Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jilin and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Jilin: $722 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Jilin
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Jilin Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Jilin

🇨🇳 China

$722

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $722 per month in Jilin vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Jilin $722
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,195 per month in Jilin vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Jilin $1,195
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,669 per month in Jilin vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Jilin $1,669
Playa del Carmen $2,959

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ¥20.31

$10.92 MX$204

-72.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.62 ¥151

$43.37 MX$808

-47.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.37

$11.78 MX$220

-56.11%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.83

$3.81 MX$71.0

-9.97%

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

$0.44 ¥2.96

$1.28 MX$23.90

-65.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.78 MX$14.59

-65.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.09 ¥7.24

$3.17 MX$59.0

-65.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.39

$4.93 MX$92.0

-53.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ¥11.64

$1.41 MX$26.22

24.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.70

$2.22 MX$41.33

-27.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.59

$1.42 MX$26.42

-30.28%

Eggs

$1.57 ¥10.46

$2.52 MX$47.03

-37.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.29 ¥102

$7.26 MX$135

110.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 ¥20.73

$7.70 MX$143

-59.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.08 ¥73.7

$12.69 MX$237

-12.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 ¥12.51

$2.78 MX$51.9

-32.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.44

$1.37 MX$25.50

-7.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.79

$2.55 MX$47.55

-42.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.62

$2.12 MX$39.58

-39.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ¥4.38

$1.94 MX$36.13

-65.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.79

$1.89 MX$35.16

-46.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$1.15 MX$21.37

-48.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.91

$1.18 MX$21.98

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.12

$4.30 MX$80.1

-12.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.21 ¥68.0

$9.95 MX$185

2.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.07

$1.58 MX$29.52

-51.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.65

$2.67 MX$49.79

-40.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 ¥2.28

$0.55 MX$10.31

-38.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.48 ¥116

$26.62 MX$496

-34.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ¥7.17

$4.97 MX$92.6

-78.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 ¥1.73

$3.33 MX$62.1

-92.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.13 ¥47.44

$5.36 MX$99.8

33.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.43

$1.44 MX$26.92

-11.81%

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

$19.8K ¥132.1K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

-3.98%

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

$17.6K ¥116.9K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

-25.16%

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

$61.3 ¥408

$84.8 MX$1,581

-27.74%

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

$8.26 ¥55.0

$23.41 MX$436

-64.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.67 ¥71.0

$28.66 MX$534

-62.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.37 ¥262

$57.1 MX$1,063

-30.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.99 ¥113

$28.91 MX$539

-41.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 ¥42.67

$5.14 MX$95.8

24.71%

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

$440 ¥2,930

$207 MX$3,851

113.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ¥117.5K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

349.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.55 ¥283

$43.35 MX$808

-1.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.53 ¥217

$41.44 MX$772

-21.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.4 ¥508

$74.2 MX$1,383

2.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.0 ¥506

$89.3 MX$1,664

-14.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$244 ¥1,623

$980 MX$18.3K

-75.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 ¥1,085

$381 MX$7,099

-57.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$584 ¥3,884

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-65.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 ¥2,704

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-62.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,551 ¥23.6K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-9.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,139 ¥14.2K

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-65.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$441 ¥2,935

$735 MX$13.7K

-39.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

11.45

-70.66%

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

Last update for Jilin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jilin

$209 28.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 22% $46

Accommodation & Living

Jilin

$163 22.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 134% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Jilin

$102 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 9.1% $9.3

Eating Out

Jilin

$94 13%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 115% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jilin

$80 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 70.6% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Jilin

$52 7.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 29% $15

Getting Around

Jilin

$21 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 138% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $244 in Jilin 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 67% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Jilin versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $255 – making Jilin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Jilin

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:05 4:05 AM

15:05 3:05 PM

13 h behind Jilin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,623,713

149,923

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jilin Playa del Carmen 12,070 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Jilin
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 67% more than Jilin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,083 per month in Jilin 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 Jilin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $244 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $440 per month in Jilin and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Jilin, where all-in costs run around $722, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Jilin 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 $722 in Jilin to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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