Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Shanghai Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Shanghai

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 37.9% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 5.7% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 15.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Shanghai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$4.73 ¥33.92
153.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$36.17 ¥259
17.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$5.6 ¥40.18
86.96%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$3.56 ¥25.53
1.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.54 ¥3.9
166.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.36 ¥2.59
147.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$1.43 ¥10.25
116.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$2.76 ¥19.81
65.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Shanghai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$2.18 ¥15.66
-36.70%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.81 ¥13
2.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.1 ¥7.9
42.73%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$1.69 ¥12.1
50.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$15.79 ¥113
-45.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$3.17 ¥22.76
169.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$10.88 ¥78.1
0.92%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$2.26 ¥16.24
20.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.67 ¥11.98
-9.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$1.78 ¥12.78
5.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.52 ¥10.94
44.08%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$0.85 ¥6.09
120.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.17 ¥8.37
87.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$0.68 ¥4.84
57.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.6 ¥4.29
81.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$2.87 ¥20.56
37.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$11.16 ¥80
-20.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$0.8 ¥5.73
115.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$1.56 ¥11.22
67.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Shanghai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.4 ¥2.89
30.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$35.15 ¥252
-24.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$2.29 ¥16.45
41.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$0.37 ¥2.69
543.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$8.14 ¥58.4
-61.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.09 ¥7.81
20.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$19.5K ¥140.1K
55.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$18.2K ¥130.5K
31.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Shanghai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$51.6 ¥370
63.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$8.68 ¥62.2
155.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$13.5 ¥96.8
123.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Shanghai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$46.42 ¥333
11.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$20.44 ¥147
-8.41%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$8.58 ¥61.5
-40.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Shanghai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$1,307 ¥9,378
-84.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$31.4K ¥225.4K
-83.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Shanghai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$58.8 ¥422
-39.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$36.99 ¥265
7.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$77.7 ¥558
1.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$98.5 ¥706
-10.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Shanghai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$952 ¥6,827
1.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$574 ¥4,115
-17.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$2,518 ¥18.1K
-34.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$1,201 ¥8,614
0.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$14.4K ¥103.2K
-78.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$7,106 ¥51K
5.96%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Shanghai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$1,534 ¥11K
-48.38%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
3.58
218.99%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Shanghai: October 28, 2025

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