Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Chiayi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiayi: $1,041 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
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Chiayi Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,041

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Chiayi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,041 in Chiayi.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Chiayi $1,041

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,471 in Chiayi.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Chiayi $1,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,901 in Chiayi.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Chiayi $1,901

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 16% more expensive than in Chiayi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Chiayi 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$4.59 NT$150

137.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$46.34 NT$1,511

-6.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$5.65 NT$184

108.50%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$3.29 NT$107

15.81%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.85 NT$27.72

50.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.67 NT$21.81

16.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.98 NT$97.2

6.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.58 NT$117

37.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$2.95 NT$96.2

-52.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.95 NT$63.5

13.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$3.05 NT$99.5

-53.44%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$2.63 NT$85.8

-4.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$18.97 NT$619

-61.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$9.89 NT$322

-22.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$21.28 NT$694

-40.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$4.72 NT$154

-41.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$3.28 NT$107

-58.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$2.87 NT$93.5

-11.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$4.23 NT$138

-49.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$2.65 NT$86.2

-26.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$2.20 NT$71.6

-14.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.72 NT$56.1

-33.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.12 NT$36.48

5.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$3.75 NT$122

14.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$4.48 NT$146

122.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.58 NT$51.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.13 NT$69.5

25.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$12.12 NT$395

119.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$2.54 NT$82.8

95.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.45 NT$14.70

640.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$8.97 NT$292

-40.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.00 NT$32.62

44.00%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$34.1K NT$1.1M

-39.34%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$23.5K NT$765.9K

-0.10%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$64.7 NT$2,108

31.13%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$17.55 NT$572

33.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$26.76 NT$872

7.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$30.55 NT$996

86.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$9.62 NT$314

-46.57%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$712 NT$23.2K

-71.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$16.1K NT$525.9K

-75.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$62.2 NT$2,027

-30.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$39.01 NT$1,272

6.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$82.8 NT$2,698

-10.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$102 NT$3,317

-12.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$374 NT$12.2K

161.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$244 NT$7,940

56.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$3,070 NT$100.1K

28.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$1,843 NT$60.1K

234.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$2,038 NT$66.4K

-63.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.4

377.08%

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 Chiayi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Chiayi

$244 23.4% 36.1% $137

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Chiayi

$372 35.7% 45.8% $117

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Chiayi

$121 11.7% 40.1% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Chiayi

$109 10.5% 20.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Chiayi

$129 12.4% 15.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Chiayi

$50 4.8% 26% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6% 66.5% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $374 in Chiayi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiayi pays about 2.8 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $46 in Chiayi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $372 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🕒 Local time

15:45 3:45 PM

04:45 4:45 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

269,874

💱 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 November 1, 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 November 1, 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

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Chiayi 14,270 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Chiayi

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 Chiayi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiayi wins on cost – living expenses run 14% 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, salaries run 64% lower in Playa del Carmen. 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $374 in Chiayi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,041 in Chiayi – Chiayi is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Chiayi runs roughly 54% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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