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

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Shantou is 35.2% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 46% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Shantou is 29.2% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 50.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Shantou
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.14 ยฅ14.96
$11.88 MX$210
-81.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$16.46 ยฅ115
$41.90 MX$740
-60.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.78 ยฅ33.37
$10.55 MX$186
-54.69%
Cappuccino
$3.23 ยฅ22.56
$3.60 MX$63.5
-10.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.45 ยฅ3.14
$1.50 MX$26.45
-70.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 ยฅ1.92
$0.91 MX$16.09
-69.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.87 ยฅ6.10
$3.08 MX$54.4
-71.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 ยฅ19.03
$4.47 MX$78.8
-38.93%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Shantou
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 ยฅ11.43
$1.39 MX$24.54
17.99%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 ยฅ9.97
$1.90 MX$33.47
-24.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.67 ยฅ4.68
$1.60 MX$28.27
-58.13%
Eggs
$1.92 ยฅ13.40
$2.60 MX$45.97
-26.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.55 ยฅ87.6
$8.36 MX$148
50.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.91 ยฅ27.31
$8.64 MX$152
-54.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.25 ยฅ85.5
$10.91 MX$192
12.28%
Apples (1kg)
$1.88 ยฅ13.10
$2.61 MX$45.98
-27.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.47 ยฅ10.27
$1.44 MX$25.46
2.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.63 ยฅ11.41
$1.96 MX$34.55
-16.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.24 ยฅ8.64
$2.12 MX$37.34
-41.51%
Potato (1kg)
$0.79 ยฅ5.48
$1.86 MX$32.87
-57.53%
Onion (1kg)
$0.93 ยฅ6.52
$2.22 MX$39.20
-58.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 ยฅ4.79
$1.02 MX$17.99
-32.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.44 ยฅ3.04
$1.04 MX$18.36
-57.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.41 ยฅ23.77
$4.05 MX$71.5
-15.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.82 ยฅ82.5
$10.18 MX$180
16.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 ยฅ5.82
$1.69 MX$29.79
-50.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 ยฅ13.10
$2.62 MX$46.25
-28.24%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Shantou
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 ยฅ2.56
$0.51 MX$9.09
-27.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.87 ยฅ153
$26.52 MX$468
-17.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.55 ยฅ10.79
$3.15 MX$55.7
-50.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.33 ยฅ2.29
$2.46 MX$43.49
-86.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.73 ยฅ46.98
$3.26 MX$57.5
106.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 ยฅ7.90
$1.32 MX$23.36
-14.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ยฅ147.6K
$30.1K MX$531.0K
-29.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.4K ยฅ135.7K
$23.8K MX$419.3K
-18.19%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shantou
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$53.1 ยฅ371
$83.5 MX$1,474
-36.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.21 ยฅ57.3
$22.86 MX$404
-64.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.70 ยฅ88.7
$30.04 MX$530
-57.72%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Shantou
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.18 ยฅ294
$51.9 MX$916
-18.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.99 ยฅ97.7
$18.30 MX$323
-23.55%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 ยฅ48.25
$5.12 MX$90.4
34.96%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Shantou
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$466 ยฅ3,255
$201 MX$3,541
132.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.6K ยฅ143.5K
$5,318 MX$93.9K
286.64%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Shantou
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.66 ยฅ340
$35.73 MX$631
36.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.96 ยฅ216
$40.27 MX$711
-23.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.8 ยฅ529
$79.2 MX$1,398
-4.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.6 ยฅ549
$89.3 MX$1,576
-11.91%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Shantou
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$278 ยฅ1,943
$947 MX$16.7K
-70.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$140 ยฅ974
$483 MX$8,525
-71.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$548 ยฅ3,824
$1,599 MX$28.2K
-65.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$274 ยฅ1,911
$1,211 MX$21.4K
-77.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,152 ยฅ15.0K
$3,996 MX$70.5K
-46.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,238 ยฅ29.6K
$6,402 MX$113.0K
-33.80%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Shantou
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,015 ยฅ7,088
$730 MX$12.9K
39.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.04
11.42
-64.62%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Shantou: January 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
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