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: $1,271 in Playa del Carmen versus $608 in Linyi.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,126 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,012 in Linyi.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,417 in Linyi.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 109% more expensive than Linyi, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 5% lower, Linyi 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.87 MX$204

$3.74 ¥25.28

217.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.90 MX$736

$30.76 ¥208

39.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$183

$6.09 ¥41.18

74.88%

Cappuccino

$3.45 MX$59.2

$3.13 ¥21.19

10.22%

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

$1.50 MX$25.81

$0.61 ¥4.12

145.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 MX$16.28

$0.25 ¥1.67

280.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 MX$51.9

$1.09 ¥7.39

177.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MX$79.1

$2.04 ¥13.78

125.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$23.61

$1.71 ¥11.59

-19.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 MX$31.70

$1.54 ¥10.40

20.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.65

$0.39 ¥2.63

312.82%

Eggs

$2.59 MX$44.51

$1.22 ¥8.28

112.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.26 MX$142

$12.69 ¥85.8

-34.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 MX$144

$3.13 ¥21.15

167.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 MX$183

$11.56 ¥78.2

-7.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 MX$45.12

$1.02 ¥6.93

157.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$25.53

$0.96 ¥6.47

55.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 MX$32.94

$0.82 ¥5.57

134.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MX$35.81

$1.13 ¥7.63

84.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$31.88

$0.73 ¥4.95

154.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 MX$38.81

$0.36 ¥2.45

527.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 MX$18.23

$0.56 ¥3.78

89.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$18.67

$0.62 ¥4.17

75.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MX$71.2

$3.16 ¥21.37

31.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 MX$178

$10.02 ¥67.8

3.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 MX$29.59

$0.57 ¥3.86

201.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 MX$44.85

$1.24 ¥8.37

110.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$9.30

$0.29 ¥1.97

86.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.94 MX$462

$16.51 ¥112

63.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 MX$53.7

$1.38 ¥9.31

126.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 MX$43.09

$0.35 ¥2.40

617.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$54.1

$6.70 ¥45.28

-52.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$21.88

$1.09 ¥7.35

16.51%

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

$30.4K MX$521.3K

$13.8K ¥93.6K

119.49%

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

$23.6K MX$404.5K

$16.7K ¥112.9K

41.15%

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

$83.0 MX$1,425

$46.39 ¥314

78.92%

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

$22.71 MX$390

$9.76 ¥66.0

132.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.46 MX$506

$11.35 ¥76.7

159.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 MX$875

$17.90 ¥121

184.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.33 MX$315

$14.06 ¥95.1

30.37%

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 MX$84.5

$6.29 ¥42.56

-21.62%

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

$197 MX$3,386

$198 ¥1,341

-0.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,280 MX$90.6K

$6,177 ¥41.8K

-14.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.90 MX$633

$69.5 ¥470

-46.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 MX$685

$24.77 ¥168

61.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 MX$1,373

$75.9 ¥513

5.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 MX$1,536

$73.9 ¥500

21.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 MX$16.4K

$154 ¥1,039

522.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MX$8,189

$90.8 ¥614

425.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 MX$28.3K

$314 ¥2,120

425.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 MX$21.0K

$224 ¥1,518

445.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,918 MX$67.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,459 MX$110.9K

$1,049 ¥7,091

515.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 MX$11.4K

$810 ¥5,477

-17.66%

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: June 7, 2026

Last update for Linyi: June 9, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $956 in Playa del Carmen and $154 in Linyi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Linyi pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $31.00 in Linyi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $185 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 109% 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, Linyi earns 21% less. 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: $956 in Playa del Carmen versus $154 in Linyi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $197 in Playa del Carmen versus $198 in Linyi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $608 in Linyi versus $1,271 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 $608 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 109% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.