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Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Shantou is 18% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 44.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Shantou is 30.9% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 51.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shantou
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.08 ¥14.7
$11.58 MX$212
-82.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$16.65 ¥118
$42 MX$769
-60.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.97 ¥35.11
$10.5 MX$192
-52.67%
Cappuccino
$3.22 ¥22.74
$3.43 MX$62.8
-6.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 ¥3.34
$1.49 MX$27.34
-68.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 ¥1.97
$0.94 MX$17.27
-70.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.86 ¥6.11
$3.08 MX$56.3
-72.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.7 ¥19.06
$4.37 MX$79.9
-38.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shantou
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ¥11.72
$1.39 MX$25.44
19.42%
White Bread (500g)
$1.38 ¥9.76
$1.85 MX$33.81
-25.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.68 ¥4.82
$1.58 MX$28.88
-56.96%
Eggs
$1.87 ¥13.22
$2.51 MX$46
-25.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.98 ¥91.8
$8.26 MX$151
57.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.9 ¥27.57
$8.7 MX$159
-55.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.97 ¥84.6
$10.73 MX$196
11.56%
Apples (1kg)
$1.87 ¥13.2
$2.61 MX$47.74
-28.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 ¥9.99
$1.49 MX$27.28
-5.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.67 ¥11.79
$1.95 MX$35.72
-14.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.27 ¥9
$2.09 MX$38.26
-39.23%
Potato (1kg)
$0.78 ¥5.52
$1.81 MX$33.05
-56.91%
Onion (1kg)
$0.93 ¥6.61
$2.16 MX$39.62
-56.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.64 ¥4.5
$1.03 MX$18.85
-37.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.43 ¥3.05
$1.08 MX$19.7
-60.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.52 ¥24.89
$4.14 MX$75.9
-14.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.58 ¥81.9
$8.88 MX$163
30.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ¥5.43
$1.67 MX$30.64
-53.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 ¥12.77
$2.53 MX$46.31
-28.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Shantou
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.36 ¥2.57
$0.51 MX$9.27
-29.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.55 ¥159
$26.68 MX$488
-15.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.5 ¥10.64
$3.26 MX$59.7
-53.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.32 ¥2.28
$2.51 MX$45.94
-87.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.66 ¥47.11
$3.12 MX$57.2
113.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 ¥8.14
$1.31 MX$23.96
-12.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ¥149.9K
$30.9K MX$565K
-31.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.3K ¥136.5K
$23.9K MX$436.9K
-19.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shantou
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$53.5 ¥378
$83 MX$1,520
-35.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.32 ¥58.8
$22.59 MX$414
-63.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.8 ¥90.5
$29.51 MX$540
-56.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shantou
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.57 ¥301
$51.6 MX$944
-17.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.08 ¥99.6
$18.42 MX$337
-23.56%
Cinema Ticket
$7.06 ¥49.89
$4.9 MX$89.7
44.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shantou
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$450 ¥3,184
$200 MX$3,668
124.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.9K ¥148K
$5,179 MX$94.8K
304.23%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shantou
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.93 ¥353
$36.41 MX$667
37.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.12 ¥213
$39.91 MX$731
-24.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.3 ¥539
$79.9 MX$1,462
-4.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.2 ¥553
$87.7 MX$1,605
-10.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shantou
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$279 ¥1,971
$983 MX$18K
-71.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$141 ¥998
$470 MX$8,612
-70.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$547 ¥3,865
$1,610 MX$29.5K
-66.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$279 ¥1,974
$1,189 MX$21.8K
-76.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,120 ¥15K
$3,839 MX$70.3K
-44.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,243 ¥30K
$6,205 MX$113.6K
-31.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shantou
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$997 ¥7,047
$724 MX$13.2K
37.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.04
11.42
-64.62%

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

Last update for Shantou: November 30, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 30, 2025

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