Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Shijiazhuang

For one person, living is cheaper in Shijiazhuang: $682 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Shijiazhuang
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Shijiazhuang Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Shijiazhuang

🇨🇳 China

$682

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $682 in Shijiazhuang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Shijiazhuang $682

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,021 in Shijiazhuang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Shijiazhuang $1,021

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,359 in Shijiazhuang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Shijiazhuang $1,359

Playa del Carmen costs about 77% more than Shijiazhuang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Shijiazhuang are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Shijiazhuang 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$1.76 ¥11.80

517.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$18.64 ¥125

137.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$5.68 ¥37.97

107.04%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.27 ¥21.89

12.54%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.48 ¥3.19

179.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.27 ¥1.82

203.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$0.78 ¥5.23

292.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$1.71 ¥11.42

188.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.26 ¥8.44

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.16 ¥7.78

91.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$0.68 ¥4.53

117.65%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.29 ¥8.61

93.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$16.50 ¥110

-54.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$2.63 ¥17.58

202.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$9.67 ¥64.7

29.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.66 ¥11.10

67.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.23 ¥8.24

16.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$0.77 ¥5.17

240.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.19 ¥7.95

79.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.63 ¥4.21

220.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.62 ¥4.16

220.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.68 ¥4.56

67.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.43 ¥2.88

179.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$3.80 ¥25.39

12.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$3.83 ¥25.58

161.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$0.71 ¥4.78

116.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$0.77 ¥5.17

245.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.31 ¥2.08

70.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$17.67 ¥118

55.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.23 ¥8.20

298.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.37 ¥2.50

827.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$3.56 ¥23.81

51.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.24 ¥8.30

16.94%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$19.7K ¥131.4K

7.64%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$17.3K ¥116.0K

32.70%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$95.2 ¥637

-10.36%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$4.40 ¥29.42

433.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$6.60 ¥44.16

330.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$13.69 ¥91.5

354.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$15.08 ¥101

90.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$5.56 ¥37.19

-8.27%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$369 ¥2,467

-45.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$5,270 ¥35.2K

-25.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$50.8 ¥339

-12.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$26.12 ¥175

58.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$74.6 ¥499

-2.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$52.8 ¥353

69.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$300 ¥2,006

226.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$184 ¥1,231

102.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$419 ¥2,802

301.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$279 ¥1,864

292.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$2,534 ¥16.9K

55.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,709 ¥11.4K

259.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$808 ¥5,400

-8.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.31

245.92%

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 Shijiazhuang: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Shijiazhuang

$184 27% 50.6% $189

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Shijiazhuang

$172 25.3% 33.3% $86

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Shijiazhuang

$81 11.8% 59.7% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Shijiazhuang

$106 15.6% 22.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Shijiazhuang

$92 13.5% 17.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Shijiazhuang

$25 3.6% 65.7% $48

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Shijiazhuang

$22 3.2% 57.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $300 in Shijiazhuang. 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 10% higher in Shijiazhuang, 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $19.00 in Shijiazhuang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $172 – making Shijiazhuang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Shijiazhuang

🕒 Local time

06:42 6:42 AM

19:42 7:42 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

11,235,086

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Shijiazhuang 13,110 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Shijiazhuang

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 Shijiazhuang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 77%, 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 $1,023 in Shijiazhuang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shijiazhuang, 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $682 in Shijiazhuang. That's a gap of about 77%.

Public transport costs about 56% less in Shijiazhuang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Shijiazhuang, where all-in costs run around $682, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Shijiazhuang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shijiazhuang – 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 Shijiazhuang. 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.