Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taichung and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Taichung: $1,112 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index
58

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

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Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,112

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taichung and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Taichung and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,112 per month in Taichung vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Taichung $1,112
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,856 per month in Taichung vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Taichung $1,856
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,601 per month in Taichung vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Taichung $2,601
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Taichung is about 8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Taichung and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Taichung 18% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 NT$152

$10.92 MX$204

-57.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.30 NT$1,015

$43.37 MX$810

-27.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.64 NT$150

$11.78 MX$220

-60.61%

Cappuccino

$2.89 NT$93.9

$3.81 MX$71.2

-24.15%

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

$1.03 NT$33.34

$1.28 MX$23.96

-19.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 NT$24.49

$0.78 MX$14.63

-2.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.50 NT$48.56

$3.17 MX$59.2

-52.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 NT$86.3

$4.93 MX$92.2

-46.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.08 NT$100.0

$1.41 MX$26.28

118.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 NT$53.4

$2.22 MX$41.43

-25.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 NT$83.9

$1.42 MX$26.48

82.39%

Eggs

$2.54 NT$82.4

$2.52 MX$47.14

0.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.53 NT$925

$7.26 MX$136

292.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 NT$251

$7.70 MX$144

0.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.59 NT$538

$12.69 MX$237

30.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 NT$137

$2.78 MX$52.0

51.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 NT$62.8

$1.37 MX$25.56

41.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 NT$97.7

$2.55 MX$47.66

18.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 NT$69.1

$2.12 MX$39.67

0.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 NT$39.31

$1.94 MX$36.22

-37.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 NT$62.7

$1.89 MX$35.24

2.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 NT$73.1

$1.15 MX$21.42

95.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 NT$28.89

$1.18 MX$22.03

-24.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 NT$123

$4.30 MX$80.3

-11.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 NT$490

$9.95 MX$186

51.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 NT$51.7

$1.58 MX$29.59

1.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 NT$78.7

$2.67 MX$49.91

-8.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 NT$20.48

$0.55 MX$10.34

14.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.67 NT$606

$26.62 MX$497

-29.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 NT$83.5

$4.97 MX$92.9

-48.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 NT$29.13

$3.33 MX$62.2

-72.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.19 NT$298

$5.36 MX$100

71.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 NT$33.74

$1.44 MX$26.98

-27.78%

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

$35.3K NT$1.1M

$20.7K MX$386.2K

70.73%

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

$22.2K NT$721.0K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

-5.24%

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

$122 NT$3,959

$84.8 MX$1,584

44.01%

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

$14.52 NT$471

$23.41 MX$437

-37.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.46 NT$663

$28.66 MX$535

-28.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.28 NT$1,014

$57.1 MX$1,066

-45.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 NT$369

$28.91 MX$540

-60.60%

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 NT$332

$5.14 MX$96.0

98.83%

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

$326 NT$10.6K

$207 MX$3,860

57.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K NT$533.5K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

318.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 NT$2,327

$43.35 MX$810

65.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.78 NT$1,160

$41.44 MX$774

-13.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 NT$2,647

$74.2 MX$1,386

10.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NT$3,590

$89.3 MX$1,668

24.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$382 NT$12.4K

$980 MX$18.3K

-60.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 NT$8,619

$381 MX$7,116

-30.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 NT$38.5K

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-30.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 NT$24.0K

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-31.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,811 NT$188.4K

$3,943 MX$73.7K

47.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,266 NT$138.3K

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-30.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,400 NT$45.4K

$735 MX$13.7K

90.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

11.45

-80.17%

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

Last update for Taichung: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taichung

$368 33.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 30.7% $113

Accommodation & Living

Taichung

$266 23.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 43.3% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taichung

$157 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 12.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Taichung

$135 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 17.2% $23

Eating Out

Taichung

$106 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 90.7% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Taichung

$52 4.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 30.1% $16

Getting Around

Taichung

$28 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 78.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $382 in Taichung versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 91% higher in Taichung, 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 $31 in Taichung versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $368 in Taichung vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taichung

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:01 12:01 AM

11:01 11:01 AM

13 h behind Taichung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,767,239

149,923

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.09 TWD (100 TWD = 2.77 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Taichung Playa del Carmen 14,200 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Taichung
Playa del Carmen

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

Taichung vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,667 per month in Taichung and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taichung, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $382 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,112 in Taichung and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 8%.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Taichung. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,112 in Taichung and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,112 in Taichung to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.