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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 38.7% more expensive than Shantou without rent, and 85.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 32.2% more expensive than Shantou without rent, and 100.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Shantou
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$2.07 ¥14.13
460.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$16.42 ¥112
160.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$4.78 ¥32.63
121.76%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$3.17 ¥21.66
13.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$0.45 ¥3.05
222.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$0.30 ¥2.05
200.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$0.83 ¥5.66
265.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$2.62 ¥17.89
74.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Shantou
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.70 ¥11.61
-14.71%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$1.35 ¥9.22
35.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$0.68 ¥4.66
136.76%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$1.83 ¥12.52
38.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$12.68 ¥86.6
-32.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$3.89 ¥26.56
117.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$12.27 ¥83.8
-11.49%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$1.88 ¥12.83
45.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$1.41 ¥9.60
5.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$1.64 ¥11.18
18.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$1.28 ¥8.74
68.75%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$0.78 ¥5.35
137.18%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$0.96 ¥6.54
128.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$0.64 ¥4.36
67.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$0.41 ¥2.77
163.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$3.44 ¥23.49
18.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$11.87 ¥81.1
-11.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$0.76 ¥5.22
117.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$1.86 ¥12.72
37.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Shantou
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$0.33 ¥2.29
69.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
$22.35 ¥153
17.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$1.49 ¥10.16
110.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$0.33 ¥2.25
618.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$6.83 ¥46.63
-52.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.14 ¥7.79
14.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$21.0K ¥143.2K
45.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$19.0K ¥129.9K
25.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Shantou
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$54.5 ¥372
52.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$8.40 ¥57.4
163.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$13.00 ¥88.8
125.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Shantou
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$41.83 ¥286
22.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$13.84 ¥94.5
35.04%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$6.90 ¥47.15
-29.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Shantou
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$461 ¥3,152
-56.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$20.9K ¥142.9K
-75.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Shantou
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$49.51 ¥338
-27.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$29.89 ¥204
31.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$74.2 ¥507
8.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$78.1 ¥533
12.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Shantou
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$277 ¥1,894
247.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$137 ¥938
251.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$559 ¥3,817
194.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$274 ¥1,874
334.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$2,209 ¥15.1K
79.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$4,403 ¥30.1K
47.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Shantou
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$1,031 ¥7,043
-29.57%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
4.04
182.67%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

Last update for Shantou: April 13, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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