Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Taichung Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Taichung

🙂 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 13.2% cheaper than Taichung without rent, and 6.1% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 5% cheaper than Taichung without rent, and 9.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Taichung
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$5.03 NT$160
135.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$30.17 NT$957
39.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$5.27 NT$167
103.98%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$2.96 NT$93.9
17.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$1.16 NT$36.63
25.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$0.79 NT$24.94
13.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$2.09 NT$66.2
45.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$2.81 NT$89.2
57.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Taichung
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$3.74 NT$119
-63.37%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$1.75 NT$55.4
6.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$2.85 NT$90.4
-45.96%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$3.14 NT$99.5
-20.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$31.61 NT$1,002
-72.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$8.12 NT$257
6.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$15.54 NT$493
-29.09%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$4.65 NT$148
-40.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$1.80 NT$57.0
-20.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$2.17 NT$68.9
-13.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$3.01 NT$95.4
-27.91%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$1.32 NT$41.92
42.42%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$1.94 NT$61.4
15.98%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$2.39 NT$75.9
-55.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$1.24 NT$39.29
-13.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$4.02 NT$127
3.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$15.53 NT$493
-33.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$1.70 NT$54.0
-1.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$2.57 NT$81.6
-3.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Taichung
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
$0.89 NT$28.08
-38.20%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
$29.24 NT$927
-9.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
$2.92 NT$92.6
10.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
$1.19 NT$37.85
108.40%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$10.30 NT$326
-69.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$1.06 NT$33.49
18.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
$34.2K NT$1.1M
-10.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
$25.7K NT$815.4K
-6.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Taichung
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
$94.9 NT$3,010
-13.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$24.97 NT$792
-10.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$21.95 NT$696
36.77%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Taichung
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
$36.08 NT$1,144
42.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
$10.11 NT$320
80.91%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$10.65 NT$338
-53.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Taichung
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
$354 NT$11.2K
-43.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
$20.8K NT$658.4K
-74.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Taichung
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$83.5 NT$2,648
-57.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$34.55 NT$1,096
14.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$95.9 NT$3,040
-15.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$127 NT$4,020
-30.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Taichung
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$374 NT$11.9K
159.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
$286 NT$9,081
68.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$1,025 NT$32.5K
55.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
$726 NT$23.0K
62.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
$6,928 NT$219.7K
-41.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
$7,922 NT$251.2K
-17.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Taichung
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$1,431 NT$45.4K
-47.13%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
2.18
423.85%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Taichung: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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