Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Yangshuo

For one person, living is cheaper in Yangshuo: $715 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half 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 Yangshuo
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Yangshuo Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Yangshuo

🇨🇳 China

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $715 in Yangshuo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Yangshuo $715

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,128 in Yangshuo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Yangshuo $1,128

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,541 in Yangshuo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Yangshuo $1,541

Playa del Carmen costs about 68% more than Yangshuo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Yangshuo are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Yangshuo 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$2.84 ¥18.92

284.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$21.18 ¥141

104.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$4.96 ¥32.99

137.50%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.95 ¥19.60

29.15%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.46 ¥3.06

178.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.29 ¥1.95

168.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$0.94 ¥6.28

237.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.04 ¥13.58

141.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.88 ¥12.48

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.55 ¥10.28

43.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$0.97 ¥6.46

46.39%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.54 ¥10.24

63.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$12.89 ¥85.8

-43.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.27 ¥21.73

135.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$10.01 ¥66.6

26.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.80 ¥12.00

54.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.20 ¥8.02

14.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.53 ¥10.16

66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.13 ¥7.55

87.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.71 ¥4.70

173.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.89 ¥5.94

112.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.60 ¥4.02

91.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.50 ¥3.35

136.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$3.19 ¥21.20

34.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$10.42 ¥69.4

-4.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$0.74 ¥4.91

113.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$1.66 ¥11.03

60.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.29 ¥1.95

89.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$16.44 ¥109

61.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.42 ¥9.45

250.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.35 ¥2.36

851.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$6.56 ¥43.65

-18.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.18 ¥7.86

22.03%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$19.4K ¥129.3K

6.36%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$17.3K ¥114.8K

35.99%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$45.75 ¥304

85.33%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$10.05 ¥66.9

132.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$11.84 ¥78.8

142.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$41.71 ¥278

36.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$14.13 ¥94.0

104.60%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$6.05 ¥40.26

-15.04%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$329 ¥2,191

-37.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$17.1K ¥114.0K

-77.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$42.95 ¥286

0.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$30.01 ¥200

38.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$71.8 ¥478

3.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$71.3 ¥475

25.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$283 ¥1,881

246.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$193 ¥1,284

97.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$601 ¥4,002

184.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$354 ¥2,358

203.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,996 ¥19.9K

31.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$2,027 ¥13.5K

203.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.89

194.34%

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 Yangshuo: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Yangshuo

$193 27% 49.3% $188

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Yangshuo

$198 27.6% 22.5% $57

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Yangshuo

$85 11.9% 58.1% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Yangshuo

$68 9.5% 50.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Yangshuo

$97 13.6% 13% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Yangshuo

$54 7.5% 20.1% $14

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Yangshuo

$21 2.9% 58.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $283 in Yangshuo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $21 in Yangshuo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $198 – making Yangshuo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Yangshuo

🕒 Local time

23:26 11:26 PM

12:26 12:26 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

300,000

💱 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 29, 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 29, 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 Yangshuo 14,620 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

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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 Yangshuo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 68%, 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 $1,072 in Yangshuo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yangshuo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $283 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $715 in Yangshuo. That makes Yangshuo about 41% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 38% less in Yangshuo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Yangshuo, where all-in costs run around $715, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Yangshuo 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 $715 in Yangshuo to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Yangshuo 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.