Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Yulin

For one person, living is cheaper in Yulin: $699 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Yulin
Learn more

Yulin Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Yulin

🇨🇳 China

$699

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $699 in Yulin, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Yulin $699

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,123 in Yulin, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Yulin $1,123

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,548 in Yulin, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Yulin $1,548

Playa del Carmen costs about 72% more than Yulin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Yulin are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Yulin 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$2.27 ¥15.10

381.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$16.19 ¥108

167.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$4.90 ¥32.60

140.41%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.14 ¥14.27

78.04%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.40 ¥2.67

220.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.24 ¥1.58

225.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.70 ¥11.30

86.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$2.23 ¥14.81

121.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.84 ¥12.24

-23.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.64 ¥10.95

35.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$0.98 ¥6.55

44.90%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$1.69 ¥11.22

49.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$12.16 ¥80.9

-40.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.60 ¥23.94

113.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$11.61 ¥77.3

9.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.73 ¥11.49

60.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.33 ¥8.82

3.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$1.49 ¥9.91

71.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.23 ¥8.20

72.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$0.76 ¥5.07

155.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$0.99 ¥6.61

90.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.68 ¥4.53

69.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.56 ¥3.72

110.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$3.46 ¥23.03

24.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$10.34 ¥68.8

-3.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$0.81 ¥5.37

95.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$1.42 ¥9.44

88.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.31 ¥2.05

77.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$19.78 ¥132

34.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.44 ¥9.57

245.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.37 ¥2.48

800.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$7.94 ¥52.9

-32.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.41 ¥9.35

2.13%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$17.2K ¥114.4K

20.20%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

31.47%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$57.2 ¥380

48.36%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$8.96 ¥59.6

161.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$11.40 ¥75.9

151.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$41.11 ¥274

38.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$16.85 ¥112

71.57%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$6.49 ¥43.21

-20.80%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$421 ¥2,803

-50.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$16.2K ¥107.6K

-75.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$43.04 ¥286

0.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$32.41 ¥216

27.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$74.7 ¥497

-0.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$75.1 ¥500

18.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$329 ¥2,186

198.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$162 ¥1,081

134.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$613 ¥4,079

178.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$363 ¥2,415

196.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$3,146 ¥20.9K

25.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$1,915 ¥12.7K

221.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$592 ¥3,939

24.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.36

240.77%

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 Yulin: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Yulin

$162 23.3% 57.4% $218

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Yulin

$205 29.3% 19.6% $50

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Yulin

$74 10.6% 63.4% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Yulin

$78 11.1% 43.4% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Yulin

$101 14.5% 9.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Yulin

$54 7.7% 19.6% $13

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Yulin

$24 3.5% 51.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $329 in Yulin. 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 24% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $16 in Yulin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $205 – making Yulin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Yulin

🕒 Local time

00:26 12:26 AM

13:26 1:26 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

3,700,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 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 = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Yulin 13,230 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Yulin

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 Yulin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 72%, 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 $1,048 in Yulin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yulin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $329 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $699 in Yulin. That makes Yulin about 42% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Yulin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Yulin, where all-in costs run around $699, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Yulin 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 $699 in Yulin to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Yulin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.