Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taiyuan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiyuan: $589 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Taiyuan
Learn more

Taiyuan Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Taiyuan

🇨🇳 China

$589

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $589 per month in Taiyuan vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Taiyuan $589
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $913 per month in Taiyuan vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Taiyuan $913
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,238 per month in Taiyuan vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Taiyuan $1,238
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Taiyuan is about 51% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Taiyuan and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Taiyuan 56% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ¥15.21

$10.76 MX$199

-78.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.73 ¥98.4

$43.03 MX$795

-65.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 ¥29.37

$11.79 MX$218

-62.68%

Cappuccino

$2.64 ¥17.60

$3.87 MX$71.4

-31.78%

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

$0.47 ¥3.11

$1.37 MX$25.29

-65.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.84 MX$15.44

-65.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.12

$3.10 MX$57.3

-60.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.36

$5.07 MX$93.6

-57.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$1.47 MX$27.17

-43.54%

Eggs

$1.01 ¥6.75

$2.53 MX$46.71

-60.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 ¥86.9

$12.79 MX$236

1.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.50

$2.90 MX$53.6

-35.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ¥9.20

$1.44 MX$26.53

-4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.40

$2.55 MX$47.07

-68.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ¥7.76

$2.06 MX$38.03

-43.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 ¥3.20

$2.00 MX$36.97

-76.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$2.01 MX$37.07

-85.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ¥3.07

$1.26 MX$23.23

-63.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.72

$4.40 MX$81.4

-32.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.56 ¥50.5

$9.59 MX$177

-21.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$1.59 MX$29.41

-45.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$2.81 MX$51.9

-48.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.57 MX$10.47

-45.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.65 ¥91.1

$27.82 MX$514

-50.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.89

$4.98 MX$92.1

-76.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ¥1.53

$3.50 MX$64.6

-93.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 ¥24.88

$5.40 MX$99.8

-30.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.32

$1.47 MX$27.08

-14.97%

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

$20.0K ¥133.4K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

-4.79%

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

$17.5K ¥117.1K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-26.65%

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

$94.3 ¥630

$84.2 MX$1,556

12.01%

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

$10.27 ¥68.6

$23.99 MX$443

-57.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.74 ¥85.1

$29.02 MX$536

-56.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.17 ¥302

$63.0 MX$1,164

-28.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.76 ¥58.5

$29.14 MX$539

-69.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.64 ¥44.31

$4.94 MX$91.3

34.41%

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

$204 MX$3,763

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.60 ¥184

$43.60 MX$806

-36.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.2 ¥449

$43.12 MX$797

55.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 ¥494

$75.8 MX$1,400

-2.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 ¥397

$88.6 MX$1,637

-32.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 ¥1,488

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-77.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 ¥759

$374 MX$6,911

-69.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$556 ¥3,714

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-67.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$259 ¥1,730

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-76.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,629 ¥17.6K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-33.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,252 ¥8,356

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-79.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$928 ¥6,194

$754 MX$13.9K

23.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

11.45

-66.55%

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

Last update for Taiyuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taiyuan

$117 19.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 16.9% $20

Accommodation & Living

Taiyuan

$114 19.3%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 229% $260

Groceries & Markets

Taiyuan

$103 * 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 151% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Taiyuan

$103 17.4%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 10.1% $10

Eating Out

Taiyuan

$76 13%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 165% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Taiyuan

$58 9.9%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 24.7% $14

Getting Around

Taiyuan

$17 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 205% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $223 in Taiyuan 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 23% higher in Taiyuan, 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 $15.00 in Taiyuan versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $103 vs $258 – making Taiyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Taiyuan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

00:47 12:47 AM

13 h behind Taiyuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,525,300

149,923

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taiyuan Playa del Carmen 13,190 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Taiyuan
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 106%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $883 per month in Taiyuan 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 Taiyuan, 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 $589 in Taiyuan and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 106%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in Taiyuan and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taiyuan, where all-in costs run around $589, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Taiyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taiyuan – 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 Taiyuan. 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.