Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $726 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$726

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $726 per month in Chengdu vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chengdu $726
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,170 per month in Chengdu vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chengdu $1,170
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,614 per month in Chengdu vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chengdu $1,614
Playa del Carmen $2,959

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

Both Chengdu and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Chengdu 47% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 ¥19.43

$10.92 MX$205

-73.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.28 ¥148

$43.37 MX$814

-48.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 ¥32.28

$11.78 MX$221

-58.83%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ¥19.95

$3.81 MX$71.5

-21.26%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$1.28 MX$24.07

-60.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.73

$0.78 MX$14.70

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.06

$3.17 MX$59.5

-52.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.20

$4.93 MX$92.7

-53.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.29

$1.41 MX$26.40

31.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$2.22 MX$41.62

-32.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.58

$1.42 MX$26.61

-30.28%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.70

$2.52 MX$47.36

-36.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.31 ¥95.2

$7.26 MX$136

97.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 ¥24.25

$7.70 MX$144

-52.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 ¥73.4

$12.69 MX$238

-13.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.62

$2.78 MX$52.3

-31.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ¥9.23

$1.37 MX$25.68

1.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.91

$2.55 MX$47.89

-59.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 ¥7.98

$2.12 MX$39.86

-43.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.91

$1.94 MX$36.39

-61.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.57

$1.89 MX$35.41

-63.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ¥4.23

$1.15 MX$21.53

-44.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.83

$1.18 MX$22.13

-50.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.53

$4.30 MX$80.6

-14.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.37 ¥29.09

$9.95 MX$187

-56.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.58

$1.58 MX$29.73

-46.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$2.67 MX$50.1

-44.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.55 MX$10.39

-47.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.23 ¥168

$26.62 MX$500

-5.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ¥8.83

$4.97 MX$93.3

-73.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$3.33 MX$62.5

-90.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 ¥29.08

$5.36 MX$101

-18.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.48

$1.44 MX$27.11

-11.81%

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

$19.6K ¥130.7K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

-4.93%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

-23.09%

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

$46.65 ¥310

$84.8 MX$1,592

-44.98%

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

$9.40 ¥62.6

$23.41 MX$439

-59.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.87 ¥85.6

$28.66 MX$538

-55.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.11 ¥180

$57.1 MX$1,071

-52.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.21 ¥74.6

$28.91 MX$543

-61.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 ¥41.03

$5.14 MX$96.5

20.04%

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

$1,161 ¥7,725

$207 MX$3,878

462.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K ¥101.5K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

288.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.36 ¥169

$43.35 MX$814

-41.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.52 ¥183

$41.44 MX$778

-33.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.1 ¥380

$74.2 MX$1,393

-23.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.2 ¥354

$89.3 MX$1,676

-40.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$425 ¥2,830

$980 MX$18.4K

-56.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$231 ¥1,540

$381 MX$7,150

-39.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$755 ¥5,027

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-55.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,178

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-55.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,476 ¥23.1K

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-11.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,845 ¥12.3K

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-70.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,278 ¥8,503

$735 MX$13.8K

73.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

11.45

-70.48%

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

Last update for Chengdu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chengdu

$231 31.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 64.5% $149

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$195 26.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 30.8% $60

Eating Out

Chengdu

$89 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 127% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$73 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 52.1% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$69 9.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 98.6% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$39 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 70.7% $28

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 72.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $425 in Chengdu 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 74% higher in Chengdu, 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 $22 in Chengdu versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $255 – making Chengdu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:28 12:28 AM

11:28 11:28 AM

13 h behind Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

149,923

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chengdu Playa del Carmen 14,190 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $726 in Chengdu, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Chengdu comes out roughly 40% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,090 per month in Chengdu 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 Chengdu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $425 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Chengdu and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $726 in Chengdu and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Chengdu about 40% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Chengdu, where all-in costs run around $726, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Chengdu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $726 in Chengdu to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Chengdu is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 40% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.