Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Zhanjiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhanjiang: $724 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Zhanjiang
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Zhanjiang Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Zhanjiang

🇨🇳 China

$724

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $724 in Zhanjiang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Zhanjiang $724

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,154 in Zhanjiang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Zhanjiang $1,154

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,583 in Zhanjiang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Zhanjiang $1,583

Playa del Carmen costs about 66% more than Zhanjiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$2.83 ¥18.78

285.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$23.34 ¥155

85.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.92 ¥32.63

139.43%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$2.81 ¥18.67

35.59%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$0.43 ¥2.85

197.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.27 ¥1.78

188.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$1.21 ¥8.00

161.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$2.09 ¥13.85

135.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$2.04 ¥13.51

-30.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$1.70 ¥11.26

30.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.01 ¥6.68

40.59%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$1.59 ¥10.58

58.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$12.68 ¥84.2

-42.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$3.31 ¥21.99

132.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$12.10 ¥80.3

4.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$1.91 ¥12.66

45.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$1.34 ¥8.88

2.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$1.32 ¥8.75

93.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$1.32 ¥8.77

60.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$0.63 ¥4.19

207.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$1.04 ¥6.90

81.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$0.60 ¥3.95

91.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.60 ¥3.99

96.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$3.55 ¥23.56

21.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$10.69 ¥71.0

-6.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$0.86 ¥5.68

83.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.57 ¥10.39

70.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$0.29 ¥1.95

89.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$18.25 ¥121

45.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$1.41 ¥9.36

252.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$0.35 ¥2.32

851.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$8.26 ¥54.8

-35.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.25 ¥8.27

15.20%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$19.7K ¥130.7K

4.93%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$15.8K ¥104.7K

48.79%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$49.47 ¥328

71.40%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$8.14 ¥54.0

187.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$11.77 ¥78.1

143.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$36.09 ¥240

58.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

$13.77 ¥91.4

109.95%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$6.51 ¥43.18

-21.04%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$375 ¥2,491

-44.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$19.8K ¥131.2K

-80.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$45.98 ¥305

-5.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$34.62 ¥230

19.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$70.8 ¥470

4.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$85.3 ¥566

4.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$310 ¥2,060

215.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$182 ¥1,210

108.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$525 ¥3,485

225.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$342 ¥2,270

214.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$3,013 ¥20.0K

30.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

$1,766 ¥11.7K

248.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

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 Zhanjiang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Zhanjiang

$182 25.2% 52.1% $199

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Zhanjiang

$210 29.1% 17.4% $44

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Zhanjiang

$84 11.6% 58.4% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Zhanjiang

$69 9.6% 49.3% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Zhanjiang

$107 14.7% 4.6% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Zhanjiang

$49 6.8% 27.1% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Zhanjiang

$23 3.1% 55.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $310 in Zhanjiang. 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 $23 in Zhanjiang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $210 – making Zhanjiang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Zhanjiang

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

01:06 1:06 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,612,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 CNY = 0.151 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Zhanjiang 14,990 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

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 Zhanjiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 66%, 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 $1,087 in Zhanjiang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhanjiang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $310 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $724 in Zhanjiang. That makes Zhanjiang about 40% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Zhanjiang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Zhanjiang, where all-in costs run around $724, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Zhanjiang 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 $724 in Zhanjiang to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Zhanjiang is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 40% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.