Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Pingtung city

For one person, living is cheaper in Pingtung city: $890 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Pingtung city
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Pingtung city Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Pingtung city

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$890

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Pingtung 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 Pingtung city actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $890 in Pingtung city, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Pingtung city $890

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,441 in Pingtung city, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Pingtung city $1,441

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,993 in Pingtung city, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Pingtung city $1,993

Playa del Carmen costs about 35% more than Pingtung city, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Pingtung city are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Pingtung city 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$4.51 NT$147

142.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$30.78 NT$1,003

40.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.74 NT$154

148.52%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.95 NT$96.3

29.15%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.02 NT$33.23

25.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.64 NT$20.76

21.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.46 NT$47.49

117.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.43 NT$79.3

102.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$3.22 NT$105

-56.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.87 NT$60.8

18.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$2.54 NT$82.9

-44.09%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$2.55 NT$83.3

-1.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$15.44 NT$504

-52.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$7.67 NT$250

0.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$14.97 NT$488

-15.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$4.32 NT$141

-35.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.92 NT$62.7

-28.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$2.53 NT$82.5

0.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$3.02 NT$98.6

-29.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.22 NT$39.81

59.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.86 NT$60.8

1.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$2.26 NT$73.8

-49.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.84 NT$27.39

40.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$3.72 NT$121

15.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$15.66 NT$511

-36.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.54 NT$50.2

2.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.16 NT$70.6

23.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.48 NT$15.66

14.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$2.63 NT$85.7

88.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.80 NT$26.00

316.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$6.25 NT$204

-14.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$0.99 NT$32.36

45.45%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$34.7K NT$1.1M

-40.52%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$22.2K NT$722.4K

5.91%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$108 NT$3,527

-21.61%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$14.35 NT$468

63.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$25.28 NT$824

13.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$9.96 NT$325

-48.39%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$328 NT$10.7K

-37.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$13.6K NT$443.2K

-71.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$69.5 NT$2,267

-37.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$30.29 NT$988

36.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$80.8 NT$2,635

-8.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$100 NT$3,268

-10.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$243 NT$7,923

303.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$153 NT$5,000

148.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$713 NT$23.2K

139.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$372 NT$12.1K

188.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,946 NT$63.4K

-62.25%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Pingtung city: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Pingtung city

$153 17.2% 59.7% $227

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Pingtung city

$329 37% 29.2% $74

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Pingtung city

$105 11.8% 48.3% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Pingtung city

$148 16.6% 8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Pingtung city

$126 14.2% 13.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Pingtung city

$20 * 2.2% 70.4% $47

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Pingtung city

$8.5 * 1% 83.1% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $243 in Pingtung city. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Pingtung city are about 2.6 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 $31 in Pingtung city. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $329 in Pingtung city – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇼 Pingtung city

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

12:18 12:18 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

201,644

💱 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 2, 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 2, 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 →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Pingtung city 14,350 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Pingtung 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 Pingtung city: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $890 in Pingtung city – Pingtung city comes out roughly 26% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,334 in Pingtung city. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pingtung city, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $243 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $890 in Pingtung city. That makes Pingtung city about 26% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $328 in Pingtung city. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Pingtung city, where all-in costs run around $890, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Pingtung city it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $890 in Pingtung city to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.