Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shaoxing and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Shaoxing: $751 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Shaoxing
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Shaoxing Living Index
59

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

Jump to prices

Shaoxing

🇨🇳 China

$751

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $751 per month in Shaoxing vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Shaoxing $751
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,204 per month in Shaoxing vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Shaoxing $1,204
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,657 per month in Shaoxing vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Shaoxing $1,657
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Shaoxing is about 38% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Shaoxing and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Shaoxing 45% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 ¥24.81

$10.86 MX$203

-65.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.22 ¥148

$44.21 MX$824

-49.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 ¥35.43

$11.76 MX$219

-54.85%

Cappuccino

$2.58 ¥17.20

$3.68 MX$68.6

-29.89%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$1.34 MX$25.01

-53.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$0.82 MX$15.38

-56.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.15 ¥7.66

$3.06 MX$57.1

-62.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥14.64

$4.94 MX$92.1

-55.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.97

$1.47 MX$27.41

22.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.05

$2.22 MX$41.32

-11.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 ¥4.99

$1.48 MX$27.57

-49.32%

Eggs

$1.73 ¥11.55

$2.49 MX$46.41

-30.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 ¥77.8

$7.52 MX$140

55.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.05

$7.96 MX$148

-58.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.59 ¥70.6

$12.57 MX$234

-15.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.90

$2.78 MX$51.8

-35.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.50

$1.43 MX$26.61

20.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.46

$2.62 MX$48.81

-34.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.28

$2.14 MX$39.85

-49.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$2.02 MX$37.72

-58.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.07

$1.99 MX$37.08

-54.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.36

$1.14 MX$21.20

-42.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.87

$1.20 MX$22.38

-51.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ¥22.92

$4.26 MX$79.4

-19.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.61 ¥70.8

$10.02 MX$187

5.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥5.13

$1.54 MX$28.67

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ¥10.81

$2.66 MX$49.62

-39.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ¥1.54

$0.53 MX$9.82

-56.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.86 ¥133

$27.51 MX$513

-27.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 ¥13.25

$4.90 MX$91.4

-59.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$3.43 MX$64.1

-87.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.04 ¥60.3

$5.38 MX$100

68.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.45 MX$27.00

-7.59%

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

$19.5K ¥129.8K

$21.2K MX$394.5K

-8.03%

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

$18.0K ¥120.4K

$23.0K MX$429.2K

-21.61%

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

$47.33 ¥316

$85.4 MX$1,592

-44.55%

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

$7.90 ¥52.7

$23.46 MX$438

-66.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.14 ¥61.0

$28.43 MX$530

-67.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.57 ¥104

$62.2 MX$1,160

-74.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.79 ¥45.32

$28.68 MX$535

-76.32%

Cinema Ticket

$6.82 ¥45.51

$5.10 MX$95.2

33.73%

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

$844 ¥5,630

$201 MX$3,749

319.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.9K ¥166.3K

$3,947 MX$73.6K

531.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.55 ¥270

$44.39 MX$828

-8.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.99 ¥213

$41.35 MX$771

-22.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 ¥513

$72.7 MX$1,356

5.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥708

$89.6 MX$1,671

18.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 ¥2,898

$979 MX$18.3K

-55.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 ¥1,484

$373 MX$6,950

-40.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 ¥3,977

$1,681 MX$31.3K

-64.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$450 ¥3,000

$1,095 MX$20.4K

-58.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,407 ¥42.7K

$3,949 MX$73.6K

62.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,558 ¥23.7K

$6,137 MX$114.4K

-42.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$901 ¥6,009

$738 MX$13.8K

22.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

11.45

-70.66%

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

Last update for Shaoxing: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Shaoxing

$222 29.6%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 67.6% $150

Groceries & Markets

Shaoxing

$205 27.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 26.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Shaoxing

$115 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 2.9% $3.3

Eating Out

Shaoxing

$91 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 121% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shaoxing

$64 8.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 113% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Shaoxing

$29 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 148% $43

Getting Around

Shaoxing

$25 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 107% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $434 in Shaoxing 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.

Salaries run about 22% higher in Shaoxing, 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 $22 in Shaoxing versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $258 – making Shaoxing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shaoxing

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:33 12:33 AM

11:33 11:33 AM

13 h behind Shaoxing

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912,239

149,923

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 18.65 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.89 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shaoxing Playa del Carmen 13,650 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Shaoxing
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 60%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,127 per month in Shaoxing 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 Shaoxing, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $434 there versus $979 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $751 in Shaoxing and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 60%.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Shaoxing. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Shaoxing, where all-in costs run around $751, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Shaoxing 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 $751 in Shaoxing to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Shaoxing is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 60% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.