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 13.8% cheaper than Zhubei City without rent, and 8.9% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 34.2% cheaper than Zhubei City without rent, and 2.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Zhubei City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$5.06 NT$159
129.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$33.63 NT$1,058
27.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$5.62 NT$177
88.61%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$3.54 NT$111
1.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$0.91 NT$28.60
59.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$0.62 NT$19.60
45.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$2.16 NT$68.0
40.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$2.68 NT$84.4
70.15%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Zhubei City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$3.22 NT$101
-54.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$2.08 NT$65.4
-12.02%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$4.45 NT$140
-63.82%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$2.89 NT$91.1
-12.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$13.72 NT$432
-37.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$8.47 NT$266
-
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$28.17 NT$887
-61.45%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$4.39 NT$138
-37.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$2.58 NT$81.1
-42.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$2.73 NT$86.0
-28.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$3.82 NT$120
-43.46%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$3.98 NT$125
-53.52%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$2.54 NT$80.0
-13.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$2.53 NT$79.6
-57.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$1.37 NT$43.11
-21.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$4.18 NT$131
-2.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$9.30 NT$293
12.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$1.57 NT$49.54
5.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$2.72 NT$85.7
-6.25%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Zhubei City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$0.70 NT$22.11
-20.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
$38.25 NT$1,204
-31.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$3.38 NT$106
-7.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$0.59 NT$18.57
301.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$10.19 NT$321
-68.20%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.02 NT$32.09
28.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$41.4K NT$1.3M
-26.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$27.7K NT$870.4K
-13.86%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Zhubei City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$93.4 NT$2,938
-10.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$34.15 NT$1,075
-35.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$24.29 NT$764
20.91%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Zhubei City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$34.38 NT$1,082
48.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$15.45 NT$486
20.97%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$11.71 NT$368
-58.24%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Zhubei City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$697 NT$21.9K
-71.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$15.5K NT$489.2K
-66.50%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Zhubei City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$83.0 NT$2,613
-56.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$46.28 NT$1,457
-14.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$102 NT$3,200
-21.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$114 NT$3,601
-23.48%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Zhubei City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$429 NT$13.5K
124.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$206 NT$6,480
134.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$1,205 NT$37.9K
36.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$857 NT$27.0K
39.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$16.3K NT$512.2K
-75.69%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$9,812 NT$308.8K
-33.62%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Zhubei City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$2,482 NT$78.1K
-70.74%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Zhubei City: April 14, 2026

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

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