Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Yangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Yangzhou: $686 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Yangzhou
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Yangzhou Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Yangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$686

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $686 in Yangzhou, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Yangzhou $686

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,102 in Yangzhou, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Yangzhou $1,102

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,517 in Yangzhou, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Yangzhou $1,517

Playa del Carmen costs about 75% more than Yangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Yangzhou are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Yangzhou 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$2.28 ¥15.19

378.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$11.15 ¥74.2

288.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$3.08 ¥20.48

282.47%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.50 ¥16.62

52.40%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.44 ¥2.92

190.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.21 ¥1.40

271.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.03 ¥6.86

207.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.01 ¥13.35

145.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.23 ¥8.16

14.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.03 ¥13.50

9.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$0.81 ¥5.40

75.31%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.02 ¥6.76

147.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$14.12 ¥93.9

-48.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$2.68 ¥17.83

187.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$6.74 ¥44.83

88.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$0.75 ¥4.98

270.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.69 ¥11.26

-18.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$0.44 ¥2.89

479.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$1.05 ¥6.96

101.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$0.72 ¥4.80

169.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.62 ¥4.15

204.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.78 ¥5.20

47.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.72 ¥4.76

63.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$2.98 ¥19.84

44.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$12.03 ¥80.0

-17.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$0.89 ¥5.89

77.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.91 ¥12.71

39.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.35 ¥2.35

57.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$19.84 ¥132

34.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$1.18 ¥7.86

321.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.26 ¥1.72

1180.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$3.54 ¥23.54

51.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.16 ¥7.75

24.14%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$19.7K ¥131.1K

4.87%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$16.8K ¥112.0K

39.43%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$49.69 ¥331

70.64%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$8.29 ¥55.2

182.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$12.09 ¥80.4

137.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$38.28 ¥255

49.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$16.92 ¥113

70.86%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$6.39 ¥42.52

-19.56%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$242 ¥1,613

-14.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$7,398 ¥49.2K

-46.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$91.4 ¥608

-52.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$32.42 ¥216

27.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$65.0 ¥432

14.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$91.1 ¥606

-2.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$254 ¥1,689

285.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$162 ¥1,078

134.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$609 ¥4,051

180.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$388 ¥2,582

177.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$2,595 ¥17.3K

51.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$1,777 ¥11.8K

246.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,260 ¥8,384

-41.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.1

269.35%

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 Yangzhou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Yangzhou

$162 23.6% 57.4% $219

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Yangzhou

$184 26.8% 27.7% $71

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Yangzhou

$69 10.1% 65.8% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Yangzhou

$70 10.2% 48.8% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Yangzhou

$126 18.4% 12.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Yangzhou

$51 7.4% 24.2% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Yangzhou

$24 3.5% 53% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $254 in Yangzhou. 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 72% higher in Yangzhou, 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 $11 in Yangzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $184 – making Yangzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Yangzhou

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

04:22 4:22 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

4,559,797

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Yangzhou 13,480 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Yangzhou

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 Yangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 75%, 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 $1,029 in Yangzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yangzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $254 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $686 in Yangzhou. That makes Yangzhou about 43% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 25% less in Yangzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Yangzhou, where all-in costs run around $686, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Yangzhou 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 $686 in Yangzhou to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Yangzhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 43% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.