Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Shenyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenyang: $708 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

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

Cost of Living Index in Shenyang
Learn more

Shenyang Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Shenyang

🇨🇳 China

$708

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $708 in Shenyang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Shenyang $708

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,046 in Shenyang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Shenyang $1,046

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,384 in Shenyang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Shenyang $1,384

Playa del Carmen costs about 70% more than Shenyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Shenyang are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Shenyang 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$2.97 ¥19.72

267.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$22.45 ¥149

93.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$5.40 ¥35.89

118.15%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.50 ¥16.64

52.40%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.47 ¥3.10

172.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.39 ¥2.57

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$0.86 ¥5.72

268.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$1.89 ¥12.54

160.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$2.00 ¥13.31

-29.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$2.38 ¥15.80

-6.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.08 ¥7.18

31.48%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.07 ¥7.09

135.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$11.93 ¥79.2

6.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.79 ¥11.90

55.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.17 ¥7.75

17.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.47 ¥9.76

44.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.62 ¥4.12

85.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.64 ¥4.28

84.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$3.69 ¥24.52

16.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$16.70 ¥111

-40.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$0.68 ¥4.54

132.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.13 ¥7.52

136.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.29 ¥1.90

89.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$14.87 ¥98.8

79.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$1.38 ¥9.15

260.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.31 ¥2.07

974.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$3.06 ¥20.31

75.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.30 ¥8.64

10.77%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$19.4K ¥128.7K

6.67%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$17.5K ¥116.0K

34.46%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$76.2 ¥506

11.32%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$15.50 ¥103

51.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$14.86 ¥98.7

92.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$22.51 ¥150

153.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$10.68 ¥71.0

170.69%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$5.88 ¥39.04

-12.59%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$549 ¥3,650

-62.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$21.9K ¥145.4K

-82.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$42.33 ¥281

2.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$60.9 ¥405

21.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$70.1 ¥466

27.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$226 ¥1,499

334.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$228 ¥1,514

67.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$538 ¥3,578

217.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$344 ¥2,287

212.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,814 ¥12.1K

117.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,102 ¥7,322

458.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,082 ¥7,190

-32.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.37

162.01%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shenyang: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Shenyang

$228 32.2% 40.2% $153

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Shenyang

$161 * 22.7% 36.9% $94

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Shenyang

$81 11.5% 59.7% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Shenyang

$107 15.1% 22.2% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Shenyang

$78 * 11% 30.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Shenyang

$34 4.8% 49.1% $33

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Shenyang

$19 2.7% 62.4% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $226 in Shenyang. 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 47% higher in Shenyang, 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 in Playa del Carmen versus $22 in Shenyang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $161 – making Shenyang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Shenyang

🕒 Local time

05:21 5:21 AM

18:21 6:21 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

9,199,601

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Shenyang 12,400 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Shenyang

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 Shenyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 70%, 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 $1,062 in Shenyang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shenyang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $226 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $708 in Shenyang. That makes Shenyang about 41% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Shenyang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Shenyang, where all-in costs run around $708, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Shenyang 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 $708 in Shenyang to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Shenyang is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 41% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.