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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 54.3% more expensive than Shantou without rent, and 85.2% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 41.2% more expensive than Shantou without rent, and 102.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Shantou
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.88 MX$210
$2.14 ยฅ14.96
455.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.90 MX$740
$16.46 ยฅ115
154.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.55 MX$186
$4.78 ยฅ33.37
120.71%
Cappuccino
$3.60 MX$63.5
$3.23 ยฅ22.56
11.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.50 MX$26.45
$0.45 ยฅ3.14
233.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 MX$16.09
$0.28 ยฅ1.92
225.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.08 MX$54.4
$0.87 ยฅ6.10
254.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 MX$78.8
$2.73 ยฅ19.03
63.74%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Shantou
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 MX$24.54
$1.64 ยฅ11.43
-15.24%
White Bread (500g)
$1.90 MX$33.47
$1.43 ยฅ9.97
32.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.60 MX$28.27
$0.67 ยฅ4.68
138.81%
Eggs
$2.60 MX$45.97
$1.92 ยฅ13.40
35.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.36 MX$148
$12.55 ยฅ87.6
-33.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.64 MX$152
$3.91 ยฅ27.31
120.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 MX$192
$12.25 ยฅ85.5
-10.94%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 MX$45.98
$1.88 ยฅ13.10
38.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$25.46
$1.47 ยฅ10.27
-2.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.96 MX$34.55
$1.63 ยฅ11.41
20.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$37.34
$1.24 ยฅ8.64
70.97%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 MX$32.87
$0.79 ยฅ5.48
135.44%
Onion (1kg)
$2.22 MX$39.20
$0.93 ยฅ6.52
138.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 MX$17.99
$0.69 ยฅ4.79
47.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.04 MX$18.36
$0.44 ยฅ3.04
136.36%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.05 MX$71.5
$3.41 ยฅ23.77
18.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.18 MX$180
$11.82 ยฅ82.5
-13.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 MX$29.79
$0.83 ยฅ5.82
103.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 MX$46.25
$1.88 ยฅ13.10
39.36%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Shantou
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.09
$0.37 ยฅ2.56
37.84%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.52 MX$468
$21.87 ยฅ153
21.26%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.15 MX$55.7
$1.55 ยฅ10.79
103.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.46 MX$43.49
$0.33 ยฅ2.29
645.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.26 MX$57.5
$6.73 ยฅ46.98
-51.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 MX$23.36
$1.13 ยฅ7.90
16.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.1K MX$531.0K
$21.1K ยฅ147.6K
42.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$419.3K
$19.4K ยฅ135.7K
22.23%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Shantou
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,474
$53.1 ยฅ371
57.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.86 MX$404
$8.21 ยฅ57.3
178.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.04 MX$530
$12.70 ยฅ88.7
136.54%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Shantou
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.9 MX$916
$42.18 ยฅ294
23.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.30 MX$323
$13.99 ยฅ97.7
30.81%
Cinema Ticket
$5.12 MX$90.4
$6.91 ยฅ48.25
-25.90%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Shantou
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,541
$466 ยฅ3,255
-56.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,318 MX$93.9K
$20.6K ยฅ143.5K
-74.14%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Shantou
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.73 MX$631
$48.66 ยฅ340
-26.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.27 MX$711
$30.96 ยฅ216
30.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.2 MX$1,398
$75.8 ยฅ529
4.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,576
$78.6 ยฅ549
13.52%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Shantou
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$947 MX$16.7K
$278 ยฅ1,943
240.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$483 MX$8,525
$140 ยฅ974
246.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,599 MX$28.2K
$548 ยฅ3,824
191.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,211 MX$21.4K
$274 ยฅ1,911
342.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,996 MX$70.5K
$2,152 ยฅ15.0K
85.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,402 MX$113.0K
$4,238 ยฅ29.6K
51.06%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Shantou
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$730 MX$12.9K
$1,015 ยฅ7,088
-28.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
4.04
182.67%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

Last update for Shantou: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
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