Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Zhuhai

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhuhai: $787 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Zhuhai
Learn more

Zhuhai Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Zhuhai

🇨🇳 China

$787

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $787 in Zhuhai, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Zhuhai $787

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,308 in Zhuhai, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Zhuhai $1,308

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,828 in Zhuhai, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Zhuhai $1,828

Playa del Carmen costs about 53% more than Zhuhai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Zhuhai are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Zhuhai 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$2.74 ¥18.27

289.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$30.04 ¥200

45.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$5.23 ¥34.83

125.43%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$3.19 ¥21.22

18.81%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.50 ¥3.34

160.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.32 ¥2.16

159.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.23 ¥8.16

156.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.16 ¥14.39

128.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.58 ¥10.49

-10.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.31 ¥8.70

67.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.14 ¥7.60

28.95%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$1.64 ¥10.89

52.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$4.30 ¥28.62

69.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$2.29 ¥15.23

247.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$3.87 ¥25.77

232.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.31 ¥8.70

121.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$0.58 ¥3.83

137.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$0.44 ¥2.91

465.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.47 ¥9.78

38.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$0.73 ¥4.88

176.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.47 ¥3.11

304.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.29 ¥1.91

293.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.44 ¥2.93

181.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.95 ¥19.64

44.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$3.72 ¥24.81

163.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$0.58 ¥3.88

174.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.78 ¥11.86

54.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.15 ¥0.98

240.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$9.11 ¥60.7

200.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$1.47 ¥9.79

223.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.38 ¥2.51

755.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$7.24 ¥48.22

-25.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.25 ¥8.32

22.40%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$15.5K ¥103.2K

36.91%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$13.6K ¥90.8K

70.70%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$57.0 ¥380

46.45%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$9.84 ¥65.5

135.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$16.64 ¥111

65.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$82.8 ¥551

-31.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$32.05 ¥214

-12.04%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$7.63 ¥50.9

-34.47%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$525 ¥3,494

-60.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$40.3K ¥268.4K

-87.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$29.72 ¥198

46.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$40.26 ¥268

5.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$73.5 ¥489

-0.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$82.6 ¥550

6.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$438 ¥2,918

127.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$283 ¥1,882

35.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$905 ¥6,027

85.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$655 ¥4,360

65.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$4,619 ¥30.8K

-15.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$2,911 ¥19.4K

110.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$1,072 ¥7,137

-22.33%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Zhuhai: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Zhuhai

$283 35.9% 26.1% $100

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Zhuhai

$118 15.1% 54% $139

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Zhuhai

$90 11.4% 55.3% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Zhuhai

$83 10.6% 37.8% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Zhuhai

$102 12.9% 8.5% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Zhuhai

$98 12.5% 47.6% $32

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Zhuhai

$13 1.7% 74.1% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $438 in Zhuhai. 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 29% higher in Zhuhai, 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 $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $30 in Zhuhai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $118 – making Zhuhai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇳 Zhuhai

🕒 Local time

13:56 1:56 PM

02:56 2:56 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,207,090

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.46 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Zhuhai 14,740 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 Zhuhai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,180 in Zhuhai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhuhai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $438 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $787 in Zhuhai. That makes Zhuhai about 35% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 67% less in Zhuhai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $787 in Zhuhai to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Zhuhai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 35% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.