Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenzhen: $1,117 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Shenzhen $1,117

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,714 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Shenzhen $1,714

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,310 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Shenzhen $2,310

Playa del Carmen costs about 8% more than Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Shenzhen are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Shenzhen 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$3.66 ¥24.35

198.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$29.39 ¥196

47.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$5.28 ¥35.17

123.11%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.36 ¥22.34

13.39%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.58 ¥3.84

120.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.36 ¥2.37

116.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.48 ¥9.82

114.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.14 ¥14.26

130.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.54 ¥10.22

-8.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.63 ¥10.84

36.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.14 ¥7.60

24.56%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.75 ¥11.63

44.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$20.74 ¥138

-65.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.41 ¥22.71

125.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$14.42 ¥96.0

-12.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.25 ¥14.96

23.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.62 ¥10.79

-15.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.94 ¥12.88

31.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.42 ¥9.47

49.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.08 ¥7.20

79.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.28 ¥8.52

47.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.60 ¥3.97

91.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.56 ¥3.76

110.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$4.43 ¥29.50

-2.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$12.08 ¥80.4

-17.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$0.92 ¥6.15

71.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$1.83 ¥12.15

45.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.44 ¥2.90

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$18.05 ¥120

47.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.53 ¥10.15

224.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.41 ¥2.75

712.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$7.36 ¥48.98

-27.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.32 ¥8.77

9.09%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$19.2K ¥127.9K

7.48%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$18.0K ¥120.1K

30.03%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$64.8 ¥431

30.91%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$9.90 ¥65.9

136.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$16.40 ¥109

74.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$48.95 ¥326

16.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$16.95 ¥113

70.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$7.28 ¥48.44

-29.40%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$537 ¥3,572

-61.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$24.4K ¥162.4K

-83.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$55.7 ¥371

-22.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$40.56 ¥270

2.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$73.1 ¥486

1.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$93.9 ¥625

-4.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$753 ¥5,010

30.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$471 ¥3,132

-19.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,847 ¥12.3K

-7.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$830 ¥5,525

29.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$13.2K ¥87.8K

-70.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$6,479 ¥43.1K

-4.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$1,763 ¥11.7K

-58.33%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Shenzhen

$471 42.1% 23.6% $90

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Shenzhen

$249 22.3% 2.3% $5.8

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Shenzhen

$101 9% 50.2% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Shenzhen

$91 8.2% 33.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Shenzhen

$118 10.6% 6% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Shenzhen

$64 5.7% 5.7% $3.8

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 53.7% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $753 in Shenzhen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Shenzhen are about 2.4 times higher, 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 $29 in Shenzhen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $249 – making Shenzhen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

18:03 6:03 PM

07:03 7:03 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

12,528,300

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Shenzhen 14,690 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 8%, 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 $1,675 in Shenzhen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shenzhen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $753 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,117 in Shenzhen. That makes Shenzhen about 7% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $537 in Shenzhen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,117 in Shenzhen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,117 in Shenzhen to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.