Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Keelung

For one person, living is cheaper in Keelung: $978 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Keelung
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Keelung Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Keelung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$978

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $978 in Keelung.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Keelung $978

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,717 in Keelung.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Keelung $1,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,457 in Keelung.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Keelung $2,457

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 24% more expensive than in Keelung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Keelung 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$4.65 NT$151

131.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$31.92 NT$1,035

34.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$4.85 NT$157

143.09%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.85 NT$92.4

35.79%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.03 NT$33.31

33.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.73 NT$23.60

15.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$1.54 NT$50.1

101.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$2.81 NT$91.1

80.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$3.24 NT$105

-55.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.39 NT$45.01

60.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.12 NT$36.44

31.25%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.22 NT$72.1

13.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$29.36 NT$952

-75.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$5.83 NT$189

34.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$17.08 NT$554

-25.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$4.35 NT$141

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.89 NT$61.4

-23.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$3.02 NT$98.0

-15.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$2.16 NT$70.1

-4.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.19 NT$38.69

68.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.90 NT$61.6

5.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$2.42 NT$78.5

-50.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.91 NT$29.60

38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$3.76 NT$122

17.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$9.24 NT$300

3.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.09 NT$35.21

45.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.56 NT$83.0

9.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.64 NT$20.87

-10.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$63.7 NT$2,064

-56.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$2.61 NT$84.7

90.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.96 NT$31.16

264.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$9.61 NT$311

-43.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.03 NT$33.31

42.72%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$33.3K NT$1.1M

-37.00%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$23.0K NT$744.6K

4.12%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$41.52 NT$1,346

102.82%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$15.14 NT$491

58.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$11.07 NT$359

162.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$34.14 NT$1,107

84.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$32.11 NT$1,041

-9.25%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$7.92 NT$257

-37.63%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$336 NT$10.9K

-39.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$16.9K NT$546.4K

-76.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$73.0 NT$2,368

-40.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$36.15 NT$1,172

19.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$47.16 NT$1,529

60.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$31.66 NT$1,027

179.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$401 NT$13.0K

151.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$254 NT$8,247

47.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$978 NT$31.7K

74.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$731 NT$23.7K

51.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$3,385 NT$109.8K

16.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$2,352 NT$76.3K

162.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$2,436 NT$79.0K

-69.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.27

404.41%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Keelung: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Keelung

$254 26% 32% $120

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Keelung

$341 34.9% 32% $83

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Keelung

$106 10.9% 47.4% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Keelung

$68 6.9% 50.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Keelung

$85 8.7% 25.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Keelung

$50 5.1% 31.4% $23

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Keelung

$74 7.5% 40.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $401 in Keelung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Keelung pays 223% 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 $32.00 in Keelung. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $341, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇼 Keelung

🕒 Local time

15:14 3:14 PM

04:14 4:14 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

372,100

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Keelung 14,050 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Keelung

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 Keelung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Keelung differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,210 vs $978 including rent). Keelung is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 223% lower in Keelung. 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $401 in Keelung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 32% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Keelung – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $978 in Keelung versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Keelung but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Keelung the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Keelung 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 Keelung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.