Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Zhubei City Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Zhubei City

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 2.4% cheaper than Zhubei City without rent, and 8.9% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 9.7% cheaper than Zhubei City without rent, and 2.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Zhubei City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$205
$5.17 NT$163
129.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$730
$34.15 NT$1,079
23.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$186
$5.71 NT$180
88.27%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$60.2
$3.74 NT$118
-7.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.17
$0.92 NT$29.12
57.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.64
$0.66 NT$20.85
36.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$52.9
$2.23 NT$70.4
36.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$76.5
$2.77 NT$87.5
59.57%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Zhubei City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$23.72
$3.17 NT$100
-56.78%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$32.43
$2.07 NT$65.5
-9.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$26.74
$4.45 NT$140
-65.39%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$43.36
$3.02 NT$95.3
-17.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$149
$14.09 NT$445
-38.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$150
$8.68 NT$274
-0.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$191
$28.19 NT$890
-60.91%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$47.62
$4.51 NT$143
-39.02%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$24.73
$2.63 NT$83.0
-45.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$32.44
$2.77 NT$87.3
-32.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$37.54
$3.95 NT$125
-45.06%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$32.61
$3.96 NT$125
-52.53%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$38.91
$2.48 NT$78.4
-9.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.49
$2.63 NT$83.0
-59.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.59
$1.40 NT$44.14
-23.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$72.0
$4.04 NT$128
2.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$179
$9.24 NT$292
11.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.08
$1.66 NT$52.4
1.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.02
$2.79 NT$88.0
-11.11%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Zhubei City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.61
$0.65 NT$20.42
-15.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$459
$39.63 NT$1,252
-33.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$55.7
$3.41 NT$108
-5.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$42.98
$0.62 NT$19.63
300.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$53.9
$10.37 NT$327
-70.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$21.75
$1.03 NT$32.38
22.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$531.0K
$42.1K NT$1.3M
-27.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$416.4K
$27.5K NT$866.9K
-12.43%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Zhubei City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,429
$92.3 NT$2,916
-10.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$386
$33.52 NT$1,059
-33.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$520
$24.22 NT$765
23.95%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Zhubei City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$891
$33.80 NT$1,068
52.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$317
$15.06 NT$476
21.45%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$86.3
$12.01 NT$379
-58.53%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Zhubei City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,464
$690 NT$21.8K
-71.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$91.9K
$15.3K NT$484.1K
-65.40%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Zhubei City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$618
$83.4 NT$2,633
-57.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$685
$46.19 NT$1,459
-14.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,395
$103 NT$3,241
-21.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,530
$114 NT$3,605
-22.63%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Zhubei City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$16.8K
$430 NT$13.6K
125.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,352
$214 NT$6,757
125.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$27.6K
$1,189 NT$37.5K
34.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.5K
$832 NT$26.3K
42.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$70.1K
$16.2K NT$512.7K
-75.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$113.0K
$9,774 NT$308.7K
-33.28%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Zhubei City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.1K
$2,405 NT$76.0K
-68.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
2.4
375.83%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Zhubei City: February 28, 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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