Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Longyan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Longyan: $465 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Longyan
Learn more

Longyan Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Longyan

🇨🇳 China

$465

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $465 per month in Longyan vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Longyan $465
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $754 per month in Longyan vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Longyan $754
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,044 per month in Longyan vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Longyan $1,044
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Longyan is about 61% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Longyan and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Longyan 66% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.94 ¥19.51

$10.92 MX$205

-73.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.79 ¥151

$43.37 MX$815

-47.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.93 ¥32.77

$11.78 MX$221

-58.15%

Cappuccino

$2.29 ¥15.22

$3.81 MX$71.6

-39.90%

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

$0.44 ¥2.91

$1.28 MX$24.10

-65.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$0.78 MX$14.71

-62.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 ¥5.76

$3.17 MX$59.5

-72.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.81

$4.93 MX$92.7

-66.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ¥13.33

$1.41 MX$26.43

42.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ¥9.75

$2.22 MX$41.66

-33.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.12

$1.42 MX$26.64

-45.77%

Eggs

$1.52 ¥10.08

$2.52 MX$47.41

-39.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.62 ¥50.7

$7.26 MX$137

4.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.19 ¥14.56

$7.70 MX$145

-71.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.46 ¥62.9

$12.69 MX$239

-25.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 ¥12.22

$2.78 MX$52.3

-33.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ¥8.87

$1.37 MX$25.71

-2.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.80

$2.55 MX$47.94

-30.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$2.12 MX$39.90

-49.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.04

$1.94 MX$36.43

-53.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.70

$1.89 MX$35.44

-46.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ¥3.12

$1.15 MX$21.55

-59.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.41

$1.18 MX$22.16

-56.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ¥22.84

$4.30 MX$80.7

-20.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.20 ¥81.1

$9.95 MX$187

22.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥5.10

$1.58 MX$29.76

-51.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ¥8.13

$2.67 MX$50.2

-54.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 ¥1.00

$0.55 MX$10.40

-72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ¥6.78

$4.97 MX$93.4

-79.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 ¥3.37

$3.33 MX$62.6

-84.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.38 ¥49.03

$5.36 MX$101

37.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.44 MX$27.14

-7.64%

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

$19.5K ¥129.5K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

-5.71%

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

$15.6K ¥103.7K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

-33.50%

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

$67.6 ¥449

$84.8 MX$1,594

-20.30%

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

$15.77 ¥105

$23.41 MX$440

-32.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.78 ¥58.4

$28.66 MX$539

-69.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.39 ¥29.16

$28.91 MX$543

-84.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.56 ¥50.3

$5.14 MX$96.6

47.08%

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

$213 ¥1,417

$207 MX$3,882

3.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ¥79.3K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

203.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.53 ¥196

$43.35 MX$815

-31.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.14 ¥101

$41.44 MX$779

-63.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 ¥490

$74.2 MX$1,394

-0.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.6 ¥655

$89.3 MX$1,677

10.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 ¥2,459

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-78.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,375 ¥9,136

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-77.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ¥3,266

$735 MX$13.8K

-33.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

11.45

-69.78%

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

Last update for Longyan: 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

Longyan

$179 38.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 42.1% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Longyan

$98 21%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 14.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Longyan

$92 19.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 48.5% $45

Eating Out

Longyan

$76 16.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 165% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Longyan

$15 * 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 345% $52

Getting Around

Longyan

$4.2 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 1113% $46

Accommodation & Living

Longyan

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 49% 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 Longyan versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $179 vs $255 – making Longyan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Longyan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

22:04 10:04 PM

13 h behind Longyan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,559,545

149,923

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Longyan Playa del Carmen 14,300 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Longyan
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $465 in Longyan, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Longyan comes out roughly 61% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $697 per month in Longyan and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Longyan and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Longyan, where all-in costs run around $465, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Longyan 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 $465 in Longyan to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Longyan. 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.