Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Putian and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Putian: $518 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Putian
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Putian Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Putian

🇨🇳 China

$518

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Putian and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $518 per month in Putian vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Putian $518
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $854 per month in Putian vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Putian $854
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,190 per month in Putian vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Putian $1,190
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Putian is about 57% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Putian and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Putian 62% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 ¥14.79

$10.86 MX$201

-79.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.26 ¥156

$44.21 MX$817

-47.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.57

$11.76 MX$217

-56.04%

Cappuccino

$2.44 ¥16.32

$3.68 MX$68.0

-33.70%

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

$0.43 ¥2.88

$1.34 MX$24.79

-67.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.82 MX$15.24

-64.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 ¥5.16

$3.06 MX$56.6

-74.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ¥19.58

$4.94 MX$91.2

-40.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$1.47 MX$27.17

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 ¥15.07

$2.22 MX$40.95

1.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.19

$1.48 MX$27.32

-37.16%

Eggs

$1.58 ¥10.58

$2.49 MX$45.99

-36.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$7.52 MX$139

55.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.43 ¥16.22

$7.96 MX$147

-69.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.18 ¥81.4

$12.57 MX$232

-3.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 ¥17.03

$2.78 MX$51.3

-8.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.49

$1.43 MX$26.37

-0.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 ¥11.34

$2.62 MX$48.37

-35.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ¥13.25

$2.14 MX$39.49

-7.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.79

$2.02 MX$37.38

-49.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 ¥11.86

$1.99 MX$36.74

-11.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ¥6.19

$1.14 MX$21.01

-18.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.36

$1.20 MX$22.18

-58.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ¥20.31

$4.26 MX$78.7

-28.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.18 ¥74.8

$10.02 MX$185

11.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.58

$1.54 MX$28.41

-46.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.44

$2.66 MX$49.17

-35.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 ¥4.92

$0.53 MX$9.73

39.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.38 ¥150

$27.51 MX$508

-18.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.16

$4.90 MX$90.6

-68.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$3.43 MX$63.5

-91.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.94

$5.38 MX$99.4

30.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$1.45 MX$26.76

-9.66%

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

$19.4K ¥129.8K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

-8.24%

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

$17.8K ¥118.8K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-22.81%

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

$44.03 ¥294

$85.4 MX$1,577

-48.42%

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

$8.87 ¥59.3

$23.46 MX$434

-62.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.55 ¥70.6

$28.43 MX$525

-62.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$10.08 ¥67.4

$5.10 MX$94.3

97.65%

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

$492 ¥3,286

$201 MX$3,715

144.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.6K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

520.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.10 ¥261

$44.39 MX$820

-11.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.11 ¥195

$41.35 MX$764

-29.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ¥691

$72.7 MX$1,344

42.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.7 ¥573

$89.6 MX$1,656

-4.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,637 ¥17.6K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-33.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,115 ¥7,452

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-81.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$480 ¥3,211

$738 MX$13.6K

-34.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

11.45

-69.78%

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

Last update for Putian: October 20, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Putian

$215 41.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 20% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Putian

$116 22.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 3.6% $4.1

Eating Out

Putian

$75 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 167% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Putian

$63 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 116% $74

Getting Around

Putian

$28 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 82.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Putian

$20 * 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 259% $52

Accommodation & Living

Putian

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 54% 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 $23.00 in Putian versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $258 – making Putian the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Putian

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:27 10:27 AM

21:27 9:27 PM

13 h behind Putian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,954,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Putian Playa del Carmen 14,170 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Putian
Playa del Carmen

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

Putian vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 132%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $777 per month in Putian and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $518 in Putian and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 132%.

Public transport costs about 23% less in Putian. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Putian, where all-in costs run around $518, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Putian it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Putian – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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