Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Haikou

For one person, living is cheaper in Haikou: $813 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Haikou
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Haikou Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Haikou

🇨🇳 China

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $813 in Haikou.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Haikou $813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,165 in Haikou.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Haikou $1,165

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,516 in Haikou.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Haikou $1,516

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 48% more expensive than in Haikou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Haikou 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$4.49 ¥29.83

143.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$14.88 ¥98.9

191.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$5.93 ¥39.40

98.65%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.50 ¥16.59

52.40%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.84 ¥5.58

52.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.37 ¥2.44

110.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.52 ¥10.07

108.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.77 ¥18.41

77.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$2.12 ¥14.10

-33.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.41 ¥9.37

57.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$0.69 ¥4.59

105.80%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.37 ¥9.11

83.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$3.97 ¥26.39

93.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$15.52 ¥103

-18.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.75 ¥11.62

58.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$0.93 ¥6.20

47.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.09 ¥7.26

133.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$0.94 ¥6.23

125.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$0.86 ¥5.72

125.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$0.74 ¥4.89

155.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.43 ¥2.88

167.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.56 ¥3.72

110.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$3.17 ¥21.08

35.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$9.01 ¥59.9

10.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$0.62 ¥4.14

154.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.17 ¥7.76

128.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.86 ¥5.70

-36.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$54.9 ¥365

-51.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$2.29 ¥15.23

117.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.47 ¥3.13

608.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.27 ¥8.46

13.39%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$36.44 ¥242

132.68%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$13.45 ¥89.4

74.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$13.72 ¥91.2

108.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$46.34 ¥308

23.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$6.51 ¥43.24

344.09%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$4.62 ¥30.70

11.26%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$871 ¥5,787

-76.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$19.7K ¥131.1K

-80.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$27.29 ¥181

58.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$35.76 ¥238

15.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$44.30 ¥294

67.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$38.38 ¥255

132.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$370 ¥2,460

164.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$294 ¥1,954

29.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$571 ¥3,796

198.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$374 ¥2,485

187.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$3,265 ¥21.7K

20.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$2,136 ¥14.2K

188.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$715 ¥4,750

2.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.85

197.40%

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 Haikou: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Haikou

$294 36.2% 22.8% $87

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Haikou

$169 * 20.8% 33.5% $85

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Haikou

$102 12.5% 49.8% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Haikou

$64 7.8% 53.5% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Haikou

$66 8.1% 41.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Haikou

$56 6.8% 17.4% $12

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Haikou

$63 7.8% 24.9% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $370 in Haikou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 3% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $15 in Haikou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $169 per month, with Haikou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Haikou

🕒 Local time

22:56 10:56 PM

11:56 11:56 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,873,358

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Haikou 15,120 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Haikou

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 Haikou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $813 in Haikou, so Haikou is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,219 in Haikou 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $370 in Haikou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $813 in Haikou – Haikou is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 52% less than in Haikou. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $813 in Haikou versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Haikou but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Haikou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Haikou wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.