Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Changde

For one person, living is cheaper in Changde: $654 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Changde
Learn more

Changde Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Changde

🇨🇳 China

$654

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $654 in Changde, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Changde $654

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,126 in Changde, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Changde $1,126

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,599 in Changde, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Changde $1,599

Playa del Carmen costs about 84% more than Changde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Changde are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Changde 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$2.18 ¥14.54

400.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$18.34 ¥122

136.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$5.06 ¥33.66

132.81%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.30 ¥15.30

65.65%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.43 ¥2.89

197.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.25 ¥1.65

212.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.23 ¥8.21

157.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$1.97 ¥13.10

150.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.54 ¥10.24

-8.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.30 ¥15.33

-3.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$0.94 ¥6.22

51.06%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.74 ¥11.57

44.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$12.85 ¥85.5

-43.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$4.05 ¥26.93

90.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$11.60 ¥77.2

9.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.62 ¥10.80

71.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.16 ¥7.75

18.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.13 ¥7.55

125.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$0.87 ¥5.80

143.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$0.59 ¥3.91

228.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.72 ¥4.79

162.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.38 ¥2.55

202.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.49 ¥3.26

140.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$2.91 ¥19.38

47.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$12.45 ¥82.8

-20.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.05 ¥6.97

50.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$0.79 ¥5.24

237.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.31 ¥2.08

77.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$18.31 ¥122

45.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$1.22 ¥8.15

307.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.31 ¥2.07

974.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$4.48 ¥29.78

19.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.31 ¥8.71

9.92%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$19.3K ¥128.2K

7.26%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$17.4K ¥116.0K

34.63%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$57.9 ¥385

46.49%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$9.34 ¥62.1

150.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$11.28 ¥75.1

154.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$41.58 ¥277

37.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$15.20 ¥101

90.20%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$5.84 ¥38.88

-11.99%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$333 ¥2,213

-37.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$16.5K ¥110.1K

-76.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$82.7 ¥550

-47.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$34.87 ¥232

18.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$87.9 ¥585

-15.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$59.2 ¥394

50.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$133 ¥885

636.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$98.5 ¥655

286.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$597 ¥3,969

186.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$367 ¥2,441

193.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$3,533 ¥23.5K

11.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$1,951 ¥13.0K

215.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$764 ¥5,086

-3.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.46

230.92%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Changde: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Changde

$99 15.1% 74.1% $282

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Changde

$209 32% 17.9% $46

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Changde

$73 11.2% 63.9% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Changde

$79 12% 42.6% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Changde

$119 18.2% 6.6% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Changde

$53 8.2% 20.9% $14

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Changde

$22 3.4% 55.7% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $133 in Changde. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 4% higher in Changde, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $18 in Changde. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $209 – making Changde the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Changde

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

11:22 11:22 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

5,717,200

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Changde 14,140 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Changde

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 Changde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 84% more than Changde, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $981 in Changde. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Changde, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $133 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $18 in Changde. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $654 in Changde. That makes Changde about 46% cheaper.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Changde, where all-in costs run around $654, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Changde it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $654 in Changde to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Changde is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 46% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.