Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Changchun

For one person, living is cheaper in Changchun: $904 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Changchun
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Changchun Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Changchun

🇨🇳 China

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $904 in Changchun.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Changchun $904

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,324 in Changchun.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Changchun $1,324

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,743 in Changchun.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Changchun $1,743

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 33% more expensive than in Changchun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Changchun 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$3.02 ¥20.22

259.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$22.15 ¥148

99.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$5.19 ¥34.68

126.59%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.40 ¥16.02

53.33%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.47 ¥3.14

185.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.31 ¥2.10

164.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.21 ¥8.12

152.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$1.91 ¥12.74

158.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.90 ¥12.70

-22.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.22 ¥8.16

81.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.44 ¥9.65

2.78%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.81 ¥12.12

37.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$34.55 ¥231

-78.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$5.71 ¥38.15

39.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$10.36 ¥69.3

21.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.72 ¥11.51

61.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.45 ¥9.71

-1.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.80 ¥12.05

45.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.89 ¥12.66

13.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.89 ¥5.95

126.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.58 ¥3.89

96.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.47 ¥9.80

-18.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$3.78 ¥25.28

12.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$21.06 ¥141

-52.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$0.92 ¥6.13

67.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.10 ¥7.37

141.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.44 ¥2.92

20.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.24 ¥8.26

295.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.31 ¥2.09

1006.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$3.02 ¥20.18

78.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.28 ¥8.58

13.28%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$19.3K ¥129.3K

9.39%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$17.8K ¥118.9K

29.44%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$76.7 ¥513

11.33%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$4.43 ¥29.63

429.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$14.76 ¥98.7

92.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$37.44 ¥250

66.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$4.13 ¥27.59

594.43%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$6.64 ¥44.42

-23.19%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$553 ¥3,701

-63.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$21.9K ¥146.1K

-81.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$73.7 ¥493

-39.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$44.44 ¥297

-6.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$60.2 ¥402

20.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$69.7 ¥466

28.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$216 ¥1,446

352.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$246 ¥1,648

51.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$576 ¥3,848

192.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$308 ¥2,057

256.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,668 ¥11.2K

136.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,006 ¥6,728

509.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$961 ¥6,423

-23.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.37

162.01%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Changchun: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Changchun

$246 27.3% 33.9% $126

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Changchun

$313 * 34.6% 21.1% $55

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Changchun

$82 9% 59.3% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Changchun

$96 10.6% 30.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Changchun

$112 12.4% 0% $0

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Changchun

$51 5.6% 29.9% $22

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Changchun

$4.5 * 0.5% 91.2% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $216 in Changchun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changchun pays 30% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $22.00 in Changchun. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $313, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Changchun

🕒 Local time

10:46 10:46 AM

23:46 11:46 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

9,066,906

💱 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 25, 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 25, 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

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Changchun 12,120 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Changchun

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 Changchun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changchun is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 33% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Changchun. 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: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $216 in Changchun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $553 in Changchun. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Changchun – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $904 in Changchun versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changchun but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Changchun the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Changchun 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 Changchun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.