Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankang and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ankang: $725 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Ankang
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Ankang Living Index
59

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

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Ankang

🇨🇳 China

$725

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankang 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 Ankang and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $725 per month in Ankang vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ankang $725
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,132 per month in Ankang vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ankang $1,132
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,540 per month in Ankang vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ankang $1,540
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Ankang is about 40% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ankang and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Ankang 46% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.47 ¥9.81

$10.76 MX$199

-86.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.99 ¥100

$43.03 MX$795

-65.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.91 ¥19.46

$11.79 MX$218

-75.32%

Cappuccino

$2.15 ¥14.39

$3.87 MX$71.4

-44.44%

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

$0.43 ¥2.90

$1.37 MX$25.29

-68.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.79

$0.84 MX$15.44

-67.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.50 ¥10.03

$3.10 MX$57.3

-51.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.86

$5.07 MX$93.6

-70.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$1.44 MX$26.55

2.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 ¥11.37

$2.23 MX$41.23

-23.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$1.47 MX$27.17

-38.78%

Eggs

$1.49 ¥9.98

$2.53 MX$46.71

-41.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 ¥76.3

$7.30 MX$135

56.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 ¥27.53

$7.86 MX$145

-47.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.36 ¥69.2

$12.79 MX$236

-19.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 ¥11.34

$2.90 MX$53.6

-41.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.67

$1.44 MX$26.53

-20.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.32

$2.55 MX$47.07

-51.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.44

$2.06 MX$38.03

-38.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 ¥4.52

$2.00 MX$36.97

-66.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.61

$2.01 MX$37.07

-65.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.85

$1.19 MX$22.02

-51.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.68

$1.26 MX$23.23

-56.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ¥22.15

$4.40 MX$81.4

-24.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.89 ¥66.1

$9.59 MX$177

3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.19

$1.59 MX$29.41

-50.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.22

$2.81 MX$51.9

-40.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 ¥2.12

$0.57 MX$10.47

-43.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.21 ¥115

$27.82 MX$514

-38.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 ¥8.35

$4.98 MX$92.1

-74.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$3.50 MX$64.6

-91.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 ¥29.16

$5.40 MX$99.8

-19.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ¥9.08

$1.47 MX$27.08

-7.48%

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

$19.3K ¥129.3K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

-7.82%

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

$17.5K ¥117.0K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-26.81%

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

$89.3 ¥597

$84.2 MX$1,556

6.09%

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

$3.26 ¥21.79

$23.99 MX$443

-86.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.61 ¥70.9

$29.02 MX$536

-63.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.85 ¥300

$63.0 MX$1,164

-28.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.11 ¥87.7

$29.14 MX$539

-55.01%

Cinema Ticket

$5.68 ¥37.99

$4.94 MX$91.3

14.98%

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

$679 ¥4,540

$204 MX$3,763

233.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ¥115.2K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

337.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.44 ¥264

$43.60 MX$806

-9.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.19 ¥249

$43.12 MX$797

-13.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.4 ¥498

$75.8 MX$1,400

-1.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.4 ¥618

$88.6 MX$1,637

4.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 ¥2,002

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-70.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 ¥1,220

$374 MX$6,911

-51.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ¥4,117

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-63.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,582

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-65.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,279 ¥21.9K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-16.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,225 ¥14.9K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-63.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

11.45

-70.74%

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

Last update for Ankang: October 10, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ankang

$193 26.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 33.8% $65

Accommodation & Living

Ankang

$182 25.2%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 105% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Ankang

$110 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 3.1% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankang

$103 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 32.9% $34

Eating Out

Ankang

$60 8.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 240% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Ankang

$56 7.8%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 29.6% $17

Getting Around

Ankang

$21 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 148% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $299 in Ankang versus $1,008 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in Ankang versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $258 – making Ankang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Ankang

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:39 3:39 PM

02:39 2:39 AM

13 h behind Ankang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

894,853

149,923

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ankang Playa del Carmen 13,840 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Ankang
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,088 per month in Ankang and $1,816 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 Ankang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 62% less in Ankang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $679 per month in Ankang and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ankang, where all-in costs run around $725, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Ankang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ankang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Ankang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.