Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Nantong

For one person, living is cheaper in Nantong: $748 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities 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 Nantong
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Nantong Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Nantong

🇨🇳 China

$748

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $748 in Nantong.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Nantong $748

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,233 in Nantong.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Nantong $1,233

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,719 in Nantong.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Nantong $1,719

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 61% more expensive than in Nantong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Nantong 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$2.97 ¥19.73

267.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$23.82 ¥159

82.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$4.44 ¥29.54

165.32%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.84 ¥18.90

34.15%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.65 ¥4.32

96.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.31 ¥2.04

151.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$0.73 ¥4.85

334.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.31 ¥15.35

113.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.58 ¥10.49

-10.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.53 ¥10.19

45.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$0.84 ¥5.57

69.05%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.76 ¥11.70

43.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$6.84 ¥45.54

6.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.66 ¥24.38

110.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$10.04 ¥66.8

26.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.32 ¥15.46

19.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.35 ¥9.01

1.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.47 ¥9.79

73.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.42 ¥9.45

49.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.73 ¥4.86

165.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.93 ¥6.18

103.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.66 ¥4.40

74.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.51 ¥3.41

131.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$3.30 ¥21.94

30.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$9.20 ¥61.2

8.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$0.79 ¥5.28

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$1.70 ¥11.34

57.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.21 ¥1.40

161.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$14.81 ¥98.6

79.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.89 ¥12.61

162.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.39 ¥2.56

753.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$7.23 ¥48.09

-25.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.16 ¥7.72

24.14%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$19.1K ¥127.3K

7.99%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$18.4K ¥122.7K

27.30%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$47.68 ¥317

77.83%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$7.37 ¥49.03

217.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$15.00 ¥99.8

91.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$114 ¥756

-49.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$12.01 ¥79.9

140.72%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$7.34 ¥48.83

-29.97%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$204 ¥1,355

1.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$11.9K ¥78.9K

-66.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$58.6 ¥390

-26.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$41.71 ¥278

-0.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$64.6 ¥430

14.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$108 ¥719

-17.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$211 ¥1,402

364.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$142 ¥946

167.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$696 ¥4,630

145.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$354 ¥2,358

203.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$3,703 ¥24.6K

6.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$2,275 ¥15.1K

170.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$1,327 ¥8,828

-44.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.5

227.14%

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 Nantong: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Nantong

$142 19% 62.7% $239

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Nantong

$182 24.3% 28.7% $73

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Nantong

$83 11.1% 58.9% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Nantong

$70 9.4% 48.8% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Nantong

$123 16.4% 10% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Nantong

$128 17.2% 90.6% $61

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Nantong

$19 2.6% 61.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $211 in Nantong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nantong pays 81% 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 $24 in Nantong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $182 per month, with Nantong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Nantong

🕒 Local time

20:25 8:25 PM

09:25 9:25 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

7,726,635

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 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 = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 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 Nantong 13,450 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Nantong

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 Nantong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $748 in Nantong, so Nantong is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% 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 $211 in Nantong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $204 in Nantong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $748 in Nantong versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Nantong but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Nantong 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.

Expats usually find Nantong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.