Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Chenzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chenzhou: $721 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Chenzhou
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Chenzhou Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Chenzhou

🇨🇳 China

$721

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $721 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Chenzhou $721

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,197 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Chenzhou $1,197

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,674 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Chenzhou $1,674

Playa del Carmen costs about 67% more than Chenzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$3.03 ¥20.18

260.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$810

$22.13 ¥148

95.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$4.86 ¥32.38

142.39%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.2

$1.54 ¥10.26

147.40%

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

$1.28 MX$23.96

$0.51 ¥3.42

150.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.63

$0.27 ¥1.81

188.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.2

$1.29 ¥8.59

145.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.2

$1.89 ¥12.61

160.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.28

$1.97 ¥13.11

-28.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.43

$2.38 ¥15.85

-6.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.48

$0.79 ¥5.24

79.75%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.14

$1.72 ¥11.48

46.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$13.15 ¥87.6

-44.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$4.13 ¥27.51

86.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$11.57 ¥77.1

9.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.0

$0.59 ¥3.93

371.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.56

$1.18 ¥7.84

16.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.66

$0.73 ¥4.88

249.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.67

$1.19 ¥7.91

78.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.22

$0.97 ¥6.50

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.24

$1.54 ¥10.26

22.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.42

$0.61 ¥4.05

88.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.03

$0.49 ¥3.24

140.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.3

$3.02 ¥20.11

42.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$12.71 ¥84.7

-21.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.59

$1.04 ¥6.92

51.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.91

$1.57 ¥10.47

70.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.34

$0.31 ¥2.05

77.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

$15.40 ¥103

72.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.9

$1.52 ¥10.11

226.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.2

$0.29 ¥1.93

1048.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$4.60 ¥30.64

16.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.98

$1.29 ¥8.60

11.63%

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

$20.7K MX$386.2K

$19.3K ¥128.6K

7.15%

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

$23.5K MX$438.5K

$17.4K ¥115.8K

35.04%

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

$84.8 MX$1,584

$56.3 ¥375

50.55%

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

$23.41 MX$437

$8.94 ¥59.6

161.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$535

$11.27 ¥75.1

154.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,066

$42.59 ¥284

33.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

$14.67 ¥97.8

97.07%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.0

$6.48 ¥43.20

-20.68%

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

$207 MX$3,860

$329 ¥2,192

-37.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.4K

$16.9K ¥112.5K

-76.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$810

$84.2 ¥562

-48.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$774

$35.01 ¥233

18.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,386

$89.1 ¥594

-16.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,668

$58.9 ¥392

51.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$310 ¥2,064

216.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,116

$163 ¥1,087

133.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.9K

$584 ¥3,892

192.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$414 ¥2,757

159.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

$3,531 ¥23.5K

11.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

$1,917 ¥12.8K

221.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

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 Chenzhou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Chenzhou

$163 22.6% 57.2% $218

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Chenzhou

$215 29.8% 15.6% $40

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Chenzhou

$71 9.8% 65.1% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Chenzhou

$77 10.6% 44.1% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Chenzhou

$120 16.7% 7.6% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Chenzhou

$56 7.7% 17.5% $12

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Chenzhou

$20 2.7% 61.1% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $310 in Chenzhou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $22 in Chenzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $215 – making Chenzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Chenzhou

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

00:06 12:06 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

4,667,134

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Chenzhou 14,420 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

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Playa del Carmen
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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 Chenzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $721 in Chenzhou – roughly 67% apart. 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 $1,081 in Chenzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chenzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $310 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 42% less in Chenzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $329 in Chenzhou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Chenzhou, where all-in costs run around $721, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Chenzhou 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 $721 in Chenzhou to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Chenzhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 67% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.