Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cixi

For one person, living is cheaper in Cixi: $709 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Cixi
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Cixi Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cixi

🇨🇳 China

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $709 in Cixi.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cixi $709

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,125 in Cixi.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Cixi $1,125

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,542 in Cixi.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Cixi $1,542

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 70% more expensive than in Cixi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Cixi 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$2.75 ¥18.38

294.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$21.47 ¥144

105.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$4.78 ¥31.99

146.03%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.98 ¥19.94

23.49%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.43 ¥2.88

211.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.29 ¥1.94

182.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$0.94 ¥6.30

225.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.12 ¥14.19

133.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.87 ¥12.50

-21.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.57 ¥10.48

41.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$0.97 ¥6.51

52.58%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.54 ¥10.30

61.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$12.61 ¥84.3

-40.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$3.12 ¥20.89

155.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$10.08 ¥67.4

24.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.81 ¥12.10

53.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.25 ¥8.36

14.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.54 ¥10.30

70.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.09 ¥7.29

96.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.70 ¥4.65

188.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.94 ¥6.30

111.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.59 ¥3.96

93.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.54 ¥3.63

122.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$3.05 ¥20.39

39.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$10.52 ¥70.3

-4.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$0.74 ¥4.93

108.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.64 ¥10.96

62.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.29 ¥1.96

82.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$16.43 ¥110

67.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.43 ¥9.54

242.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.36 ¥2.38

852.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$6.57 ¥43.90

-18.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.13 ¥7.54

28.32%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$19.1K ¥127.9K

10.60%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$17.4K ¥116.5K

32.08%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$45.68 ¥305

86.87%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$9.85 ¥65.8

138.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$11.86 ¥79.3

139.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$41.22 ¥276

50.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$13.86 ¥92.7

106.93%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$5.82 ¥38.92

-12.37%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$334 ¥2,231

-39.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$16.5K ¥110.6K

-76.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$42.93 ¥287

3.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$30.21 ¥202

36.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$71.7 ¥479

1.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$72.1 ¥482

24.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$280 ¥1,875

249.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$190 ¥1,268

96.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$590 ¥3,942

185.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$358 ¥2,394

205.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$3,020 ¥20.2K

30.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$2,070 ¥13.8K

196.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.89

194.34%

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 Cixi: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Cixi

$190 26.7% 49.1% $183

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Cixi

$197 27.8% 23.7% $61

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Cixi

$84 11.8% 58.1% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cixi

$67 9.5% 50.9% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cixi

$98 13.8% 12.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Cixi

$53 7.5% 27% $20

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Cixi

$21 2.9% 59.8% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $280 in Cixi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $21.00 in Cixi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $197 per month, with Cixi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Cixi

🕒 Local time

22:38 10:38 PM

11:38 11:38 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,829,488

💱 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 24, 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 24, 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 →

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Playa del Carmen Cixi 13,600 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cixi

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 Cixi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cixi wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cixi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,064 in Cixi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $280 in Cixi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $334 in Cixi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $709 in Cixi versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cixi but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Cixi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cixi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $709 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cixi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Cixi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cixi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.