Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heyuan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Heyuan: $792 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Heyuan
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Heyuan Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Heyuan

🇨🇳 China

$792

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $792 per month in Heyuan vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Heyuan $792
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,284 per month in Heyuan vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Heyuan $1,284
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,776 per month in Heyuan vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Heyuan $1,776
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Heyuan is about 34% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Heyuan and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Heyuan 42% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.06 ¥20.44

$10.86 MX$201

-71.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.30 ¥196

$44.21 MX$817

-33.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.34 ¥35.68

$11.76 MX$217

-54.59%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ¥20.47

$3.68 MX$68.0

-16.85%

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

$0.58 ¥3.87

$1.34 MX$24.79

-56.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.25

$0.82 MX$15.24

-58.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.36 ¥9.11

$3.06 MX$56.6

-55.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ¥18.38

$4.94 MX$91.2

-44.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 ¥11.95

$1.47 MX$27.17

21.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 ¥12.75

$2.22 MX$40.95

-13.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.39

$1.48 MX$27.32

-25.00%

Eggs

$1.52 ¥10.19

$2.49 MX$45.99

-38.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.29 ¥109

$7.52 MX$139

116.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.14 ¥34.37

$7.96 MX$147

-35.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 ¥81.8

$12.57 MX$232

-2.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ¥15.28

$2.78 MX$51.3

-17.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.18

$1.43 MX$26.37

-14.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 ¥9.22

$2.62 MX$48.37

-47.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.89

$2.14 MX$39.49

-16.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.40

$2.02 MX$37.38

-52.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.92

$1.99 MX$36.74

-40.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 ¥5.55

$1.14 MX$21.01

-27.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥4.44

$1.20 MX$22.18

-45.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 ¥26.04

$4.26 MX$78.7

-8.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.64 ¥71.1

$10.02 MX$185

6.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.79

$1.54 MX$28.41

-33.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥12.71

$2.66 MX$49.17

-28.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.53 MX$9.73

-41.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.71 ¥118

$27.51 MX$508

-35.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ¥12.32

$4.90 MX$90.6

-62.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.89

$3.43 MX$63.5

-87.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.19 ¥48.04

$5.38 MX$99.4

33.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$1.45 MX$26.76

-8.28%

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

$19.2K ¥128.1K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

-9.47%

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

$17.7K ¥118.6K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-22.92%

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

$61.4 ¥410

$85.4 MX$1,577

-28.12%

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

$16.39 ¥110

$23.46 MX$434

-30.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.49 ¥96.9

$28.43 MX$525

-49.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.17 ¥275

$62.2 MX$1,149

-33.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.11 ¥101

$28.68 MX$530

-47.32%

Cinema Ticket

$6.54 ¥43.72

$5.10 MX$94.3

28.24%

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

$422 ¥2,823

$201 MX$3,715

109.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥163.4K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

519.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.24 ¥329

$44.39 MX$820

10.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.47 ¥277

$41.35 MX$764

0.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 ¥542

$72.7 MX$1,344

11.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.9 ¥467

$89.6 MX$1,656

-21.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$303 ¥2,026

$979 MX$18.1K

-69.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 ¥1,218

$373 MX$6,887

-51.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 ¥4,165

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-62.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 ¥2,507

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-65.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,487 ¥23.3K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-11.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,937 ¥13.0K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-68.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,362 ¥9,104

$738 MX$13.6K

84.62%

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 Heyuan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Heyuan

$239 30.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 8.3% $20

Accommodation & Living

Heyuan

$182 23%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 105% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Heyuan

$109 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 2.6% $2.9

Eating Out

Heyuan

$93 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 115% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heyuan

$92 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 48.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Heyuan

$54 6.9%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 33.5% $18

Getting Around

Heyuan

$23 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 125% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $303 in Heyuan versus $979 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 85% higher in Heyuan, 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 $29.00 in Heyuan versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $239 vs $258 – making Heyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Heyuan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

10:04 10:04 AM

13 h behind Heyuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,953,019

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 25, 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 25, 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

Heyuan Playa del Carmen 14,550 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Heyuan
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $792 in Heyuan, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 52% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,188 per month in Heyuan 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 Heyuan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Heyuan and $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heyuan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Heyuan 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 $792 in Heyuan to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Heyuan. 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.