Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Linyi Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Linyi

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,260 in Playa del Carmen versus $614 in Linyi.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,125 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,026 in Linyi.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,990 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,438 in Linyi.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 105% more expensive than in Linyi, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 5% lower, Linyi 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.72 MX$204

$3.86 ¥26.04

203.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.89 MX$731

$30.08 ¥203

39.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 MX$183

$6.15 ¥41.57

70.89%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$62.5

$3.25 ¥21.97

10.46%

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

$1.51 MX$26.31

$0.60 ¥4.05

151.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 MX$15.96

$0.25 ¥1.67

268.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 MX$51.6

$1.13 ¥7.65

161.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$76.9

$2.14 ¥14.45

106.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 MX$24.35

$1.70 ¥11.49

-17.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 MX$32.87

$1.62 ¥10.92

16.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 MX$27.19

$0.41 ¥2.78

280.49%

Eggs

$2.61 MX$45.50

$1.28 ¥8.66

103.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.32 MX$145

$13.02 ¥87.9

-36.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.35 MX$146

$3.24 ¥21.89

157.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.86 MX$189

$11.54 ¥77.9

-5.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 MX$47.31

$1.03 ¥6.94

163.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 MX$26.25

$1.00 ¥6.74

51.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$32.67

$0.87 ¥5.85

114.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$38.19

$1.13 ¥7.64

93.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$32.40

$0.71 ¥4.82

161.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 MX$38.90

$0.39 ¥2.66

471.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.63

$0.59 ¥4.01

81.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$18.94

$0.62 ¥4.18

75.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MX$73.0

$3.15 ¥21.29

33.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 MX$182

$9.93 ¥67.1

5.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 MX$28.91

$0.57 ¥3.87

191.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 MX$45.56

$1.27 ¥8.57

105.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$9.45

$0.27 ¥1.82

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.16 MX$456

$16.93 ¥114

54.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 MX$53.7

$1.41 ¥9.55

118.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 MX$41.94

$0.32 ¥2.19

650.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 MX$54.5

$6.50 ¥43.93

-51.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$22.87

$1.08 ¥7.32

21.30%

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

$29.8K MX$519.9K

$13.6K ¥92.2K

118.38%

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

$23.3K MX$406.8K

$16.7K ¥112.8K

39.65%

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

$81.3 MX$1,418

$45.67 ¥309

77.97%

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

$22.56 MX$393

$9.70 ¥65.5

132.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.05 MX$524

$11.73 ¥79.2

156.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 MX$923

$18.40 ¥124

187.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.39 MX$321

$14.01 ¥94.6

31.26%

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 MX$85.8

$6.42 ¥43.37

-23.36%

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

$201 MX$3,502

$199 ¥1,342

1.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,175 MX$90.2K

$6,287 ¥42.5K

-17.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.92 MX$627

$70.8 ¥478

-49.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.13 MX$700

$24.59 ¥166

63.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 MX$1,390

$76.6 ¥517

4.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 MX$1,508

$73.6 ¥497

17.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$978 MX$17.1K

$152 ¥1,030

541.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 MX$8,206

$88.9 ¥601

429.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,651 MX$28.8K

$316 ¥2,134

422.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,203 MX$21.0K

$219 ¥1,482

448.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,953 MX$69.0K

$1,461 ¥9,871

170.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,607 MX$115.2K

$969 ¥6,545

581.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$677 MX$11.8K

$791 ¥5,346

-14.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

3.87

195.09%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: July 27, 2026

Last update for Linyi: July 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $978 in Playa del Carmen and $152 in Linyi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Linyi pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $42.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $30.00 in Linyi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $252 vs $188 per month, with Linyi cheaper across the board.

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 Linyi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Linyi wins on cost – living expenses run 105% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Linyi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Linyi. 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: $978 in Playa del Carmen versus $152 in Linyi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $199 in Linyi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $614 in Linyi versus $1,260 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Linyi but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Linyi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Linyi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $614 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Linyi hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Linyi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.