Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Linyi

For one person, living is cheaper in Linyi: $589 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Linyi
Learn more

Linyi Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Linyi

🇨🇳 China

$589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $589 in Linyi.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Linyi $589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $940 in Linyi.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Linyi $940

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,291 in Linyi.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Linyi $1,291

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 104% more expensive than in Linyi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Linyi 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$2.34 ¥15.52

366.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$24.86 ¥165

74.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.81 ¥31.99

144.91%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.65 ¥17.59

43.77%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.47 ¥3.10

172.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.21 ¥1.39

271.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$0.91 ¥6.07

248.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.03 ¥13.46

142.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.51 ¥10.07

-6.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.45 ¥9.62

53.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$0.43 ¥2.84

230.23%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.06 ¥7.05

137.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$8.97 ¥59.6

-19.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$1.81 ¥12.05

325.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$11.21 ¥74.5

13.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.14 ¥7.55

143.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.01 ¥6.73

35.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.01 ¥6.74

152.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$0.94 ¥6.24

125.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$0.44 ¥2.92

340.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.38 ¥2.54

397.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.57 ¥3.76

101.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.61 ¥4.09

93.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$4.48 ¥29.74

-4.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$9.95 ¥66.1

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$0.71 ¥4.74

122.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.33 ¥8.83

100.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.31 ¥2.06

77.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$1.03 ¥6.81

382.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.25 ¥1.66

1232.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$4.44 ¥29.50

20.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.17 ¥7.75

23.08%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$16.5K ¥109.4K

25.50%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$15.1K ¥100.5K

55.15%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$72.2 ¥480

17.45%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$4.70 ¥31.20

398.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$5.05 ¥33.56

467.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$53.7 ¥356

6.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$26.38 ¥175

9.59%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$5.13 ¥34.07

0.19%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$213 ¥1,415

-3.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$10.7K ¥71.0K

-63.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$22.15 ¥147

95.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$22.68 ¥151

82.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$69.8 ¥464

6.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$70.8 ¥470

26.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$212 ¥1,407

362.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$116 ¥773

227.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$499 ¥3,317

242.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$209 ¥1,390

414.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$1,501 ¥9,971

162.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$980 ¥6,510

528.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$785 ¥5,215

-6.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.13

265.81%

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 Linyi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Linyi

$116 19.8% 69.4% $264

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Linyi

$164 27.8% 35.8% $91

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Linyi

$76 12.9% 62.3% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Linyi

$82 13.9% 40.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Linyi

$83 14.2% 25.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Linyi

$64 10.9% 5.1% $3.4

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Linyi

$3.5 * 0.6% 93% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $212 in Linyi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Linyi pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $25 in Linyi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $164 per month, with Linyi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Linyi

🕒 Local time

07:43 7:43 AM

20:43 8:43 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,710,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Linyi 13,260 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Linyi

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 Linyi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Linyi wins on cost – living expenses run 51% 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 6% lower in Playa del Carmen. 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $212 in Linyi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $589 in Linyi – Linyi is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $589 in Linyi versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 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 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.