194

$20.08 NT$635

-44.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 MX$46.40

$5.22 NT$165

-49.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$26.26

$2.97 NT$93.9

-49.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$34.79

$2.86 NT$90.5

-30.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 MX$36.33

$4.30 NT$136

-51.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$31.29

$2.83 NT$89.5

-36.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 MX$38.09

$2.21 NT$69.8

-1.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MX$18.84

$1.97 NT$62.4

-45.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.15

$1.33 NT$42.22

-21.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 MX$69.5

$4.09 NT$129

-2.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 MX$179

$4.84 NT$153

110.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 MX$30.22

$1.75 NT$55.3

-1.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 MX$43.71

$2.39 NT$75.7

4.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.07

$0.82 NT$25.95

-36.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.97 MX$472

$38.66 NT$1,224

-30.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$55.0

$2.95 NT$93.2

6.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 MX$42.04

$0.41 NT$13.13

485.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 MX$54.0

$10.10 NT$320

-69.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$22.28

$1.03 NT$32.58

23.30%

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

$30.9K MX$540.4K

$38.8K NT$1.2M

-20.50%

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

$23.3K MX$408.0K

$28.1K NT$888.4K

-16.94%

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

$82.0 MX$1,435

$72.1 NT$2,280

13.82%

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

$22.45 MX$393

$18.85 NT$596

19.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.66 MX$519

$24.69 NT$781

20.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$908

$37.78 NT$1,196

37.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.67 MX$327

$15.13 NT$479

23.40%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MX$87.0

$11.66 NT$369

-57.38%

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

$198 MX$3,462

$645 NT$20.4K

-69.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,273 MX$92.3K

$18.8K NT$594.1K

-71.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.34 MX$636

$59.7 NT$1,889

-39.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 MX$701

$34.01 NT$1,077

17.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 MX$1,398

$92.9 NT$2,941

-14.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 MX$1,555

$125 NT$3,952

-28.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$16.9K

$440 NT$13.9K

118.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 MX$8,133

$290 NT$9,186

60.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,596 MX$27.9K

$1,034 NT$32.7K

54.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 MX$21.2K

$713 NT$22.6K

69.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,942 MX$69.0K

$7,483 NT$236.8K

-47.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,448 MX$112.8K

$5,182 NT$164.0K

24.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$720 MX$12.6K

$2,122 NT$67.1K

-66.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

2.19

421.46%

Los datos de CityCost se basan en IA y aportaciones de usuarios. Puede haber pequeñas variaciones.

Última actualización para Playa del Carmen: April 25, 2026

Última actualización para Chiayi: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $963 in Playa del Carmen and $440 in Chiayi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiayi pays 195% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $41.00 in Chiayi. Groceries flip the comparison at $251 vs $383, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Comparación de velocidades medias de internet por ciudad (actualizado April 2026)

El gráfico resalta el umbral de precisión para velocidades de internet móvil y fija, actualizado trimestralmente.

Índice del coste de vida para nómadas digitales

Playa del Carmen vs Chiayi: Coste de vida - preguntas frecuentes

Chiayi wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chiayi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Chiayi earns 195% less. 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: $963 in Playa del Carmen versus $440 in Chiayi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,287 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,173 in Chiayi – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chiayi runs roughly 43% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,173 in Chiayi versus $1,287 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiayi but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Chiayi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chiayi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,173 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chiayi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Chiayi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiayi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.