Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Quzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Quzhou: $701 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Quzhou
Learn more

Quzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Quzhou

🇨🇳 China

$701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $701 in Quzhou, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Quzhou $701

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,153 in Quzhou, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Quzhou $1,153

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,606 in Quzhou, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Quzhou $1,606

Playa del Carmen costs about 72% more than Quzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Quzhou are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Quzhou 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$203

$2.77 ¥18.45

292.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$824

$29.42 ¥196

50.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$219

$4.52 ¥30.17

160.18%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.6

$3.55 ¥23.67

3.66%

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

$1.34 MX$25.01

$0.47 ¥3.16

185.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.38

$0.29 ¥1.93

182.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$57.1

$1.03 ¥6.88

197.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$92.1

$3.45 ¥23.04

43.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.41

$1.74 ¥11.58

-15.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.32

$1.14 ¥7.60

94.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.57

$0.70 ¥4.66

111.43%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$46.41

$1.65 ¥10.97

50.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$140

$15.10 ¥101

-50.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$148

$3.66 ¥24.44

117.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$234

$9.06 ¥60.4

38.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.8

$1.02 ¥6.83

172.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.61

$1.55 ¥10.34

-7.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.81

$1.49 ¥9.97

75.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.85

$1.17 ¥7.83

82.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.72

$0.63 ¥4.17

220.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.08

$0.75 ¥5.02

165.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.20

$0.70 ¥4.65

62.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.38

$0.58 ¥3.87

106.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$79.4

$4.61 ¥30.77

-7.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$187

$8.06 ¥53.7

24.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.67

$0.81 ¥5.39

90.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.62

$1.43 ¥9.57

86.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.82

$0.31 ¥2.08

70.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$513

$18.24 ¥122

50.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$91.4

$1.74 ¥11.63

181.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$64.1

$0.34 ¥2.29

908.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$100

$7.04 ¥46.94

-23.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.00

$1.31 ¥8.72

10.69%

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

$21.2K MX$394.5K

$19.5K ¥129.9K

8.62%

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

$23.0K MX$429.2K

$17.8K ¥118.5K

29.53%

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

$85.4 MX$1,592

$51.8 ¥346

64.72%

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

$23.46 MX$438

$6.59 ¥43.99

255.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$530

$7.92 ¥52.8

258.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,160

$40.84 ¥272

52.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$535

$15.02 ¥100

90.95%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$95.2

$7.74 ¥51.6

-34.11%

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

$201 MX$3,749

$415 ¥2,767

-51.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$73.6K

$16.0K ¥106.6K

-75.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$828

$62.4 ¥416

-28.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$771

$26.59 ¥177

55.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,356

$61.6 ¥411

18.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,671

$51.7 ¥345

73.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.3K

$302 ¥2,012

224.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,950

$179 ¥1,196

107.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.3K

$618 ¥4,125

171.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.4K

$381 ¥2,542

187.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.6K

$3,522 ¥23.5K

12.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$114.4K

$1,905 ¥12.7K

222.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.8K

$713 ¥4,759

3.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.18

260.06%

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 Quzhou: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Quzhou

$179 25.6% 51.9% $193

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Quzhou

$191 27.3% 25.9% $67

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Quzhou

$93 13.3% 53.3% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Quzhou

$66 9.5% 51.7% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Quzhou

$91 13% 18.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Quzhou

$56 8% 22.2% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Quzhou

$23 3.3% 55.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $302 in Quzhou. 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 3% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $29 in Quzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $191 – making Quzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Quzhou

🕒 Local time

11:40 11:40 AM

00:40 12:40 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,122,661

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 18.65 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.89 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Quzhou 13,840 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Quzhou

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 Quzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 72%, 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 $1,051 in Quzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $302 there versus $979 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $701 in Quzhou. That’s a gap of about 72%.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Quzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Quzhou, where all-in costs run around $701, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Quzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $701 in Quzhou to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Quzhou. 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.