Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Chaozhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaozhou: $651 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Other living expenses 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 Chaozhou
Learn more

Chaozhou Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Chaozhou

🇨🇳 China

$651

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $651 in Chaozhou.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Chaozhou $651

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,045 in Chaozhou.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Chaozhou $1,045

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,440 in Chaozhou.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Chaozhou $1,440

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 85% more expensive than in Chaozhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Chaozhou 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$2.32 ¥15.42

370.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$23.19 ¥154

87.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$3.58 ¥23.84

229.05%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.50 ¥9.99

154.00%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.50 ¥3.33

156.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.29 ¥1.90

168.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.19 ¥7.90

166.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$2.90 ¥19.32

70.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.53 ¥10.16

-7.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.48 ¥9.86

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$0.78 ¥5.16

82.05%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$1.11 ¥7.38

127.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$9.33 ¥62.1

-22.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$2.43 ¥16.19

216.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$12.05 ¥80.2

5.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.30 ¥15.33

20.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$0.93 ¥6.16

47.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$0.93 ¥6.20

174.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.78 ¥11.86

19.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$0.62 ¥4.15

212.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$0.44 ¥2.93

329.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.43 ¥2.88

167.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.31 ¥2.07

280.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$3.02 ¥20.07

42.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.37 ¥75.7

-12.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$0.76 ¥5.08

107.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$1.22 ¥8.10

118.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.29 ¥1.90

89.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$20.26 ¥135

31.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.00 ¥6.67

397.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.31 ¥2.09

974.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$7.06 ¥46.97

-24.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.17 ¥7.80

23.08%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$19.4K ¥129.4K

6.29%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$17.8K ¥118.4K

31.89%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$43.39 ¥289

95.41%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$4.31 ¥28.68

443.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$11.27 ¥75.0

154.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$41.29 ¥275

38.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$14.75 ¥98.2

96.00%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$6.39 ¥42.56

-19.56%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$490 ¥3,258

-57.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$24.4K ¥162.5K

-83.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$13.38 ¥89.0

223.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$27.63 ¥184

49.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$88.3 ¥587

-15.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$61.0 ¥406

46.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$262 ¥1,746

273.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$185 ¥1,231

105.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$600 ¥3,990

184.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$360 ¥2,399

198.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$3,448 ¥22.9K

14.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$1,972 ¥13.1K

212.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$497 ¥3,306

47.85%

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 Chaozhou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Chaozhou

$185 28.4% 51.4% $196

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Chaozhou

$181 27.8% 29% $74

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Chaozhou

$62 9.6% 69.3% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Chaozhou

$59 9.1% 56.9% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Chaozhou

$86 13.2% 23.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Chaozhou

$54 8.3% 19.7% $13

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Chaozhou

$24 3.7% 52.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $262 in Chaozhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 48% 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 in Playa del Carmen vs $23 in Chaozhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $181 per month, with Chaozhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Chaozhou

🕒 Local time

22:28 10:28 PM

11:28 11:28 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,568,387

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Chaozhou 14,460 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Chaozhou

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 Chaozhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $651 in Chaozhou, so Chaozhou is about 46% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 48% 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $262 in Chaozhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $490 in Chaozhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $651 in Chaozhou versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Chaozhou but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Chaozhou 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 Chaozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.