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

😐 Solo nomad: Taichung is 8% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 3.9% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Taichung is 28.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 11.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Taichung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.16 NT$162
$11.61 MX$200
-55.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.33 NT$954
$42.75 MX$738
-29.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.57 NT$175
$10.60 MX$183
-47.45%
Cappuccino
$3.03 NT$95.2
$3.59 MX$62.0
-15.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.15 NT$36.12
$1.45 MX$25.08
-20.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 NT$26.18
$0.90 MX$15.50
-7.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 NT$68.9
$3.03 MX$52.4
-27.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.94 NT$92.6
$4.56 MX$78.8
-35.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Taichung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.84 NT$121
$1.45 MX$25.07
164.83%
White Bread (500g)
$1.72 NT$54.0
$1.83 MX$31.55
-6.01%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.77 NT$87.1
$1.61 MX$27.77
72.05%
Eggs
$3.17 NT$99.9
$2.54 MX$43.82
24.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$31.24 NT$983
$8.54 MX$148
265.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.34 NT$262
$8.47 MX$146
-1.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.65 NT$493
$10.86 MX$188
44.11%
Apples (1kg)
$4.69 NT$148
$2.73 MX$47.13
71.79%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 NT$57.0
$1.49 MX$25.77
21.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 NT$68.8
$1.94 MX$33.55
12.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.07 NT$96.7
$2.16 MX$37.38
42.13%
Potato (1kg)
$1.30 NT$40.78
$1.85 MX$31.88
-29.73%
Onion (1kg)
$1.96 NT$61.8
$2.19 MX$37.80
-10.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.29 NT$72.1
$1.07 MX$18.52
114.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 NT$40.40
$1.08 MX$18.71
18.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.10 NT$129
$4.06 MX$70.1
0.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.89 NT$500
$10.46 MX$181
51.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 NT$52.3
$1.65 MX$28.56
0.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 NT$79.5
$2.55 MX$44.01
-0.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Taichung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 NT$27.69
$0.56 MX$9.60
57.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.32 NT$923
$26.20 MX$453
11.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.95 NT$92.9
$3.14 MX$54.2
-6.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.19 NT$37.48
$2.37 MX$40.96
-49.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.12 NT$319
$3.24 MX$56.0
212.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.01 NT$31.72
$1.31 MX$22.70
-22.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K NT$1.1M
$30.5K MX$527.4K
11.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.4K NT$829.9K
$23.8K MX$411.4K
10.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taichung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$94.3 NT$2,966
$83.1 MX$1,436
13.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.30 NT$765
$22.15 MX$383
9.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.75 NT$685
$29.37 MX$507
-25.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Taichung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.14 NT$1,137
$51.2 MX$884
-29.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.08 NT$317
$18.69 MX$323
-46.07%
Cinema Ticket
$10.60 NT$334
$4.89 MX$84.4
116.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Taichung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$358 NT$11.3K
$199 MX$3,431
79.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.8K NT$654.5K
$5,207 MX$89.9K
299.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Taichung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.7 NT$2,634
$35.93 MX$621
132.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.37 NT$1,081
$39.39 MX$680
-12.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.8 NT$2,951
$80.3 MX$1,387
16.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$129 NT$4,049
$87.6 MX$1,512
46.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Taichung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$379 NT$11.9K
$963 MX$16.6K
-60.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$291 NT$9,161
$482 MX$8,326
-39.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,053 NT$33.1K
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-36.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$735 NT$23.1K
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-38.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,082 NT$222.9K
$3,957 MX$68.3K
78.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,358 NT$168.6K
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-17.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Taichung
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,494 NT$47.0K
$726 MX$12.5K
105.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.18
11.42
-80.91%

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

Last update for Taichung: April 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 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

Taichung vs other spots: cost of living compared

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