Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lianyungang

For one person, living is cheaper in Lianyungang: $761 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Lianyungang
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Lianyungang Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Lianyungang

🇨🇳 China

$761

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $761 in Lianyungang.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Lianyungang $761

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,155 in Lianyungang.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Lianyungang $1,155

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,549 in Lianyungang.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Lianyungang $1,549

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 58% more expensive than in Lianyungang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Lianyungang 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$3.08 ¥20.53

254.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$18.28 ¥122

137.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$4.54 ¥30.22

159.47%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.73 ¥18.18

39.56%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.51 ¥3.39

150.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.32 ¥2.14

143.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.11 ¥7.39

185.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$2.69 ¥17.90

83.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.92 ¥12.76

-26.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.41 ¥9.37

57.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.03 ¥6.86

37.86%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$1.34 ¥8.92

88.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$16.35 ¥109

-55.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.43 ¥29.47

73.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$10.00 ¥66.6

26.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.18 ¥7.84

135.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$0.63 ¥4.17

117.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$0.92 ¥6.12

177.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$0.47 ¥3.14

351.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$0.73 ¥4.85

165.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$0.46 ¥3.06

310.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.29 ¥1.91

296.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.44 ¥2.92

168.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$3.83 ¥25.51

12.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$14.76 ¥98.2

-32.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.08 ¥7.18

46.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$1.59 ¥10.55

67.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.29 ¥1.91

89.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$15.68 ¥104

69.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.47 ¥9.81

238.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.45 ¥2.99

640.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$8.79 ¥58.5

-39.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.30 ¥8.66

10.77%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$19.2K ¥128.0K

7.42%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$17.7K ¥118.0K

32.38%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$70.2 ¥467

20.73%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$6.73 ¥44.76

247.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$7.82 ¥52.0

266.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$38.74 ¥258

47.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$13.77 ¥91.6

109.95%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$6.46 ¥42.98

-20.43%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$368 ¥2,450

-43.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$17.5K ¥116.7K

-77.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$36.97 ¥246

17.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$36.62 ¥244

13.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$75.4 ¥502

-1.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$88.9 ¥592

0.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$283 ¥1,883

246.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$205 ¥1,363

85.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$609 ¥4,056

180.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$334 ¥2,226

221.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$3,313 ¥22.0K

19.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$2,167 ¥14.4K

184.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$596 ¥3,969

23.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.37

239.76%

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 Lianyungang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Lianyungang

$205 26.9% 46.2% $176

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Lianyungang

$207 27.2% 18.7% $48

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Lianyungang

$85 11.2% 57.8% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Lianyungang

$85 11.1% 38.1% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Lianyungang

$107 14.1% 4.2% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Lianyungang

$52 6.8% 23.3% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Lianyungang

$21 2.7% 59.3% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $283 in Lianyungang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 23% 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 $18 in Lianyungang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $207 per month, with Lianyungang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Lianyungang

🕒 Local time

21:54 9:54 PM

10:54 10:54 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

4,393,914

💱 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 Lianyungang 13,270 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Lianyungang

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 Lianyungang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lianyungang wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lianyungang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 23% 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 $283 in Lianyungang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lianyungang runs roughly 41% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $368 in Lianyungang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Lianyungang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.