Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nantong and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Nantong: $750 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Nantong
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Nantong Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Nantong

🇨🇳 China

$750

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $750 in Nantong versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Nantong $750
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,237 in Nantong versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Nantong $1,237
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,725 in Nantong versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Nantong $1,725
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Nantong costs roughly 38% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nantong 44% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 ¥20.15

$10.76 MX$199

-72.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.57 ¥158

$43.03 MX$795

-45.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.43 ¥29.64

$11.79 MX$218

-62.43%

Cappuccino

$2.79 ¥18.69

$3.87 MX$71.4

-27.91%

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

$0.63 ¥4.23

$1.37 MX$25.29

-54.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.23

$0.84 MX$15.44

-60.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$3.10 MX$57.3

-76.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥14.56

$5.07 MX$93.6

-57.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.44 MX$26.55

11.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥10.19

$2.23 MX$41.23

-31.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.26

$1.47 MX$27.17

-46.26%

Eggs

$1.73 ¥11.55

$2.53 MX$46.71

-31.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.67 ¥44.59

$7.30 MX$135

-8.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.69 ¥24.66

$7.86 MX$145

-53.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.37 ¥69.3

$12.79 MX$236

-18.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 ¥15.37

$2.90 MX$53.6

-20.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 ¥9.34

$1.44 MX$26.53

-2.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.14

$2.55 MX$47.07

-40.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 ¥9.78

$2.06 MX$38.03

-29.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ¥4.51

$2.00 MX$36.97

-66.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.04

$2.01 MX$37.07

-55.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.46

$1.19 MX$22.02

-43.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.37

$1.26 MX$23.23

-60.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ¥23.00

$4.40 MX$81.4

-21.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.14 ¥61.1

$9.59 MX$177

-4.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.97

$1.59 MX$29.41

-53.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.06

$2.81 MX$51.9

-41.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ¥1.40

$0.57 MX$10.47

-63.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.73 ¥98.5

$27.82 MX$514

-47.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ¥12.89

$4.98 MX$92.1

-61.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$3.50 MX$64.6

-89.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.00 ¥46.78

$5.40 MX$99.8

29.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ¥8.07

$1.47 MX$27.08

-17.69%

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

$19.6K ¥131.1K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

-6.55%

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

$18.8K ¥125.8K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-21.29%

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

$47.85 ¥320

$84.2 MX$1,556

-43.18%

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

$7.48 ¥50.0

$23.99 MX$443

-68.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.96 ¥100

$29.02 MX$536

-48.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$114 ¥763

$63.0 MX$1,164

81.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.96 ¥80.0

$29.14 MX$539

-58.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.68 ¥51.3

$4.94 MX$91.3

55.47%

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

$203 ¥1,356

$204 MX$3,763

-0.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ¥80.1K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

203.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 ¥388

$43.60 MX$806

33.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.62 ¥285

$43.12 MX$797

-1.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.3 ¥443

$75.8 MX$1,400

-12.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 ¥736

$88.6 MX$1,637

24.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$213 ¥1,422

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-78.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$142 ¥946

$374 MX$6,911

-62.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$696 ¥4,656

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-59.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ¥2,367

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-68.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,720 ¥24.9K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-5.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,249 ¥15.0K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-63.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,289 ¥8,622

$754 MX$13.9K

70.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

11.45

-69.43%

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

Last update for Nantong: October 10, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nantong

$182 24.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 42% $76

Accommodation & Living

Nantong

$142 18.9%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 164% $232

Sport & Entertainment

Nantong

$130 17.3%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 43.7% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Nantong

$125 16.6%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 9.4% $12

Eating Out

Nantong

$83 11%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 144% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nantong

$70 9.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 95.2% $67

Getting Around

Nantong

$19 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 171% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $213 in Nantong and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nantong pays 71% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Nantong vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $258 per month, with Nantong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nantong

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

08:55 8:55 AM

13 h behind Nantong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,726,635

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 19, 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 19, 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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Nantong Playa del Carmen 13,450 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nantong
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

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

Nantong and Playa del Carmen differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($750 vs $1,210 including rent). Nantong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 71% higher in Nantong, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $213 in Nantong versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $203 in Nantong versus $204 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $750 in Nantong versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nantong but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Nantong 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 Nantong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.