Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atsugi and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,265 in Atsugi, rent and utilities included – about $730 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Atsugi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Atsugi
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Atsugi Living Index
58

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

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Atsugi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,265

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Atsugi versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Atsugi $1,265
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,187 in Atsugi versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Atsugi $2,187
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,108 in Atsugi versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Atsugi $3,108
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Atsugi is roughly 5% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Atsugi 7% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.85 ¥1,239

$10.92 MX$205

-28.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.21 ¥3,975

$43.37 MX$815

-41.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥805

$11.78 MX$221

-56.62%

Cappuccino

$1.92 ¥303

$3.81 MX$71.6

-49.61%

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

$0.98 ¥155

$1.28 MX$24.10

-23.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥113

$0.78 MX$14.71

-8.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.64 ¥416

$3.17 MX$59.5

-16.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 ¥495

$4.93 MX$92.7

-36.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ¥250

$1.41 MX$26.43

12.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥245

$2.22 MX$41.66

-30.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.06 ¥640

$1.42 MX$26.64

185.92%

Eggs

$2.05 ¥324

$2.52 MX$47.41

-18.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.16 ¥2,548

$7.26 MX$137

122.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.53 ¥715

$7.70 MX$145

-41.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.36 ¥1,950

$12.69 MX$239

-2.60%

Apples (1kg)

$5.51 ¥868

$2.78 MX$52.3

98.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 ¥316

$1.37 MX$25.71

46.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.84 ¥605

$2.55 MX$47.94

50.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 ¥442

$2.12 MX$39.90

32.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 ¥424

$1.94 MX$36.43

38.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 ¥310

$1.89 MX$35.44

4.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥180

$1.15 MX$21.55

-0.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥142

$1.18 MX$22.16

-23.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.47 ¥548

$4.30 MX$80.7

-19.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.73 ¥1,534

$9.95 MX$187

-2.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ¥256

$1.58 MX$29.76

2.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ¥334

$2.67 MX$50.2

-20.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.60 ¥410

$0.55 MX$10.40

372.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.8 ¥8,962

$26.62 MX$500

113.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥490

$4.97 MX$93.4

-37.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.82 ¥444

$3.33 MX$62.6

-15.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.34 ¥1,473

$5.36 MX$101

74.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥169

$1.44 MX$27.14

-25.69%

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

$12.9K ¥2.0M

$20.7K MX$388.4K

-37.50%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$23.5K MX$441.0K

-34.70%

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

$236 ¥37.2K

$84.8 MX$1,594

177.99%

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

$14.20 ¥2,240

$23.41 MX$440

-39.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.14 ¥4,911

$28.66 MX$539

8.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ¥8,246

$57.1 MX$1,072

-8.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.77 ¥1,224

$28.91 MX$543

-73.12%

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 ¥1,997

$5.14 MX$96.6

146.30%

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

$314 ¥49.5K

$207 MX$3,882

52.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,091 ¥960.5K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

55.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.57 ¥6,554

$43.35 MX$815

-4.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.45 ¥3,856

$41.44 MX$779

-41.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.5 ¥8,600

$74.2 MX$1,394

-26.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.86 ¥5,023

$89.3 MX$1,677

-64.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$554 ¥87.4K

$980 MX$18.4K

-43.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥52.6K

$381 MX$7,157

-12.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 ¥163.3K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-39.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,264 ¥199.3K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

17.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,039 ¥636.9K

$3,943 MX$74.1K

2.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,650 ¥417.8K

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-56.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,703 ¥583.9K

$735 MX$13.8K

404.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

11.45

-82.36%

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

Last update for Atsugi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Atsugi

$333 26.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 14.2% $47

Groceries & Markets

Atsugi

$292 23.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 12.8% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atsugi

$281 22.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 51.3% $144

Eating Out

Atsugi

$127 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 58.8% $75

Getting Around

Atsugi

$84 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 40.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Atsugi

$78 6.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 13.3% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Atsugi

$69 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 62.9% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $554 in Atsugi and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Atsugi pays about 5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Atsugi vs $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $292 vs $255, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Atsugi

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:10 8:10 PM

06:10 6:10 AM

14 h behind Atsugi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

223,705

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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Atsugi Playa del Carmen 12,090 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

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Atsugi
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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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,265 in Atsugi and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Atsugi is about 5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $554 in Atsugi versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Atsugi – a meal for two runs $25 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,265 per month in Atsugi versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Atsugi on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.