Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Jiujiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiujiang: $779 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Jiujiang
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Jiujiang Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Jiujiang

🇨🇳 China

$779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $779 in Jiujiang.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Jiujiang $779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,243 in Jiujiang.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Jiujiang $1,243

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,707 in Jiujiang.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Jiujiang $1,707

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 55% more expensive than in Jiujiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Jiujiang 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$2.57 ¥17.12

324.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$22.11 ¥147

96.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$4.42 ¥29.43

166.52%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.76 ¥18.36

38.04%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.50 ¥3.32

156.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.27 ¥1.77

188.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.02 ¥6.80

210.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$1.97 ¥13.12

150.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.61 ¥10.74

-12.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.97 ¥13.08

12.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$0.82 ¥5.43

73.17%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$1.90 ¥12.63

32.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$13.82 ¥91.9

-47.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.80 ¥31.97

60.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$11.30 ¥75.2

12.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.32 ¥15.42

19.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.73 ¥11.54

-20.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$1.70 ¥11.32

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.53 ¥10.21

38.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$0.86 ¥5.74

125.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$0.99 ¥6.60

90.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.78 ¥5.19

47.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.71 ¥4.74

66.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$2.92 ¥19.44

47.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.82 ¥78.7

-15.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$0.94 ¥6.25

68.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$1.94 ¥12.89

37.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.32 ¥2.12

71.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$15.89 ¥106

67.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.19 ¥7.90

317.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.32 ¥2.15

940.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$3.59 ¥23.87

49.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.34 ¥8.92

7.46%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$19.1K ¥127.2K

8.14%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$16.6K ¥110.5K

41.33%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$48.35 ¥322

75.37%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$9.24 ¥61.5

153.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$11.84 ¥78.8

142.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$35.99 ¥240

58.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$12.93 ¥86.0

123.59%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$6.49 ¥43.21

-20.80%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$244 ¥1,625

-15.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$8,750 ¥58.2K

-55.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$90.7 ¥604

-52.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$33.26 ¥221

24.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$64.4 ¥429

15.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$96.0 ¥639

-7.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$311 ¥2,067

215.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$202 ¥1,346

88.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$663 ¥4,415

157.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$394 ¥2,619

173.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$3,031 ¥20.2K

30.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$2,011 ¥13.4K

206.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$607 ¥4,041

20.95%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Jiujiang: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Jiujiang

$202 26% 46.9% $179

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Jiujiang

$231 29.7% 9.4% $24

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Jiujiang

$79 10.2% 60.9% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Jiujiang

$69 8.9% 49.3% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Jiujiang

$128 16.4% 14.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Jiujiang

$49 6.3% 27.2% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Jiujiang

$20 2.6% 60.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $311 in Jiujiang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 21% 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 $22 in Jiujiang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $231 per month, with Jiujiang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Jiujiang

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

12:27 12:27 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

4,728,778

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 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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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Jiujiang 13,900 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Jiujiang

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 Jiujiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jiujiang wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Jiujiang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 21% 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $311 in Jiujiang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Jiujiang – a meal for two runs $22 versus $43 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 $779 in Jiujiang – Jiujiang is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

Expats usually find Jiujiang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.