Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Akita and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Akita and in Playa del Carmen: $1,213 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Akita
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Akita Living Index
59

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

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Akita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,213

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,213 per month in Akita vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Akita $1,213
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,904 per month in Akita vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Akita $1,904
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,596 per month in Akita vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Akita $2,596
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Akita costs about 1% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.21 ¥981

$10.86 MX$201

-42.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.98 ¥5,052

$44.21 MX$817

-27.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥775

$11.76 MX$217

-58.33%

Cappuccino

$3.54 ¥559

$3.68 MX$68.0

-3.80%

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

$0.99 ¥156

$1.34 MX$24.79

-26.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$0.82 MX$15.24

-1.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 ¥306

$3.06 MX$56.6

-36.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 ¥493

$4.94 MX$91.2

-36.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.47 MX$27.17

3.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥252

$2.22 MX$40.95

-28.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.11 ¥650

$1.48 MX$27.32

177.70%

Eggs

$2.04 ¥323

$2.49 MX$45.99

-18.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 ¥1,610

$7.52 MX$139

35.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ¥1,031

$7.96 MX$147

-18.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 ¥2,565

$12.57 MX$232

29.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.63 ¥573

$2.78 MX$51.3

30.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ¥355

$1.43 MX$26.37

57.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 ¥448

$2.62 MX$48.37

8.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 ¥663

$2.14 MX$39.49

96.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 ¥384

$2.02 MX$37.38

20.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 ¥392

$1.99 MX$36.74

24.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ¥204

$1.14 MX$21.01

13.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥127

$1.20 MX$22.18

-32.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 ¥634

$4.26 MX$78.7

-5.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 ¥1,039

$10.02 MX$185

-34.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 ¥296

$1.54 MX$28.41

22.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ¥327

$2.66 MX$49.17

-22.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 ¥239

$0.53 MX$9.73

184.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.0 ¥8,525

$27.51 MX$508

96.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 ¥503

$4.90 MX$90.6

-34.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ¥440

$3.43 MX$63.5

-18.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.55 ¥2,931

$5.38 MX$99.4

244.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥207

$1.45 MX$26.76

-9.66%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

2.49%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-34.15%

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

$135 ¥21.3K

$85.4 MX$1,577

57.67%

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

$24.50 ¥3,871

$23.46 MX$434

4.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.46 ¥4,971

$28.43 MX$525

10.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 ¥8,332

$62.2 MX$1,149

-15.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$11.84 ¥1,870

$5.10 MX$94.3

132.16%

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

$507 ¥80.1K

$201 MX$3,715

152.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ¥2.0M

$3,947 MX$72.9K

221.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.47 ¥6,552

$44.39 MX$820

-6.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.21 ¥7,301

$41.35 MX$764

11.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 ¥13.4K

$72.7 MX$1,344

16.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ¥13.9K

$89.6 MX$1,656

-1.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ¥83.1K

$979 MX$18.1K

-46.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 ¥53.1K

$373 MX$6,887

-9.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 ¥172.1K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-35.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 ¥114.1K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-34.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,173 ¥659.3K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

5.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,782 ¥281.5K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-70.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,613 ¥254.9K

$738 MX$13.6K

118.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

11.45

-80.70%

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

Last update for Akita: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Akita

$336 27.7%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 10.9% $37

Groceries & Markets

Akita

$285 23.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 9.4% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Akita

$191 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 28% $53

Eating Out

Akita

$130 10.7%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 54.1% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Akita

$117 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 4.7% $5.5

Getting Around

Akita

$77 6.4%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 33% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Akita

$76 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 5.3% $4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Akita 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 119% higher in Akita, 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 $32.00 in Akita versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $285 in Akita vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Akita

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:52 7:52 PM

05:52 5:52 AM

14 h behind Akita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

307,672

149,923

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 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 JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Akita Playa del Carmen 11,710 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Akita
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

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

Akita costs about 1% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,819 per month in Akita 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 96% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $507 per month in Akita and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Akita at $1,213. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Akita it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,213 in Akita. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Akita makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.