Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,368 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taipei and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Taipei versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Taipei $1,368
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,202 in Taipei versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Taipei $2,202
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,036 in Taipei versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Taipei $3,036
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Taipei costs roughly 13% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Taipei 1% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 NT$149

$10.75 MX$199

-57.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 NT$1,528

$50.3 MX$929

-6.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 NT$181

$11.10 MX$205

-49.73%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NT$112

$3.68 MX$68.1

-6.25%

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

$0.94 NT$30.61

$1.65 MX$30.42

-43.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.73

$1.30 MX$24.08

-48.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$3.32 MX$61.3

-13.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 NT$120

$5.54 MX$102

-33.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 NT$101

$1.77 MX$32.68

76.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 NT$64.0

$3.05 MX$56.4

-35.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 NT$103

$2.01 MX$37.20

57.21%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$2.77 MX$51.1

-3.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.90 NT$645

$11.91 MX$220

67.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NT$319

$9.33 MX$172

5.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.51 NT$698

$15.02 MX$278

43.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 NT$157

$3.08 MX$56.8

57.47%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 NT$105

$1.95 MX$35.97

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 NT$98.2

$2.03 MX$37.54

49.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 NT$147

$2.21 MX$40.92

104.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$2.02 MX$37.41

38.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$1.82 MX$33.67

28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.5

$1.52 MX$28.07

10.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.62

$1.28 MX$23.65

-14.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 NT$123

$5.27 MX$97.4

-27.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 NT$460

$16.12 MX$298

-12.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$53.0

$1.95 MX$36.05

-16.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.3

$4.25 MX$78.6

-46.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$21.04

$0.31 MX$5.82

109.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,228

$19.85 MX$367

90.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 NT$86.8

$2.00 MX$36.93

34.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 NT$26.55

$0.53 MX$9.86

54.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.17 NT$297

$5.62 MX$104

63.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.93

$1.52 MX$28.07

-32.89%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$21.0K MX$388.7K

56.02%

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

$24.5K NT$795.1K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-2.62%

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

$87.7 NT$2,843

$62.5 MX$1,155

40.31%

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

$17.28 NT$560

$28.77 MX$532

-39.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.38 NT$888

$34.45 MX$637

-20.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 NT$1,308

$57.1 MX$1,055

-29.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

$24.81 MX$458

-35.75%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 NT$319

$6.67 MX$123

47.38%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

$431 MX$7,964

53.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$538.4K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

41.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 NT$2,025

$70.8 MX$1,308

-11.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 NT$1,281

$51.8 MX$958

-23.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 NT$2,740

$109 MX$2,011

-22.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,424

$112 MX$2,076

-6.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 NT$32.4K

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-5.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 NT$15.3K

$665 MX$12.3K

-28.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 NT$50.8K

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-33.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$30.7K

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-22.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NT$385.6K

$3,554 MX$65.7K

234.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,306 NT$236.9K

$1,977 MX$36.5K

269.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 NT$57.1K

$975 MX$18.0K

80.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

11.3

-78.76%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$473 34.6%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 40.5% $192

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$400 29.3%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 19.4% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$132 9.7%

Mexico City

$126 8% 5% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$131 9.6%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 17.7% $23

Eating Out

Taipei

$123 9%

Mexico City

$203 13% 64.9% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 17.4% $10

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 45.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $999 in Taipei and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taipei pays 81% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Taipei vs $50.0 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $400 vs $323, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

22:05 10:05 PM

08:05 8:05 AM

14 h behind Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

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Between locations

Taipei Mexico City 13,390 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Taipei
Mexico City

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

Taipei vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taipei and Mexico City differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,368 vs $1,567 including rent). Taipei is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 81% higher in Taipei, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $999 in Taipei versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Taipei runs roughly 91% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $663 in Taipei versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,368 in Taipei versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Taipei but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Taipei the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Taipei and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Taipei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.