Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanchong and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanchong: $685 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Nanchong
Learn more

Nanchong Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Nanchong

🇨🇳 China

$685

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $685 per month in Nanchong vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Nanchong $685
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,106 per month in Nanchong vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Nanchong $1,106
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,527 per month in Nanchong vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Nanchong $1,527
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Nanchong is about 43% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nanchong and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Nanchong 50% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.77 ¥11.75

$10.92 MX$205

-83.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.40 ¥149

$43.37 MX$815

-48.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.91 ¥19.34

$11.78 MX$221

-75.30%

Cappuccino

$2.09 ¥13.87

$3.81 MX$71.6

-45.14%

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

$0.43 ¥2.86

$1.28 MX$24.10

-66.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.78 MX$14.71

-62.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 ¥7.82

$3.17 MX$59.5

-62.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥12.28

$4.93 MX$92.7

-62.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ¥13.44

$1.41 MX$26.43

43.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.88

$2.22 MX$41.66

-26.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.61 ¥4.03

$1.42 MX$26.64

-57.04%

Eggs

$2.16 ¥14.37

$2.52 MX$47.41

-14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.80 ¥118

$7.26 MX$137

145.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.67

$7.70 MX$145

-55.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 ¥67.2

$12.69 MX$239

-20.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.26

$2.78 MX$52.3

-44.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.64

$1.37 MX$25.71

-5.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 ¥8.00

$2.55 MX$47.94

-52.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.45

$2.12 MX$39.90

-40.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ¥4.42

$1.94 MX$36.43

-65.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.66

$1.89 MX$35.44

-47.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 ¥5.55

$1.15 MX$21.55

-26.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.08

$1.18 MX$22.16

-48.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 ¥20.33

$4.30 MX$80.7

-28.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.05 ¥60.1

$9.95 MX$187

-9.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.49

$1.58 MX$29.76

-47.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.35

$2.67 MX$50.2

-35.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 ¥2.10

$0.55 MX$10.40

-41.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.36 ¥115

$26.62 MX$500

-34.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.84

$4.97 MX$93.4

-70.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$3.33 MX$62.6

-91.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 ¥19.79

$5.36 MX$101

-44.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.38

$1.44 MX$27.14

-12.50%

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

$19.2K ¥127.4K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

-7.22%

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

$17.1K ¥113.9K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

-26.98%

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

$44.65 ¥297

$84.8 MX$1,594

-47.34%

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

$7.13 ¥47.35

$23.41 MX$440

-69.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.28 ¥48.34

$28.66 MX$539

-74.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.05 ¥279

$57.1 MX$1,072

-26.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.76 ¥91.4

$28.91 MX$543

-52.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.07 ¥40.34

$5.14 MX$96.6

18.09%

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

$293 ¥1,949

$207 MX$3,882

41.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.0K ¥166.2K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

536.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.28 ¥261

$43.35 MX$815

-9.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.15 ¥200

$41.44 MX$779

-27.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.1 ¥439

$74.2 MX$1,394

-10.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.6 ¥422

$89.3 MX$1,677

-28.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$288 ¥1,914

$980 MX$18.4K

-70.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 ¥1,230

$381 MX$7,157

-51.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 ¥4,080

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-64.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 ¥2,427

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-66.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,027 ¥20.1K

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-23.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,984 ¥13.2K

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-67.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.34

11.45

-70.83%

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

Last update for Nanchong: 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

Nanchong

$216 31.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 18.2% $39

Accommodation & Living

Nanchong

$185 27%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 106% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Nanchong

$90 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 24.7% $22

Eating Out

Nanchong

$60 8.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 235% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanchong

$59 8.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 132% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Nanchong

$54 7.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 24.2% $13

Getting Around

Nanchong

$22 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 134% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $288 in Nanchong 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Nanchong versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $255 – making Nanchong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nanchong

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

05:08 5:08 AM

13 h behind Nanchong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,607,565

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 = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nanchong Playa del Carmen 14,130 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nanchong
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $685 in Nanchong, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Nanchong comes out roughly 43% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,028 per month in Nanchong 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 Nanchong, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $288 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $293 per month in Nanchong 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 18% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Nanchong, where all-in costs run around $685, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Nanchong 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 $685 in Nanchong to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Nanchong is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 43% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.