Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and New Taipei City

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in New Taipei City: $1,202 and $1,177 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in New Taipei City
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New Taipei City Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

New Taipei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,177

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in New Taipei City

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 New Taipei City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,177 in New Taipei City.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
New Taipei City $1,177

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,976 in New Taipei City.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
New Taipei City $1,976

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,774 in New Taipei City.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
New Taipei City $2,774

Monthly costs are close between Playa del Carmen and New Taipei City; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, New Taipei City 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$4.57 NT$150

133.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$30.49 NT$1,001

43.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$5.15 NT$169

128.93%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.23 NT$73.2

69.96%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.84 NT$27.64

54.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.56 NT$18.45

48.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.56 NT$51.3

101.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.49 NT$81.8

97.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$3.10 NT$102

-54.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.76 NT$57.8

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$2.13 NT$69.9

-30.99%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.16 NT$71.0

15.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$24.29 NT$797

-69.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$10.34 NT$339

-23.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$18.50 NT$607

-30.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$4.04 NT$133

-28.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$2.39 NT$78.6

-42.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$2.61 NT$85.8

-4.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$3.92 NT$129

-48.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$3.92 NT$129

-48.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$2.07 NT$67.9

-8.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.53 NT$50.3

-25.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.07 NT$35.00

15.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$4.18 NT$137

2.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$8.70 NT$286

12.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.40 NT$45.80

13.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.26 NT$74.2

21.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.64 NT$20.92

-20.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$36.63 NT$1,202

-25.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.66 NT$87.4

78.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.73 NT$24.03

345.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$9.17 NT$301

-41.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.04 NT$34.02

47.12%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$33.5K NT$1.1M

-36.67%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$22.8K NT$748.9K

1.94%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$112 NT$3,677

-25.47%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$16.50 NT$541

40.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$22.72 NT$746

21.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$38.10 NT$1,250

48.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$7.87 NT$258

258.20%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$10.91 NT$358

-54.17%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$631 NT$20.7K

-67.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$23.4K NT$766.4K

-77.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$34.69 NT$1,138

25.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$30.51 NT$1,001

39.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$90.6 NT$2,974

-19.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$95.8 NT$3,144

-7.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$613 NT$20.1K

62.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$336 NT$11.0K

13.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$1,346 NT$44.2K

24.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$907 NT$29.8K

19.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$11.0K NT$362.1K

-64.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$6,481 NT$212.7K

-5.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$1,334 NT$43.8K

-37.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.81

307.47%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for New Taipei City: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

New Taipei City

$336 28.5% 12.1% $46

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

New Taipei City

$374 31.8% 45.4% $117

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

New Taipei City

$97 8.3% 51.5% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

New Taipei City

$151 12.9% 12.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

New Taipei City

$113 9.6% 1.8% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

New Taipei City

$60 5.1% 9.8% $6.5

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

New Taipei City

$46 3.9% 9.8% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $613 in New Taipei City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New Taipei City pays 60% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $30 in New Taipei City. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $374, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇼 New Taipei City

🕒 Local time

04:30 4:30 AM

17:30 5:30 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

4,004,367

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

100 TWD = 3.05 USD

100 TWD = 2.71 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 32.82 TWD (100 TWD = 3.05 USD). 1 EUR = 36.88 TWD (100 TWD = 2.71 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen New Taipei City 14,090 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
New Taipei City

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 New Taipei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 38% 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $613 in New Taipei City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 25% less than in New Taipei City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 31% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though New Taipei City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.