Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Chengdu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $726 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
Learn more

Chengdu Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $726 in Chengdu, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Chengdu $726

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,170 in Chengdu, rent included.

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

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,614 in Chengdu, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Chengdu $1,614

Playa del Carmen costs about 66% more than Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Chengdu are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Chengdu 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$2.92 ¥19.43

273.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$22.28 ¥148

94.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.85 ¥32.28

142.89%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$3.00 ¥19.94

27.00%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.51 ¥3.39

150.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.26 ¥1.73

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.51 ¥10.06

109.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.28 ¥15.20

116.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.85 ¥12.29

-23.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.49 ¥9.89

48.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$0.99 ¥6.58

43.43%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.61 ¥10.70

56.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$14.31 ¥95.2

-49.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$3.64 ¥24.25

111.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$11.02 ¥73.3

15.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.90 ¥12.62

46.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.39 ¥9.23

-1.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.04 ¥6.91

145.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$1.20 ¥7.97

76.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$0.74 ¥4.91

162.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.69 ¥4.56

173.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.64 ¥4.23

79.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.58 ¥3.83

103.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$3.69 ¥24.53

16.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$4.37 ¥29.08

127.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$0.84 ¥5.58

88.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.48 ¥9.82

80.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.29 ¥1.93

89.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$25.23 ¥168

5.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$1.33 ¥8.83

273.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.31 ¥2.07

974.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$4.37 ¥29.07

22.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.27 ¥8.48

13.39%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$19.6K ¥130.7K

5.19%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$18.0K ¥120.1K

30.01%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$46.65 ¥310

81.76%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$9.40 ¥62.6

149.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$12.87 ¥85.6

122.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$27.11 ¥180

110.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$11.21 ¥74.6

157.89%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$6.17 ¥41.02

-16.69%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$1,161 ¥7,724

-82.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$15.3K ¥101.5K

-74.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$25.36 ¥169

70.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$27.52 ¥183

50.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$57.1 ¥380

29.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$53.2 ¥354

67.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$425 ¥2,829

130.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$231 ¥1,540

64.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$755 ¥5,026

126.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$478 ¥3,178

125.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$3,476 ¥23.1K

13.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$1,845 ¥12.3K

233.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,278 ¥8,502

-42.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.38

238.76%

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 Chengdu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Chengdu

$231 31.9% 39.2% $149

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Chengdu

$195 26.8% 23.5% $60

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Chengdu

$89 12.3% 56% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Chengdu

$69 9.5% 49.6% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Chengdu

$73 10.1% 34.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Chengdu

$39 5.4% 41.4% $28

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Chengdu

$29 4% 42% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $425 in Chengdu. 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 74% higher in Chengdu, 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 $22 in Chengdu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $195 – making Chengdu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

19:47 7:47 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

20,937,757

💱 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 October 31, 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 October 31, 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 Chengdu 14,190 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Chengdu

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 Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $726 in Chengdu – Chengdu comes out roughly 40% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,090 in Chengdu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chengdu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $425 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $22 in Chengdu. 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 $726 in Chengdu. That makes Chengdu about 40% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Chengdu, where all-in costs run around $726, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Chengdu 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 $726 in Chengdu to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Chengdu is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 40% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.