Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Shantou

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $692 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $692 in Shantou, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Shantou $692

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,104 in Shantou, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Shantou $1,104

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,516 in Shantou, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Shantou $1,516

Playa del Carmen costs about 75% more than Shantou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Shantou are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Shantou 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$2.29 ¥15.35

369.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$794

$23.70 ¥158

81.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$5.17 ¥34.59

128.05%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.38 ¥22.63

14.50%

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

$1.37 MX$25.26

$0.47 ¥3.12

191.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.43

$0.31 ¥2.05

170.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.2

$0.88 ¥5.92

252.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.5

$2.13 ¥14.28

138.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.52

$1.60 ¥10.71

-10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.19

$1.45 ¥9.73

53.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.14

$0.77 ¥5.18

90.91%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.66

$1.69 ¥11.33

49.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$13.63 ¥91.1

-46.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$3.43 ¥22.91

129.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$13.16 ¥88.0

-2.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.5

$1.95 ¥13.03

48.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.50

$1.50 ¥10.05

-4.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.02

$1.81 ¥12.14

40.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$37.99

$1.30 ¥8.70

58.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$0.82 ¥5.49

143.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.03

$1.06 ¥7.11

89.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$21.99

$0.59 ¥3.96

101.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.20

$0.43 ¥2.88

193.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.3

$3.69 ¥24.71

19.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$12.00 ¥80.2

-20.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.38

$0.83 ¥5.57

91.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.79 ¥11.98

56.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.46

$0.36 ¥2.41

58.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$24.27 ¥162

14.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.0

$1.53 ¥10.24

225.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.38 ¥2.56

821.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.7

$7.31 ¥48.86

-26.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.05

$1.23 ¥8.25

19.51%

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

$21.0K MX$387.4K

$19.8K ¥132.4K

6.02%

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

$23.9K MX$441.3K

$18.0K ¥120.5K

32.67%

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

$84.2 MX$1,554

$56.7 ¥379

48.62%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$8.89 ¥59.5

169.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$13.86 ¥92.7

109.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,163

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$538

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.2

$7.54 ¥50.5

-34.48%

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

$204 MX$3,759

$540 ¥3,614

-62.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$24.2K ¥162.1K

-83.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$805

$55.6 ¥372

-21.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$796

$39.70 ¥265

8.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,399

$73.1 ¥489

3.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,635

$91.4 ¥611

-3.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$298 ¥1,991

238.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,904

$151 ¥1,011

147.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.5K

$602 ¥4,027

183.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$294 ¥1,969

275.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.8K

$2,278 ¥15.2K

73.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$113.9K

$4,469 ¥29.9K

38.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$1,062 ¥7,099

-28.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.35

241.79%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Shantou: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Shantou

$151 21.8% 59.6% $223

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Shantou

$214 31% 17.1% $44

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Shantou

$86 12.5% 57.3% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Shantou

$79 11.5% 42.1% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Shantou

$117 16.9% 3.5% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Shantou

$15 * 2.2% 79.3% $58

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Shantou

$29 4.2% 44.5% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $298 in Shantou. 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 41% higher in Shantou, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $24.00 in Shantou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $214 – making Shantou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Shantou

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

17:35 5:35 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

5,389,328

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.42 USD

100 MXN = 4.84 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 18.46 MXN (100 MXN = 5.42 USD). 1 EUR = 20.67 MXN (100 MXN = 4.84 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Shantou 14,490 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Shantou

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 Shantou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 75%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,038 in Shantou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shantou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $692 in Shantou. That's a gap of about 75%.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Shantou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shantou, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Shantou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shantou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Shantou. 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.