Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Hefei

For one person, living is cheaper in Hefei: $768 a month against $1,204 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
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Hefei
Learn more

Hefei Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $768 in Hefei.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Hefei $768

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,225 in Hefei.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Hefei $1,225

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,681 in Hefei.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Hefei $1,681

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 57% more expensive than in Hefei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Hefei 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$2.58 ¥17.28

320.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$22.44 ¥150

97.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$4.36 ¥29.18

169.72%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.75 ¥18.39

33.82%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.49 ¥3.26

173.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.27 ¥1.80

203.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.06 ¥7.09

188.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.00 ¥13.35

147.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.62 ¥10.84

-9.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.06 ¥13.75

7.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$0.81 ¥5.42

82.72%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.92 ¥12.84

29.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$14.10 ¥94.3

-46.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$4.90 ¥32.76

62.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$11.57 ¥77.3

8.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.31 ¥15.45

20.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.72 ¥11.52

-16.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.64 ¥10.95

59.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.61 ¥10.79

32.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.80 ¥5.37

152.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.94 ¥6.26

111.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.79 ¥5.26

44.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.70 ¥4.70

71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$3.08 ¥20.59

38.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$12.16 ¥81.3

-17.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$0.93 ¥6.21

65.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.99 ¥13.28

33.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.31 ¥2.09

70.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$45.22 ¥302

-39.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.23 ¥8.21

298.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.33 ¥2.20

939.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$3.51 ¥23.48

53.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.33 ¥8.91

9.02%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

11.20%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$16.9K ¥112.9K

36.27%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$48.54 ¥325

75.85%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$9.54 ¥63.8

145.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$12.08 ¥80.8

135.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$15.66 ¥105

297.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$15.31 ¥102

87.33%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$6.41 ¥42.85

-20.44%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$236 ¥1,581

-14.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$8,656 ¥57.9K

-54.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$89.7 ¥600

-50.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$32.76 ¥219

26.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$62.7 ¥419

16.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$96.9 ¥648

-7.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$241 ¥1,609

306.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$179 ¥1,197

108.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$532 ¥3,558

215.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$340 ¥2,270

222.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$3,573 ¥23.9K

10.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,975 ¥13.2K

210.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$1,011 ¥6,763

-27.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.15

263.49%

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 Hefei: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Hefei

$179 23.3% 52% $194

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Hefei

$235 30.6% 9.2% $24

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Hefei

$79 10.3% 60.5% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Hefei

$70 9.1% 48.9% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Hefei

$127 16.5% 13.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Hefei

$28 3.7% 60.7% $44

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Hefei

$49 6.4% 4.5% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $241 in Hefei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hefei pays 37% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $22.00 in Hefei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $235 per month, with Hefei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Hefei

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

19:34 7:34 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

9,369,881

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Hefei 13,630 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Hefei

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 Hefei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hefei wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hefei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Hefei. 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: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $241 in Hefei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Hefei – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $768 in Hefei – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $768 in Hefei versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hefei but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Hefei the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hefei delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $768 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hefei hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Hefei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.