Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Foshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Foshan: $777 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Foshan
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Foshan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Foshan

🇨🇳 China

$777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $777 in Foshan.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Foshan $777

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,242 in Foshan.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Foshan $1,242

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,708 in Foshan.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Foshan $1,708

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 56% more expensive than in Foshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Foshan 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$3.78 ¥25.26

184.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$22.79 ¥152

88.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$5.11 ¥34.19

130.72%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.07 ¥20.50

26.06%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.52 ¥3.49

163.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.31 ¥2.09

170.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$1.22 ¥8.17

154.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$1.89 ¥12.61

168.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.66 ¥11.11

-13.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.12 ¥7.48

99.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.92 ¥6.16

59.78%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.70 ¥11.38

48.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$16.68 ¥112

-56.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$3.92 ¥26.18

100.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$10.69 ¥71.5

19.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.01 ¥20.16

-3.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.27 ¥8.51

13.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.90 ¥12.69

34.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.63 ¥10.91

26.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.09 ¥7.27

83.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$0.95 ¥6.38

111.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.64 ¥4.26

85.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.50 ¥3.36

152.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$2.23 ¥14.89

97.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$10.23 ¥68.4

-6.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$0.93 ¥6.24

70.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.51 ¥10.13

86.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.31 ¥2.08

83.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$10.62 ¥71.0

161.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.52 ¥10.18

227.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.47 ¥3.15

644.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$8.81 ¥58.9

-38.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.22 ¥8.19

20.49%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$21.3K ¥142.3K

-1.39%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$16.2K ¥108.3K

47.61%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$84.5 ¥565

-0.37%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$7.92 ¥53.0

202.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$15.69 ¥105

84.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$71.4 ¥477

-11.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$23.83 ¥159

22.28%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$5.31 ¥35.50

-6.97%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$457 ¥3,054

-55.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$23.3K ¥155.8K

-83.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$42.21 ¥282

3.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$18.76 ¥125

129.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$62.1 ¥415

22.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$91.8 ¥614

-3.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$304 ¥2,031

231.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$159 ¥1,061

135.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$596 ¥3,982

186.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$341 ¥2,279

224.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$4,329 ¥28.9K

-8.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,864 ¥12.5K

230.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$802 ¥5,362

-5.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.83

198.96%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Foshan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Foshan

$159 20.4% 57.6% $215

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Foshan

$220 28.4% 14.7% $38

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Foshan

$96 12.3% 52.7% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Foshan

$108 13.9% 21.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Foshan

$97 12.4% 14.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Foshan

$82 10.6% 12.5% $9.1

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Foshan

$16 2% 70.1% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $304 in Foshan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Foshan pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $23.00 in Foshan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $220 per month, with Foshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Foshan

🕒 Local time

00:32 12:32 AM

13:32 1:32 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

9,498,863

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Foshan 14,690 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Foshan

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 Foshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Foshan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 56% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Foshan. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $304 in Foshan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Foshan runs roughly 162% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $204 in Playa del Carmen versus $457 in Foshan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $777 in Foshan versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Foshan but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Foshan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Foshan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Foshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.