Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Jiaozuo

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiaozuo: $674 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Jiaozuo
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Jiaozuo Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Jiaozuo

🇨🇳 China

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $674 in Jiaozuo.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Jiaozuo $674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,059 in Jiaozuo.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Jiaozuo $1,059

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,445 in Jiaozuo.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Jiaozuo $1,445

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 79% more expensive than in Jiaozuo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Jiaozuo 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$1.82 ¥12.16

496.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$16.41 ¥110

169.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$4.59 ¥30.70

156.21%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.48 ¥16.57

48.39%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.42 ¥2.78

219.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.26 ¥1.72

215.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$0.85 ¥5.71

260.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$1.68 ¥11.22

194.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.68 ¥11.26

-12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.58 ¥10.60

40.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$0.69 ¥4.60

114.49%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$0.96 ¥6.40

159.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$8.43 ¥56.4

-10.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$2.41 ¥16.11

230.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$8.26 ¥55.2

52.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.18 ¥7.87

135.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$0.98 ¥6.59

45.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$0.63 ¥4.20

315.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$0.57 ¥3.83

275.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.53 ¥3.55

281.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.47 ¥3.14

323.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.40 ¥2.66

185.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.73 ¥4.86

64.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$2.54 ¥17.00

67.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$9.79 ¥65.5

2.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$0.68 ¥4.58

126.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.02 ¥13.50

31.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.31 ¥2.08

70.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$17.86 ¥119

54.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.53 ¥10.25

220.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.31 ¥2.10

1006.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$3.66 ¥24.48

46.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.98 ¥6.53

47.96%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$19.2K ¥128.3K

10.23%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$17.6K ¥117.4K

31.13%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$60.1 ¥402

42.08%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$7.17 ¥47.97

227.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$9.16 ¥61.3

210.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$57.7 ¥386

7.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$15.04 ¥101

90.69%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$3.94 ¥26.37

29.44%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$177 ¥1,182

13.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$21.6K ¥144.2K

-81.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$43.93 ¥294

1.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$34.16 ¥228

21.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$73.3 ¥490

-0.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$65.3 ¥437

37.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$296 ¥1,982

230.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$185 ¥1,238

101.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$622 ¥4,158

170.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$380 ¥2,541

188.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$2,585 ¥17.3K

52.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,965 ¥13.1K

212.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$566 ¥3,786

30.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.29

248.02%

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 Jiaozuo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Jiaozuo

$185 27.5% 50.3% $188

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Jiaozuo

$158 23.5% 38.7% $100

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Jiaozuo

$68 10.2% 65.8% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Jiaozuo

$76 11.3% 44.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Jiaozuo

$97 14.5% 12.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Jiaozuo

$66 9.7% 9.4% $6.8

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Jiaozuo

$22 3.3% 57% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $296 in Jiaozuo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 30% 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: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $16.00 in Jiaozuo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $158 per month, with Jiaozuo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Jiaozuo

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

05:18 5:18 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

3,539,860

💱 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 Jiaozuo 13,450 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Jiaozuo

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 Jiaozuo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jiaozuo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 30% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $296 in Jiaozuo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $177 in Jiaozuo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $674 in Jiaozuo versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jiaozuo but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Jiaozuo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Jiaozuo 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 Jiaozuo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.