Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Zhoushan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhoushan: $615 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Zhoushan
Learn more

Zhoushan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Zhoushan

🇨🇳 China

$615

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $615 in Zhoushan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Zhoushan $615

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $998 in Zhoushan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Zhoushan $998

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,382 in Zhoushan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Zhoushan $1,382

Playa del Carmen costs about 96% more than Zhoushan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Zhoushan are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Zhoushan 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.45 ¥23.01

209.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$18.84 ¥126

132.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$4.19 ¥27.91

181.38%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.94 ¥19.61

28.91%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.43 ¥2.89

202.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.25 ¥1.65

232.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$0.71 ¥4.76

343.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$1.84 ¥12.22

167.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.84 ¥12.25

-23.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$2.16 ¥14.37

1.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.92 ¥6.15

59.78%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$1.09 ¥7.29

129.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$13.75 ¥91.6

-46.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.40 ¥22.62

133.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$10.99 ¥73.2

17.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.47 ¥9.78

97.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.17 ¥7.79

17.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.51 ¥10.09

64.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.23 ¥8.21

65.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$0.62 ¥4.13

225.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.82 ¥5.47

131.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.63 ¥4.22

80.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.59 ¥3.96

110.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$5.30 ¥35.33

-19.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$11.08 ¥73.8

-11.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$0.96 ¥6.42

65.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.78 ¥18.50

-1.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.31 ¥2.09

64.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$14.98 ¥99.8

82.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$1.48 ¥9.83

221.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.39 ¥2.61

733.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$8.95 ¥59.6

-39.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.18 ¥7.83

29.66%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$19.5K ¥129.6K

9.05%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$16.5K ¥109.7K

41.26%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$37.84 ¥252

120.64%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$11.82 ¥78.7

96.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$19.66 ¥131

40.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$24.76 ¥165

127.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$7.68 ¥51.2

267.06%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$6.10 ¥40.61

-18.03%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$471 ¥3,134

-55.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$15.7K ¥104.3K

-66.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$33.37 ¥222

30.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$19.59 ¥130

117.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$64.5 ¥430

12.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$40.77 ¥272

116.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$336 ¥2,241

195.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$120 ¥802

217.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$755 ¥5,028

121.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$272 ¥1,813

297.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,979 ¥19.8K

31.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$2,011 ¥13.4K

205.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$593 ¥3,952

40.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

281.67%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Zhoushan: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Zhoushan

$120 19.6% 68.5% $262

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Zhoushan

$211 34.4% 17.8% $46

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Zhoushan

$86 13.9% 57.3% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Zhoushan

$69 11.3% 48.4% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Zhoushan

$71 11.6% 36% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Zhoushan

$37 6% 44.4% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Zhoushan

$20 3.2% 61% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $336 in Zhoushan. 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 40% 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 $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $19 in Zhoushan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $212 – making Zhoushan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Zhoushan

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

06:29 6:29 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,157,817

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.45 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Zhoushan 13,570 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Zhoushan

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 Zhoushan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $922 in Zhoushan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhoushan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $336 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $615 in Zhoushan. That makes Zhoushan about 49% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 45% less in Zhoushan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Zhoushan, where all-in costs run around $615, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Zhoushan 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 $615 in Zhoushan to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Zhoushan. 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.