Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Baiquan

For one person, living is cheaper in Baiquan: $738 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Baiquan
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Baiquan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Baiquan

🇨🇳 China

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Baiquan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Baiquan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $738 in Baiquan.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Baiquan $738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,170 in Baiquan.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Baiquan $1,170

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,602 in Baiquan.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Baiquan $1,602

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 63% more expensive than in Baiquan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Baiquan 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.06 ¥20.40

248.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$22.11 ¥147

98.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$4.99 ¥33.25

136.27%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.84 ¥18.92

33.45%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.47 ¥3.12

176.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.31 ¥2.09

167.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.12 ¥7.45

181.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.04 ¥13.57

141.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.77 ¥11.82

-20.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.68 ¥11.17

30.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.00 ¥6.64

47.00%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$1.58 ¥10.55

58.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$13.30 ¥88.6

-45.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.35 ¥22.32

137.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$11.13 ¥74.1

15.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.89 ¥12.57

53.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.33 ¥8.88

3.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.52 ¥10.13

63.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.33 ¥8.84

52.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$0.71 ¥4.71

184.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.89 ¥5.91

113.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.59 ¥3.95

93.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.59 ¥3.94

110.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$3.69 ¥24.59

15.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$11.18 ¥74.4

-12.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$0.89 ¥5.90

78.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.61 ¥10.70

70.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.29 ¥1.92

75.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$18.06 ¥120

51.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$1.52 ¥10.13

213.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.35 ¥2.35

828.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$7.39 ¥49.23

-27.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.27 ¥8.44

20.47%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$19.8K ¥131.7K

7.27%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$17.4K ¥116.2K

33.33%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$56.3 ¥375

48.22%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$8.64 ¥57.6

168.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$11.43 ¥76.1

141.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$41.33 ¥275

36.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$15.02 ¥100

87.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$6.46 ¥43.06

-22.60%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$437 ¥2,910

-52.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$17.7K ¥117.7K

-70.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$43.37 ¥289

0.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$33.10 ¥221

28.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$75.9 ¥505

-4.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$74.0 ¥493

19.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$290 ¥1,929

243.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$189 ¥1,256

102.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$607 ¥4,043

175.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$361 ¥2,405

199.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$3,193 ¥21.3K

22.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,984 ¥13.2K

209.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.36

240.77%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Baiquan: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Baiquan

$189 25.6% 50.7% $194

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Baiquan

$208 28.2% 19% $49

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Baiquan

$86 11.7% 56.9% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Baiquan

$76 10.4% 43.1% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Baiquan

$102 13.8% 8.4% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Baiquan

$54 7.4% 18.3% $12

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Baiquan

$23 3.1% 55.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $290 in Baiquan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $22 in Baiquan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $208 per month, with Baiquan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Baiquan

🕒 Local time

17:43 5:43 PM

06:43 6:43 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.45 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Baiquan 13,400 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Baiquan

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

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

Baiquan is about 39% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,108 in Baiquan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $290 in Baiquan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $437 in Baiquan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $738 in Baiquan versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Baiquan but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Baiquan 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 Baiquan 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.