Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qinhuangdao and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Qinhuangdao: $714 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Qinhuangdao
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Qinhuangdao Living Index
59

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

Jump to prices

Qinhuangdao

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Qinhuangdao 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 Qinhuangdao and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $714 per month in Qinhuangdao vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Qinhuangdao $714
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,135 per month in Qinhuangdao vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Qinhuangdao $1,135
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,556 per month in Qinhuangdao vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Qinhuangdao $1,556
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Qinhuangdao is about 41% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Qinhuangdao and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Qinhuangdao 47% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 ¥18.36

$10.86 MX$203

-74.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.79 ¥145

$44.21 MX$826

-50.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.88 ¥32.50

$11.76 MX$220

-58.50%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.24

$3.68 MX$68.8

-17.39%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$1.34 MX$25.06

-64.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.82 MX$15.41

-67.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$3.06 MX$57.2

-69.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥14.18

$4.94 MX$92.2

-56.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.31

$1.47 MX$27.46

25.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.33

$2.22 MX$41.39

-30.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.92

$1.48 MX$27.62

-39.86%

Eggs

$1.53 ¥10.20

$2.49 MX$46.50

-38.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.05 ¥86.9

$7.52 MX$140

73.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 ¥20.71

$7.96 MX$149

-60.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.33 ¥68.8

$12.57 MX$235

-17.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.46

$2.78 MX$51.9

-32.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.32

$1.43 MX$26.66

-12.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.77

$2.62 MX$48.90

-43.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.63

$2.14 MX$39.92

-46.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$2.02 MX$37.79

-63.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.33

$1.99 MX$37.14

-52.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.14 MX$21.24

-47.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.41

$1.20 MX$22.42

-57.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 ¥20.32

$4.26 MX$79.6

-28.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.69 ¥71.2

$10.02 MX$187

6.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.25

$1.54 MX$28.72

-48.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥10.89

$2.66 MX$49.71

-38.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.53 MX$9.84

-49.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.97 ¥113

$27.51 MX$514

-38.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ¥9.48

$4.90 MX$91.6

-71.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.18

$3.43 MX$64.2

-90.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.62 ¥44.04

$5.38 MX$100

23.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ¥7.58

$1.45 MX$27.05

-21.38%

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

$19.2K ¥127.8K

$21.2K MX$395.3K

-9.23%

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

$17.1K ¥113.8K

$23.0K MX$430.0K

-25.71%

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

$44.64 ¥297

$85.4 MX$1,595

-47.70%

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

$9.87 ¥65.7

$23.46 MX$438

-57.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.90 ¥79.2

$28.43 MX$531

-58.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.14 ¥281

$62.2 MX$1,162

-32.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.09 ¥93.8

$28.68 MX$536

-50.87%

Cinema Ticket

$5.79 ¥38.55

$5.10 MX$95.4

13.53%

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

$337 ¥2,244

$201 MX$3,756

67.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ¥114.2K

$3,947 MX$73.7K

334.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.18 ¥294

$44.39 MX$829

-0.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.35 ¥202

$41.35 MX$773

-26.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 ¥478

$72.7 MX$1,359

-1.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 ¥470

$89.6 MX$1,674

-21.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$276 ¥1,835

$979 MX$18.3K

-71.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 ¥1,272

$373 MX$6,963

-48.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 ¥3,998

$1,681 MX$31.4K

-64.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 ¥2,413

$1,095 MX$20.5K

-66.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥20.4K

$3,949 MX$73.8K

-22.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 ¥13.8K

$6,137 MX$114.6K

-66.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

11.45

-66.03%

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

Last update for Qinhuangdao: October 18, 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

Qinhuangdao

$199 27.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 29.8% $59

Accommodation & Living

Qinhuangdao

$191 26.8%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 95.1% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Qinhuangdao

$98 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 14.3% $14

Eating Out

Qinhuangdao

$85 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 136% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qinhuangdao

$66 9.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 107% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Qinhuangdao

$54 7.5%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 34.7% $19

Getting Around

Qinhuangdao

$21 3%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 145% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $276 in Qinhuangdao versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $22 in Qinhuangdao versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $199 vs $258 – making Qinhuangdao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Qinhuangdao

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

15:45 3:45 PM

13 h behind Qinhuangdao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,987,605

149,923

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.45 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.68 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.92 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Qinhuangdao Playa del Carmen 12,730 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Qinhuangdao
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,071 per month in Qinhuangdao and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qinhuangdao, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $276 there versus $979 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $714 in Qinhuangdao and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 69%.

Public transport costs about 38% less in Qinhuangdao. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Qinhuangdao, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Qinhuangdao 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 $714 in Qinhuangdao to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Qinhuangdao is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 69% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.