Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yangshuo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Yangshuo: $713 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Yangshuo
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Yangshuo Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Yangshuo

🇨🇳 China

$713

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $713 per month in Yangshuo vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Yangshuo $713
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,130 per month in Yangshuo vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Yangshuo $1,130
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,548 per month in Yangshuo vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Yangshuo $1,548
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Yangshuo is about 41% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Yangshuo and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Yangshuo 47% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 ¥18.73

$10.76 MX$199

-73.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.83 ¥146

$43.03 MX$795

-49.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ¥32.80

$11.79 MX$218

-58.35%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ¥20.45

$3.87 MX$71.4

-20.93%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$1.37 MX$25.29

-65.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$0.84 MX$15.44

-65.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$3.10 MX$57.3

-70.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ¥13.62

$5.07 MX$93.6

-59.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 ¥12.14

$1.44 MX$26.55

26.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥10.68

$2.23 MX$41.23

-28.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.33

$1.47 MX$27.17

-35.37%

Eggs

$1.54 ¥10.29

$2.53 MX$46.71

-39.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 ¥84.7

$7.30 MX$135

73.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.14 ¥20.99

$7.86 MX$145

-60.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.02 ¥67.0

$12.79 MX$236

-21.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.49

$2.90 MX$53.6

-35.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 ¥8.02

$1.44 MX$26.53

-16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$2.55 MX$47.07

-41.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.70

$2.06 MX$38.03

-44.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.67

$2.00 MX$36.97

-65.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.10

$2.01 MX$37.07

-54.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥4.03

$1.19 MX$22.02

-49.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.41

$1.26 MX$23.23

-59.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ¥20.34

$4.40 MX$81.4

-30.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.74 ¥71.8

$9.59 MX$177

11.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥5.38

$1.59 MX$29.41

-49.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.01

$2.81 MX$51.9

-41.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.57 MX$10.47

-49.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.88 ¥113

$27.82 MX$514

-39.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ¥9.05

$4.98 MX$92.1

-72.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.18

$3.50 MX$64.6

-90.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ¥44.22

$5.40 MX$99.8

22.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥7.91

$1.47 MX$27.08

-19.73%

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

$19.3K ¥129.1K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

-7.98%

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

$17.4K ¥116.2K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-27.33%

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

$45.58 ¥305

$84.2 MX$1,556

-45.87%

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

$9.73 ¥65.0

$23.99 MX$443

-59.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.52 ¥77.0

$29.02 MX$536

-60.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.10 ¥275

$63.0 MX$1,164

-34.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.85 ¥92.6

$29.14 MX$539

-52.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.87 ¥39.27

$4.94 MX$91.3

18.83%

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

$339 ¥2,270

$204 MX$3,763

66.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ¥113.8K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

331.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.49 ¥297

$43.60 MX$806

2.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 ¥207

$43.12 MX$797

-28.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ¥485

$75.8 MX$1,400

-4.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ¥475

$88.6 MX$1,637

-19.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$280 ¥1,870

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-72.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 ¥1,274

$374 MX$6,911

-49.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 ¥3,881

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-66.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 ¥2,394

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-67.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,087 ¥20.6K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-21.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,990 ¥13.3K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-67.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

11.45

-66.03%

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

Last update for Yangshuo: October 11, 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

Yangshuo

$197 27.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 31% $61

Accommodation & Living

Yangshuo

$191 26.8%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 96.2% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Yangshuo

$99 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 14.7% $14

Eating Out

Yangshuo

$85 12%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 137% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yangshuo

$67 9.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 105% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Yangshuo

$53 7.4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 37.9% $20

Getting Around

Yangshuo

$21 3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 150% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $280 in Yangshuo 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Yangshuo versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $258 – making Yangshuo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Yangshuo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:39 4:39 PM

03:39 3:39 AM

13 h behind Yangshuo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

300,000

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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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

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Between locations

Yangshuo Playa del Carmen 14,620 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Yangshuo
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 70%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,069 per month in Yangshuo 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 Yangshuo, 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 $713 in Yangshuo and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 70%.

Public transport costs about 65% less in Yangshuo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Yangshuo, where all-in costs run around $713, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Yangshuo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yangshuo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Yangshuo. 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.