Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanning and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanning: $737 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Nanning
Learn more

Nanning Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Nanning

🇨🇳 China

$737

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $737 in Nanning versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Nanning $737
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,176 in Nanning versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Nanning $1,176
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,615 in Nanning versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Nanning $1,615
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Nanning costs roughly 39% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nanning 46% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 ¥19.73

$10.92 MX$205

-72.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.42 ¥136

$43.37 MX$814

-52.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 ¥38.31

$11.78 MX$221

-51.10%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ¥15.51

$3.81 MX$71.5

-38.85%

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

$0.56 ¥3.70

$1.28 MX$24.07

-56.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.78 MX$14.70

-65.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.84

$3.17 MX$59.5

-72.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ¥15.29

$4.93 MX$92.7

-53.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 ¥14.91

$1.41 MX$26.40

58.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 ¥14.86

$2.22 MX$41.62

0.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.54

$1.42 MX$26.61

-20.42%

Eggs

$1.93 ¥12.85

$2.52 MX$47.36

-23.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ¥68.5

$7.26 MX$136

41.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.93 ¥26.14

$7.70 MX$144

-48.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 ¥117

$12.69 MX$238

38.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.57

$2.78 MX$52.3

-32.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.73

$1.37 MX$25.68

-4.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.11

$2.55 MX$47.89

-40.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.17

$2.12 MX$39.86

-20.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.45

$1.94 MX$36.39

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 ¥8.05

$1.89 MX$35.41

-35.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$1.15 MX$21.53

-50.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ¥4.22

$1.18 MX$22.13

-46.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.07 ¥27.10

$4.30 MX$80.6

-5.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.93 ¥99.3

$9.95 MX$187

50.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$1.58 MX$29.73

-41.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥10.96

$2.67 MX$50.1

-38.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ¥3.30

$0.55 MX$10.39

-9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.90 ¥106

$26.62 MX$500

-40.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 ¥9.13

$4.97 MX$93.3

-72.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.09

$3.33 MX$62.5

-86.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.48 ¥49.76

$5.36 MX$101

39.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.62

$1.44 MX$27.11

-9.72%

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

$23.2K ¥154.6K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

12.44%

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

$13.2K ¥88.2K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

-43.54%

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

$33.66 ¥224

$84.8 MX$1,592

-60.30%

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

$14.52 ¥96.6

$23.41 MX$439

-37.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.84 ¥72.2

$28.66 MX$538

-62.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.0 ¥506

$57.1 MX$1,071

33.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.43 ¥49.41

$28.91 MX$543

-74.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.93 ¥46.14

$5.14 MX$96.5

34.82%

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

$304 ¥2,020

$207 MX$3,878

46.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,423 ¥29.4K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

12.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.68 ¥131

$43.35 MX$814

-54.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.48 ¥196

$41.44 MX$778

-28.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.5 ¥436

$74.2 MX$1,393

-11.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.4 ¥481

$89.3 MX$1,676

-18.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 ¥1,669

$980 MX$18.4K

-74.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 ¥1,036

$381 MX$7,150

-59.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 ¥2,580

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-77.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,959

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-72.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,516 ¥23.4K

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-10.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,577 ¥10.5K

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-74.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 ¥4,438

$735 MX$13.8K

-9.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.63

11.45

-68.30%

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

Last update for Nanning: 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

Nanning

$245 33.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 3.9% $9.5

Accommodation & Living

Nanning

$156 21.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 145% $225

Sport & Entertainment

Nanning

$90 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 25.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Nanning

$84 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 32.7% $28

Eating Out

Nanning

$81 11%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 149% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanning

$59 8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 132% $78

Getting Around

Nanning

$22 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 134% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $251 in Nanning and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 10% 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: $20 in Nanning vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $245 vs $255 per month, with Nanning cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nanning

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:51 2:51 AM

13:51 1:51 PM

13 h behind Nanning

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,741,584

149,923

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 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 October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nanning Playa del Carmen 14,900 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Nanning
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $737 in Nanning and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Nanning is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Nanning. 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: $251 in Nanning versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nanning runs roughly 40% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $304 in Nanning versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $737 in Nanning versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Nanning but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Nanning 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 Nanning gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.