Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yulin and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Yulin: $699 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Yulin
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Yulin Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Yulin

🇨🇳 China

$699

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $699 per month in Yulin vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Yulin $699
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,123 per month in Yulin vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Yulin $1,123
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,548 per month in Yulin vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Yulin $1,548
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Yulin is about 42% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Yulin and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Yulin 49% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.27 ¥15.10

$10.92 MX$204

-79.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.19 ¥108

$43.37 MX$808

-62.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥32.60

$11.78 MX$220

-58.40%

Cappuccino

$2.14 ¥14.27

$3.81 MX$71.0

-43.83%

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

$0.40 ¥2.67

$1.28 MX$23.90

-68.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ¥1.58

$0.78 MX$14.59

-69.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 ¥11.30

$3.17 MX$59.0

-46.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.81

$4.93 MX$92.0

-54.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.24

$1.41 MX$26.22

30.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.95

$2.22 MX$41.33

-26.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.55

$1.42 MX$26.42

-30.99%

Eggs

$1.69 ¥11.22

$2.52 MX$47.03

-32.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.16 ¥80.9

$7.26 MX$135

67.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.60 ¥23.94

$7.70 MX$143

-53.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.61 ¥77.3

$12.69 MX$237

-8.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.49

$2.78 MX$51.9

-37.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ¥8.82

$1.37 MX$25.50

-2.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.91

$2.55 MX$47.55

-41.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.20

$2.12 MX$39.58

-41.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.07

$1.94 MX$36.13

-60.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.61

$1.89 MX$35.16

-47.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.53

$1.15 MX$21.37

-40.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.72

$1.18 MX$21.98

-52.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.46 ¥23.03

$4.30 MX$80.1

-19.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 ¥68.8

$9.95 MX$185

3.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥5.37

$1.58 MX$29.52

-48.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 ¥9.44

$2.67 MX$49.79

-46.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$0.55 MX$10.31

-43.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.78 ¥132

$26.62 MX$496

-25.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.44 ¥9.57

$4.97 MX$92.6

-71.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.48

$3.33 MX$62.1

-88.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 ¥52.9

$5.36 MX$99.8

48.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ¥9.35

$1.44 MX$26.92

-2.08%

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

$17.2K ¥114.4K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

-16.81%

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

$17.8K ¥118.8K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

-23.94%

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

$57.2 ¥380

$84.8 MX$1,581

-32.60%

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

$8.96 ¥59.6

$23.41 MX$436

-61.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.40 ¥75.9

$28.66 MX$534

-60.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.11 ¥274

$57.1 MX$1,063

-27.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.85 ¥112

$28.91 MX$539

-41.72%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ¥43.21

$5.14 MX$95.8

26.26%

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

$421 ¥2,803

$207 MX$3,851

103.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K ¥107.6K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

311.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.04 ¥286

$43.35 MX$808

-0.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 ¥216

$41.44 MX$772

-21.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 ¥497

$74.2 MX$1,383

0.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 ¥500

$89.3 MX$1,664

-15.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 ¥2,186

$980 MX$18.3K

-66.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 ¥1,081

$381 MX$7,099

-57.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ¥4,079

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-64.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 ¥2,415

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-66.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,146 ¥20.9K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-20.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,915 ¥12.7K

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-68.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ¥3,939

$735 MX$13.7K

-19.42%

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 Yulin: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yulin

$205 29.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 24.4% $50

Accommodation & Living

Yulin

$162 23.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 135% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Yulin

$101 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 10.2% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yulin

$78 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 76.6% $59

Eating Out

Yulin

$74 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 173% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Yulin

$54 7.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 24.4% $13

Getting Around

Yulin

$24 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 107% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $329 in Yulin versus $980 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 24% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Yulin versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $255 – making Yulin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Yulin

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

23:26 11:26 PM

13 h behind Yulin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,700,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Yulin Playa del Carmen 13,230 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Yulin
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,048 per month in Yulin 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 Yulin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $329 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $699 in Yulin and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Yulin about 42% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Yulin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Yulin, where all-in costs run around $699, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Yulin 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 $699 in Yulin to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Yulin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.