Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haikou and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Haikou: $806 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Haikou
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Haikou Living Index
59

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

Jump to prices

Haikou

🇨🇳 China

$806

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $806 in Haikou versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Haikou $806
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,152 in Haikou versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Haikou $1,152
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,497 in Haikou versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Haikou $1,497
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Haikou costs roughly 33% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Haikou 40% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ¥29.45

$10.76 MX$199

-59.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.72 ¥98.4

$43.03 MX$795

-65.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 ¥40.26

$11.79 MX$218

-48.94%

Cappuccino

$2.43 ¥16.25

$3.87 MX$71.4

-37.21%

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

$0.86 ¥5.74

$1.37 MX$25.29

-37.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.27

$0.84 MX$15.44

-59.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.06

$3.10 MX$57.3

-51.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 ¥18.18

$5.07 MX$93.6

-46.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.26

$1.44 MX$26.55

47.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ¥9.90

$2.23 MX$41.23

-33.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ¥4.40

$1.47 MX$27.17

-55.10%

Eggs

$1.36 ¥9.07

$2.53 MX$46.71

-46.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.92 ¥26.23

$7.86 MX$145

-50.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 ¥103

$12.79 MX$236

20.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.69 ¥11.30

$2.90 MX$53.6

-41.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$1.44 MX$26.53

-39.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.40

$2.55 MX$47.07

-56.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$2.06 MX$38.03

-54.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.95

$2.00 MX$36.97

-55.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.85

$2.01 MX$37.07

-63.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ¥3.12

$1.19 MX$22.02

-60.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.83

$1.26 MX$23.23

-54.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.09 ¥20.68

$4.40 MX$81.4

-29.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.76 ¥58.6

$9.59 MX$177

-8.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.59 MX$29.41

-64.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.81 MX$51.9

-56.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$0.57 MX$10.47

61.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ¥356

$27.82 MX$514

91.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 ¥14.66

$4.98 MX$92.1

-56.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$3.50 MX$64.6

-87.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ¥8.15

$1.47 MX$27.08

-17.01%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

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

$35.41 ¥237

$84.2 MX$1,556

-57.95%

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

$13.21 ¥88.3

$23.99 MX$443

-44.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.38 ¥89.4

$29.02 MX$536

-53.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.67 ¥305

$63.0 MX$1,164

-27.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.33 ¥42.35

$29.14 MX$539

-78.28%

Cinema Ticket

$4.50 ¥30.10

$4.94 MX$91.3

-8.91%

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

$862 ¥5,762

$204 MX$3,763

323.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K ¥130.4K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

394.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.00 ¥181

$43.60 MX$806

-38.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 ¥233

$43.12 MX$797

-19.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.76 ¥299

$75.8 MX$1,400

-40.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.57 ¥251

$88.6 MX$1,637

-57.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ¥2,523

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-62.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,966

$374 MX$6,911

-21.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$570 ¥3,808

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-66.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 ¥2,469

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-66.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,154 ¥21.1K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-20.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,183 ¥14.6K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-64.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$727 ¥4,859

$754 MX$13.9K

-3.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

11.45

-66.38%

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

Last update for Haikou: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Haikou

$294 36.5%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 27.2% $80

Groceries & Markets

Haikou

$169 * 20.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 53.3% $90

Eating Out

Haikou

$100 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 102% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Haikou

$65 8.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 74.1% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haikou

$62 7.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 121% $75

Getting Around

Haikou

$61 7.6%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 14.3% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Haikou

$55 6.8%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 33.3% $18

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $377 in Haikou and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 4% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $15.00 in Haikou vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $258 per month, with Haikou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Haikou

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:42 1:42 PM

00:42 12:42 AM

13 h behind Haikou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,873,358

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 19, 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 19, 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

Haikou Playa del Carmen 15,120 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Haikou
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

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

Haikou and Playa del Carmen differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($806 vs $1,210 including rent). Haikou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Playa del Carmen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $377 in Haikou versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $806 per month in Haikou versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

At $806 in Haikou versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Haikou but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Haikou 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.

Expats usually find Haikou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.