Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Guangzhou (Canton)

For one person, living is cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton): $914 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$914

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Guangzhou (Canton)

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 Guangzhou (Canton) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $914 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Guangzhou (Canton) $914

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,442 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,442

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,971 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,971

Playa del Carmen costs about 32% more than Guangzhou (Canton), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Guangzhou (Canton) are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Guangzhou (Canton) 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$3.03 ¥20.16

260.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$29.73 ¥198

45.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$5.36 ¥35.66

119.78%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.19 ¥21.21

19.44%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.54 ¥3.60

137.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.36 ¥2.43

116.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.31 ¥8.74

141.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.75 ¥18.30

79.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.87 ¥12.46

-24.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.92 ¥12.77

15.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.10 ¥7.30

29.09%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.56 ¥10.40

61.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$16.83 ¥112

-56.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.18 ¥34.46

48.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$12.00 ¥79.9

5.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.22 ¥14.77

25.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.25 ¥8.33

9.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.45 ¥9.64

75.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.72 ¥11.43

23.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.95 ¥6.30

104.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.21 ¥8.07

56.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.84 ¥5.58

36.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.71 ¥4.74

66.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$3.91 ¥26.05

9.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$10.86 ¥72.3

-8.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.02 ¥6.80

54.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$1.93 ¥12.82

38.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.44 ¥2.92

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$18.29 ¥122

45.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.77 ¥11.76

180.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.40 ¥2.66

732.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$7.21 ¥48.01

-25.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.37 ¥9.11

5.11%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$19.7K ¥131.3K

4.77%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$17.8K ¥118.7K

31.58%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$60.4 ¥402

40.45%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$16.16 ¥108

44.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$14.47 ¥96.3

98.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$70.9 ¥472

-19.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$12.27 ¥81.7

135.62%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$6.53 ¥43.43

-21.29%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$1,612 ¥10.7K

-87.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$24.7K ¥164.3K

-84.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$48.97 ¥326

-11.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$40.73 ¥271

1.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$82.1 ¥546

-9.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$71.3 ¥474

25.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$509 ¥3,386

92.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$270 ¥1,794

41.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,224 ¥8,144

39.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$500 ¥3,330

114.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$8,271 ¥55.0K

-52.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$3,705 ¥24.7K

66.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$1,269 ¥8,443

-42.11%

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 Guangzhou (Canton): October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$270 29.5% 29.2% $111

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$242 26.5% 5.1% $13

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$94 10.3% 53.4% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$91 10% 33.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$109 12% 2.1% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$84 9.2% 24.6% $17

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$24 2.6% 52.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $509 in Guangzhou (Canton). 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 73% higher in Guangzhou (Canton), 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 $30 in Guangzhou (Canton). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $242 – making Guangzhou (Canton) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🕒 Local time

09:09 9:09 AM

22:09 10:09 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

14,043,500

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 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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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Guangzhou (Canton) 14,670 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Guangzhou (Canton)

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 Guangzhou (Canton): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $914 in Guangzhou (Canton) – roughly 32% 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 $1,371 in Guangzhou (Canton). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton), especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $509 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $914 in Guangzhou (Canton). That’s a gap of about 32%.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Guangzhou (Canton). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Guangzhou (Canton), where all-in costs run around $914, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Guangzhou (Canton) 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 $914 in Guangzhou (Canton) to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Guangzhou (Canton) is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 32% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.