Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taizhou and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Taizhou: $774 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Taizhou
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Taizhou Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Taizhou

🇨🇳 China

$774

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $774 per month in Taizhou vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Taizhou $774
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,255 per month in Taizhou vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Taizhou $1,255
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,735 per month in Taizhou vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Taizhou $1,735
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Taizhou is about 36% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Taizhou and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Taizhou 43% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.76 ¥25.05

$10.86 MX$203

-65.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.85 ¥172

$44.21 MX$824

-41.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ¥30.25

$11.76 MX$219

-61.39%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.87

$3.68 MX$68.6

-6.79%

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

$0.53 ¥3.56

$1.34 MX$25.01

-60.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.82 MX$15.38

-64.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.82

$3.06 MX$57.1

-61.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.15

$4.94 MX$92.1

-54.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.44

$1.47 MX$27.41

27.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ¥11.00

$2.22 MX$41.32

-25.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.54 ¥3.59

$1.48 MX$27.57

-63.51%

Eggs

$1.18 ¥7.87

$2.49 MX$46.41

-52.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.42 ¥130

$7.52 MX$140

158.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ¥24.44

$7.96 MX$148

-54.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 ¥67.9

$12.57 MX$234

-19.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.95

$2.78 MX$51.8

-57.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ¥8.87

$1.43 MX$26.61

-6.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$2.62 MX$48.81

-41.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$2.14 MX$39.85

-24.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.95

$2.02 MX$37.72

-63.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$1.99 MX$37.08

-53.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.53

$1.14 MX$21.20

-40.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.87

$1.20 MX$22.38

-51.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 ¥28.12

$4.26 MX$79.4

-0.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.50 ¥90.0

$10.02 MX$187

34.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.89

$1.54 MX$28.67

-72.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥10.95

$2.66 MX$49.62

-38.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.53 MX$9.82

-45.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.07 ¥121

$27.51 MX$513

-34.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ¥8.10

$4.90 MX$91.4

-75.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$3.43 MX$64.1

-88.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.81

$5.38 MX$100

30.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.55

$1.45 MX$27.00

-11.72%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$21.2K MX$394.5K

-8.15%

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

$16.3K ¥108.8K

$23.0K MX$429.2K

-29.15%

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

$48.64 ¥324

$85.4 MX$1,592

-43.02%

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

$8.88 ¥59.2

$23.46 MX$438

-62.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.43 ¥76.2

$28.43 MX$530

-59.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.01 ¥274

$62.2 MX$1,160

-34.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.17 ¥101

$28.68 MX$535

-47.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ¥49.56

$5.10 MX$95.2

45.69%

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

$564 ¥3,761

$201 MX$3,749

180.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.6K ¥237.4K

$3,947 MX$73.6K

801.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.06 ¥220

$44.39 MX$828

-25.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.37 ¥283

$41.35 MX$771

2.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 ¥555

$72.7 MX$1,356

14.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ¥722

$89.6 MX$1,671

20.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 ¥1,994

$979 MX$18.3K

-69.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 ¥1,236

$373 MX$6,950

-50.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 ¥4,267

$1,681 MX$31.3K

-61.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 ¥2,537

$1,095 MX$20.4K

-65.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 ¥22.8K

$3,949 MX$73.6K

-13.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,980 ¥13.2K

$6,137 MX$114.4K

-67.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

11.45

-69.43%

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

Last update for Taizhou: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taizhou

$223 28.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 15.6% $35

Accommodation & Living

Taizhou

$185 23.9%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 101% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Taizhou

$120 15.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 7% $8.5

Eating Out

Taizhou

$98 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 103% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taizhou

$69 8.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 99% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Taizhou

$56 7.2%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 29.6% $17

Getting Around

Taizhou

$22 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 131% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $299 in Taizhou 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Taizhou versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $258 – making Taizhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Taizhou

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:34 12:34 AM

11:34 11:34 AM

13 h behind Taizhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

615,000

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

Taizhou Playa del Carmen 13,740 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Taizhou
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,162 per month in Taizhou 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 Taizhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $299 there versus $979 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $774 in Taizhou and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 56%.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Taizhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $774 in Taizhou to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Taizhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 56% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.