Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Heyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Heyuan: $792 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Heyuan
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Heyuan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Heyuan

🇨🇳 China

$792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $792 in Heyuan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Heyuan $792

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,284 in Heyuan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Heyuan $1,284

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,776 in Heyuan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Heyuan $1,776

Playa del Carmen costs about 52% more than Heyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Heyuan are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Heyuan 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$203

$3.06 ¥20.39

254.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$824

$29.30 ¥195

50.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$219

$5.34 ¥35.60

120.22%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.6

$3.06 ¥20.42

20.26%

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

$1.34 MX$25.01

$0.58 ¥3.86

131.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.38

$0.34 ¥2.24

141.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$57.1

$1.36 ¥9.09

125.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$92.1

$2.75 ¥18.33

79.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.41

$1.79 ¥11.93

-17.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.32

$1.91 ¥12.72

16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.57

$1.11 ¥7.37

33.33%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$46.41

$1.52 ¥10.17

63.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$140

$16.29 ¥109

-53.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$148

$5.14 ¥34.29

54.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$234

$12.23 ¥81.6

2.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.8

$2.29 ¥15.25

21.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.61

$1.22 ¥8.16

17.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.81

$1.38 ¥9.20

89.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.85

$1.78 ¥11.86

20.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.72

$0.96 ¥6.39

110.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.08

$1.18 ¥7.90

68.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.20

$0.83 ¥5.54

37.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.38

$0.66 ¥4.43

81.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$79.4

$3.90 ¥25.98

9.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$187

$10.64 ¥70.9

-5.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.67

$1.02 ¥6.77

50.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.62

$1.90 ¥12.68

40.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.82

$0.31 ¥2.09

70.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$513

$17.71 ¥118

55.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$91.4

$1.84 ¥12.29

166.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$64.1

$0.43 ¥2.88

697.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$100

$7.19 ¥47.93

-25.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.00

$1.33 ¥8.86

9.02%

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

$21.2K MX$394.5K

$19.2K ¥127.8K

10.46%

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

$23.0K MX$429.2K

$17.7K ¥118.3K

29.74%

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

$85.4 MX$1,592

$61.4 ¥409

39.11%

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

$23.46 MX$438

$16.39 ¥109

43.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$530

$14.49 ¥96.6

96.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,160

$41.17 ¥275

51.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$535

$15.11 ¥101

89.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$95.2

$6.54 ¥43.61

-22.02%

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

$201 MX$3,749

$422 ¥2,816

-52.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$73.6K

$24.4K ¥163.0K

-83.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$828

$49.24 ¥328

-9.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$771

$41.47 ¥277

-0.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,356

$81.1 ¥541

-10.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,671

$69.9 ¥466

28.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.3K

$303 ¥2,021

223.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,950

$182 ¥1,215

104.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.3K

$623 ¥4,155

169.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.4K

$375 ¥2,501

192.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.6K

$3,487 ¥23.3K

13.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$114.4K

$1,937 ¥12.9K

216.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.8K

$1,362 ¥9,082

-45.83%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Heyuan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Heyuan

$182 23% 51.1% $191

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Heyuan

$239 30.1% 7.7% $20

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Heyuan

$93 11.8% 53.5% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Heyuan

$92 11.6% 32.8% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Heyuan

$109 13.7% 2.6% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Heyuan

$54 6.9% 25.1% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Heyuan

$23 2.9% 55.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $303 in Heyuan. 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 85% higher in Heyuan, 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $29.00 in Heyuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $239 – making Heyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Heyuan

🕒 Local time

10:46 10:46 AM

23:46 11:46 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,953,019

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 18.65 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Heyuan 14,550 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Heyuan

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 Heyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $792 in Heyuan – roughly 52% 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 $1,188 in Heyuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Heyuan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $29.00 in Heyuan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heyuan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Heyuan 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 $792 in Heyuan to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Heyuan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.