Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asahikawa and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Asahikawa and in Playa del Carmen: $1,189 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Asahikawa
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Asahikawa Living Index
58

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

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Asahikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,189

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,189 per month in Asahikawa vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Asahikawa $1,189
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,948 per month in Asahikawa vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Asahikawa $1,948
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,706 per month in Asahikawa vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Asahikawa $2,706
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Asahikawa and Playa del Carmen have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Asahikawa and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Asahikawa 13% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.31 ¥996

$10.92 MX$205

-42.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.58 ¥5,138

$43.37 MX$815

-24.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.55 ¥717

$11.78 MX$221

-61.38%

Cappuccino

$3.10 ¥489

$3.81 MX$71.6

-18.64%

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

$1.26 ¥199

$1.28 MX$24.10

-1.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥112

$0.78 MX$14.71

-8.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.87 ¥452

$3.17 MX$59.5

-9.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ¥473

$4.93 MX$92.7

-39.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.41 MX$26.43

7.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥239

$2.22 MX$41.66

-31.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.95 ¥623

$1.42 MX$26.64

178.17%

Eggs

$2.26 ¥357

$2.52 MX$47.41

-10.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ¥1,693

$7.26 MX$137

47.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 ¥1,060

$7.70 MX$145

-12.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.29 ¥2,569

$12.69 MX$239

28.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 ¥504

$2.78 MX$52.3

15.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 ¥414

$1.37 MX$25.71

91.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 ¥388

$2.55 MX$47.94

-3.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 ¥728

$2.12 MX$39.90

117.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 ¥430

$1.94 MX$36.43

40.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 ¥365

$1.89 MX$35.44

22.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ¥216

$1.15 MX$21.55

19.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥137

$1.18 MX$22.16

-26.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 ¥621

$4.30 MX$80.7

-8.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.66 ¥1,208

$9.95 MX$187

-23.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥277

$1.58 MX$29.76

11.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ¥296

$2.67 MX$50.2

-29.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 ¥259

$0.55 MX$10.40

198.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.1 ¥8,379

$26.62 MX$500

99.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 ¥484

$4.97 MX$93.4

-38.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 ¥422

$3.33 MX$62.6

-19.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.03 ¥3,316

$5.36 MX$101

292.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ¥184

$1.44 MX$27.14

-18.75%

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

$22.6K ¥3.6M

$20.7K MX$388.4K

9.32%

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

$13.6K ¥2.2M

$23.5K MX$441.0K

-41.83%

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

$154 ¥24.3K

$84.8 MX$1,594

81.71%

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

$25.29 ¥3,987

$23.41 MX$440

8.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.28 ¥5,406

$28.66 MX$539

19.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 ¥8,719

$57.1 MX$1,072

-3.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$12.20 ¥1,923

$5.14 MX$96.6

137.35%

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

$630 ¥99.3K

$207 MX$3,882

204.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ¥1.8M

$3,927 MX$73.8K

188.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.4 ¥8,102

$43.35 MX$815

18.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.99 ¥4,413

$41.44 MX$779

-32.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.6 ¥9,403

$74.2 MX$1,394

-19.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.1K

$89.3 MX$1,677

14.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 ¥96.4K

$980 MX$18.4K

-37.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$291 ¥45.8K

$381 MX$7,157

-23.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$987 ¥155.7K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-42.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$809 ¥127.6K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-24.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,455 ¥702.5K

$3,943 MX$74.1K

12.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,602 ¥410.3K

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-57.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

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 Asahikawa: October 24, 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

Asahikawa

$291 24.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 12.5% $36

Accommodation & Living

Asahikawa

$291 24.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 31% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asahikawa

$214 18%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 35.9% $77

Eating Out

Asahikawa

$130 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 56.2% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Asahikawa

$109 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 3% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Asahikawa

$80 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 15.5% $12

Getting Around

Asahikawa

$76 6.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 33.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $611 in Asahikawa 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Asahikawa versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $291 in Asahikawa vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Asahikawa

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:10 10:10 PM

08:10 8:10 AM

14 h behind Asahikawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

329,306

149,923

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Asahikawa Playa del Carmen 11,260 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Asahikawa
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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,784 per month in Asahikawa 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 Asahikawa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $611 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Kindergarten costs $630 per month in Asahikawa and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,189 in Asahikawa and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,189 in Asahikawa to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.