Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Maoming

For one person, living is cheaper in Maoming: $720 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Maoming
Learn more

Maoming Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Maoming

🇨🇳 China

$720

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $720 in Maoming, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Maoming $720

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,151 in Maoming, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Maoming $1,151

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,582 in Maoming, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Maoming $1,582

Playa del Carmen costs about 67% more than Maoming, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Maoming are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Maoming 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$2.66 ¥17.80

308.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$22.64 ¥151

95.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$4.01 ¥26.82

193.27%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.74 ¥18.33

34.31%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.51 ¥3.41

162.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.31 ¥2.08

164.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.10 ¥7.36

178.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.05 ¥13.70

140.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.76 ¥11.74

-16.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.59 ¥10.65

39.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.01 ¥6.75

46.53%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.66 ¥11.13

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$13.37 ¥89.4

-43.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$3.34 ¥22.31

138.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$11.08 ¥74.1

13.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.83 ¥12.24

51.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.26 ¥8.44

13.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.56 ¥10.41

67.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.33 ¥8.88

60.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.74 ¥4.94

172.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.96 ¥6.45

107.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.60 ¥3.98

90.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.55 ¥3.69

118.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$3.78 ¥25.29

12.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$11.67 ¥78.0

-14.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$0.86 ¥5.78

79.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.54 ¥10.27

72.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.31 ¥2.08

70.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$18.19 ¥122

51.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.47 ¥9.82

233.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.32 ¥2.16

971.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$7.13 ¥47.64

-24.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.25 ¥8.34

16.00%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$19.5K ¥130.3K

8.54%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$17.4K ¥116.6K

32.02%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$57.9 ¥387

47.43%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$8.59 ¥57.5

173.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$11.19 ¥74.8

154.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$32.99 ¥221

88.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$14.65 ¥97.9

95.77%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$6.50 ¥43.44

-21.54%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$418 ¥2,796

-51.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$17.3K ¥115.9K

-77.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$43.78 ¥293

1.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$34.05 ¥228

21.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$74.2 ¥496

-1.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$74.2 ¥496

20.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$295 ¥1,975

231.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$185 ¥1,239

101.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$637 ¥4,261

163.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$370 ¥2,475

195.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$3,530 ¥23.6K

11.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,949 ¥13.0K

214.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$1,046 ¥6,996

-29.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.36

240.77%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Maoming: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Maoming

$185 25.7% 50.3% $187

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Maoming

$208 28.8% 19.6% $51

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Maoming

$79 11% 60.5% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Maoming

$78 10.8% 43.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Maoming

$102 14.1% 8.8% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Maoming

$46 6.4% 36.5% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Maoming

$23 3.1% 56.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $295 in Maoming. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 42% higher in Maoming, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $23.00 in Maoming. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $208 – making Maoming the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Maoming

🕒 Local time

05:51 5:51 AM

18:51 6:51 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,217,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Maoming 14,920 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Maoming

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 Maoming: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,080 in Maoming. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maoming, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $23.00 in Maoming. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Maoming, where all-in costs run around $720, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Maoming it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Maoming – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Maoming. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.