Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Binzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Binzhou: $775 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Binzhou
Learn more

Binzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Binzhou

🇨🇳 China

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Binzhou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $775 in Binzhou.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Binzhou $775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,224 in Binzhou.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Binzhou $1,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,672 in Binzhou.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Binzhou $1,672

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 56% more expensive than in Binzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Binzhou 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$3.02 ¥20.20

256.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$17.67 ¥118

143.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$4.40 ¥29.44

167.95%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.69 ¥18.00

43.87%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.51 ¥3.39

168.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.30 ¥2.00

180.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$1.05 ¥7.03

195.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$2.55 ¥17.08

98.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.93 ¥12.91

-25.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.36 ¥9.09

63.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.04 ¥6.94

41.35%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.30 ¥8.68

94.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$16.40 ¥110

-55.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$4.42 ¥29.55

77.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$9.53 ¥63.7

34.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$1.47 ¥9.80

97.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.20 ¥8.00

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.69 ¥11.33

50.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.30 ¥8.70

58.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$0.68 ¥4.57

194.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$0.97 ¥6.47

107.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.93 ¥6.24

27.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.61 ¥4.05

106.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$3.76 ¥25.15

17.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$14.72 ¥98.4

-34.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.03 ¥6.86

54.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.63 ¥10.91

72.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.29 ¥1.93

96.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$17.01 ¥114

63.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.04 ¥6.95

378.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.45 ¥2.99

677.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$8.82 ¥59.0

-38.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.27 ¥8.52

15.75%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$19.7K ¥131.7K

6.52%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$16.5K ¥110.4K

44.78%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$67.8 ¥453

24.17%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$6.88 ¥46.00

248.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$7.89 ¥52.7

267.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$41.59 ¥278

51.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$14.50 ¥97.0

100.97%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$5.67 ¥37.90

-12.87%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$368 ¥2,462

-44.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$17.8K ¥118.7K

-77.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$52.2 ¥349

-16.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$47.93 ¥320

-10.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$93.8 ¥627

-19.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$89.8 ¥600

-1.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$296 ¥1,980

240.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$184 ¥1,232

102.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$624 ¥4,173

173.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$378 ¥2,529

192.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$3,388 ¥22.7K

16.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,677 ¥11.2K

267.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$567 ¥3,788

33.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.37

239.76%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Binzhou: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Binzhou

$184 23.8% 50.7% $190

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Binzhou

$223 28.8% 13.8% $36

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Binzhou

$83 10.7% 58.8% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Binzhou

$83 10.7% 39.8% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Binzhou

$128 16.5% 13% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Binzhou

$53 6.8% 27.4% $20

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Binzhou

$21 2.8% 59.2% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $296 in Binzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 33% 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: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $18.00 in Binzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $223 per month, with Binzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Binzhou

🕒 Local time

03:40 3:40 AM

16:40 4:40 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

3,748,500

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Binzhou 13,050 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Binzhou

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 Binzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Binzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 56% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 33% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $296 in Binzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $204 in Playa del Carmen versus $368 in Binzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $775 in Binzhou versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Binzhou but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Binzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Binzhou is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Binzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.