Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $692 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
Learn more

Shantou Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $692 per month in Shantou vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Shantou $692
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,104 per month in Shantou vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Shantou $1,104
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,516 per month in Shantou vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Shantou $1,516
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Shantou is about 43% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Shantou and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Shantou 49% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ¥15.35

$10.76 MX$199

-78.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.70 ¥158

$43.03 MX$794

-44.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.59

$11.79 MX$218

-56.15%

Cappuccino

$3.38 ¥22.63

$3.87 MX$71.4

-12.66%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$1.37 MX$25.26

-65.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$0.84 MX$15.43

-63.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.92

$3.10 MX$57.2

-71.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥14.28

$5.07 MX$93.5

-57.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$1.44 MX$26.52

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ¥9.73

$2.23 MX$41.19

-34.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$1.47 MX$27.14

-47.62%

Eggs

$1.69 ¥11.33

$2.53 MX$46.66

-33.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 ¥91.1

$7.30 MX$135

86.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.91

$7.86 MX$145

-56.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 ¥88.0

$12.79 MX$236

2.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$2.90 MX$53.5

-32.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.05

$1.44 MX$26.50

4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.14

$2.55 MX$47.02

-29.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$2.06 MX$37.99

-36.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.49

$2.00 MX$36.93

-59.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.11

$2.01 MX$37.03

-47.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$1.19 MX$21.99

-50.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$1.26 MX$23.20

-65.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.71

$4.40 MX$81.3

-16.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 ¥80.2

$9.59 MX$177

25.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.57

$1.59 MX$29.38

-47.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥11.98

$2.81 MX$51.9

-36.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$0.57 MX$10.46

-36.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.27 ¥162

$27.82 MX$514

-12.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.24

$4.98 MX$92.0

-69.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$3.50 MX$64.6

-89.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.31 ¥48.86

$5.40 MX$99.7

35.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$1.47 MX$27.05

-16.33%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$21.0K MX$387.4K

-5.68%

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

$18.0K ¥120.5K

$23.9K MX$441.3K

-24.63%

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

$56.7 ¥379

$84.2 MX$1,554

-32.72%

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

$8.89 ¥59.5

$23.99 MX$443

-62.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.86 ¥92.7

$29.02 MX$536

-52.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,163

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$538

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ¥50.5

$4.94 MX$91.2

52.63%

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

$540 ¥3,614

$204 MX$3,759

165.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥162.1K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

514.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 ¥372

$43.60 MX$805

27.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ¥265

$43.12 MX$796

-7.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥489

$75.8 MX$1,399

-3.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 ¥611

$88.6 MX$1,635

3.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 ¥1,991

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-70.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 ¥1,011

$374 MX$6,904

-59.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 ¥4,027

$1,708 MX$31.5K

-64.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,969

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-73.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,278 ¥15.2K

$3,944 MX$72.8K

-42.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,469 ¥29.9K

$6,169 MX$113.9K

-27.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,062 ¥7,099

$754 MX$13.9K

40.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

11.45

-70.74%

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

Last update for Shantou: October 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shantou

$214 31%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 20.6% $44

Accommodation & Living

Shantou

$151 21.8%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 147% $223

Clothing & Footwear

Shantou

$117 16.9%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 3.3% $3.9

Eating Out

Shantou

$86 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 134% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shantou

$79 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 72.8% $58

Getting Around

Shantou

$29 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 80.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Shantou

$15 * 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 383% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $298 in Shantou versus $1,008 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.

Salaries run about 41% higher in Shantou, 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 $24.00 in Shantou versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $258 – making Shantou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shantou

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:55 4:55 PM

03:55 3:55 AM

13 h behind Shantou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,389,328

149,923

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

100 MXN = 5.42 USD

100 MXN = 4.84 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 18.46 MXN (100 MXN = 5.42 USD). 1 EUR = 20.67 MXN (100 MXN = 4.84 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shantou Playa del Carmen 14,490 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Shantou
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 75%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,038 per month in Shantou and $1,816 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 Shantou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $692 in Shantou and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 75%.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Shantou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shantou, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Shantou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shantou – 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 Shantou. 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.