Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Shaoxing

For one person, living is cheaper in Shaoxing: $751 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Shaoxing
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Shaoxing Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Shaoxing

🇨🇳 China

$751

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $751 in Shaoxing, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Shaoxing $751

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,204 in Shaoxing, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Shaoxing $1,204

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,657 in Shaoxing, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Shaoxing $1,657

Playa del Carmen costs about 60% more than Shaoxing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Shaoxing are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Shaoxing 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$203

$3.72 ¥24.81

191.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$824

$22.22 ¥148

98.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$219

$5.31 ¥35.43

121.47%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.6

$2.58 ¥17.20

42.64%

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

$1.34 MX$25.01

$0.62 ¥4.15

116.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.38

$0.36 ¥2.38

127.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$57.1

$1.15 ¥7.66

166.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$92.1

$2.19 ¥14.64

125.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.41

$1.80 ¥11.97

-18.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.32

$1.96 ¥13.05

13.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.57

$0.75 ¥4.99

97.33%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$46.41

$1.73 ¥11.55

43.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$140

$11.67 ¥77.8

-35.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$148

$3.31 ¥22.05

140.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$234

$10.59 ¥70.6

18.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.8

$1.78 ¥11.90

56.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.61

$1.72 ¥11.50

-16.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.81

$1.72 ¥11.46

52.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.85

$1.09 ¥7.28

96.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.72

$0.83 ¥5.51

143.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.08

$0.91 ¥6.07

118.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.20

$0.65 ¥4.36

75.38%

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

$3.44 ¥22.92

23.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$187

$10.61 ¥70.8

-5.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.67

$0.77 ¥5.13

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.62

$1.62 ¥10.81

64.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.82

$0.23 ¥1.54

130.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$513

$19.86 ¥133

38.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$91.4

$1.99 ¥13.25

146.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$64.1

$0.43 ¥2.87

697.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$100

$9.04 ¥60.3

-40.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.00

$1.34 ¥8.93

8.21%

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

$21.2K MX$394.5K

$19.5K ¥129.8K

8.73%

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

$23.0K MX$429.2K

$18.0K ¥120.4K

27.56%

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

$85.4 MX$1,592

$47.33 ¥316

80.35%

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

$23.46 MX$438

$7.90 ¥52.7

196.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$530

$9.14 ¥61.0

211.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,160

$15.57 ¥104

299.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$535

$6.79 ¥45.32

322.39%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$95.2

$6.82 ¥45.51

-25.22%

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

$201 MX$3,749

$844 ¥5,630

-76.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$73.6K

$24.9K ¥166.3K

-84.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$828

$40.55 ¥270

9.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$771

$31.99 ¥213

29.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,356

$76.9 ¥513

-5.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,671

$106 ¥708

-15.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.3K

$434 ¥2,898

125.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,950

$222 ¥1,484

67.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.3K

$596 ¥3,977

181.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.4K

$450 ¥3,000

143.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.6K

$6,407 ¥42.7K

-38.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$114.4K

$3,558 ¥23.7K

72.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.8K

$901 ¥6,009

-18.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.36

240.77%

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 Shaoxing: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Shaoxing

$222 29.6% 40.3% $150

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Shaoxing

$205 27.2% 20.9% $54

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Shaoxing

$91 12.1% 54.7% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Shaoxing

$64 8.6% 53.1% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Shaoxing

$115 15.3% 3% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Shaoxing

$29 3.9% 59.6% $43

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Shaoxing

$25 3.3% 51.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $434 in Shaoxing. 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 22% higher in Shaoxing, 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 $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $22 in Shaoxing. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $205 – making Shaoxing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Shaoxing

🕒 Local time

12:17 12:17 PM

01:17 1:17 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

4,912,239

💱 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 →

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Playa del Carmen Shaoxing 13,650 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
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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 Shaoxing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 60%, 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 $1,127 in Shaoxing. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shaoxing, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $434 there versus $979 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $751 in Shaoxing. That’s a gap of about 60%.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Shaoxing. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Shaoxing, where all-in costs run around $751, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Shaoxing 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 $751 in Shaoxing to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Shaoxing is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 60% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.