Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fukuoka and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,307 in Fukuoka, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Fukuoka
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Fukuoka Living Index
58

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

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Fukuoka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,307

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,307 per month in Fukuoka vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Fukuoka $1,307
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,031 per month in Fukuoka vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Fukuoka $2,031
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,754 per month in Fukuoka vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Fukuoka $2,754
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Fukuoka costs about 9% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Fukuoka and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Fukuoka 4% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.33 ¥1,158

$10.92 MX$204

-32.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.83 ¥6,920

$43.37 MX$808

1.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.97 ¥942

$11.78 MX$220

-49.32%

Cappuccino

$3.72 ¥587

$3.81 MX$71.0

-2.36%

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

$1.06 ¥167

$1.28 MX$23.90

-17.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$0.78 MX$14.59

-3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 ¥608

$3.17 MX$59.0

21.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ¥340

$4.93 MX$92.0

-56.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥245

$1.41 MX$26.22

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ¥288

$2.22 MX$41.33

-17.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.43 ¥1,015

$1.42 MX$26.42

352.82%

Eggs

$2.30 ¥364

$2.52 MX$47.03

-8.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.19 ¥2,872

$7.26 MX$135

150.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.34 ¥843

$7.70 MX$143

-30.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.96 ¥2,994

$12.69 MX$237

49.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 ¥572

$2.78 MX$51.9

30.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ¥293

$1.37 MX$25.50

35.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 ¥446

$2.55 MX$47.55

10.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.33 ¥526

$2.12 MX$39.58

57.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 ¥339

$1.94 MX$36.13

10.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 ¥409

$1.89 MX$35.16

37.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ¥162

$1.15 MX$21.37

-10.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥154

$1.18 MX$21.98

-16.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.98 ¥628

$4.30 MX$80.1

-7.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.41 ¥1,012

$9.95 MX$185

-35.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥270

$1.58 MX$29.52

8.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥303

$2.67 MX$49.79

-28.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ¥204

$0.55 MX$10.31

134.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ¥8,352

$26.62 MX$496

98.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 ¥649

$4.97 MX$92.6

-17.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.39 ¥377

$3.33 MX$62.1

-28.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.92 ¥2,830

$5.36 MX$99.8

234.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.44 MX$26.92

-23.61%

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

$22.2K ¥3.5M

$20.7K MX$385.2K

7.29%

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

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

-35.95%

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

$215 ¥33.9K

$84.8 MX$1,581

153.60%

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

$25.33 ¥4,000

$23.41 MX$436

8.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.10 ¥5,384

$28.66 MX$534

18.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.11 ¥7,597

$57.1 MX$1,063

-15.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 ¥1,990

$5.14 MX$95.8

145.33%

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

$702 ¥110.9K

$207 MX$3,851

239.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ¥2.0M

$3,927 MX$73.2K

214.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.84 ¥7,712

$43.35 MX$808

12.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.49 ¥4,182

$41.44 MX$772

-36.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.8 ¥10.4K

$74.2 MX$1,383

-11.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.48 ¥7,497

$89.3 MX$1,664

-46.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$523 ¥82.6K

$980 MX$18.3K

-46.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥52.4K

$381 MX$7,099

-12.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,173 ¥185.2K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-31.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 ¥112.0K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-34.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,674 ¥737.9K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

18.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,568 ¥405.5K

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-58.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,647 ¥260.1K

$735 MX$13.7K

124.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

11.45

-82.79%

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

Last update for Fukuoka: October 26, 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

Fukuoka

$332 25.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 14.8% $49

Groceries & Markets

Fukuoka

$317 24.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 19.6% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fukuoka

$274 21%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 50.1% $138

Eating Out

Fukuoka

$152 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 33.2% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Fukuoka

$85 6.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 31.6% $27

Getting Around

Fukuoka

$74 5.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 31.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Fukuoka

$73 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 8.2% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $523 in Fukuoka 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 in Fukuoka are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Fukuoka versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $317 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Fukuoka

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:23 7:23 AM

17:23 5:23 PM

14 h behind Fukuoka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,612,392

149,923

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fukuoka Playa del Carmen 12,800 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Fukuoka
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,307 in Fukuoka, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 8% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,961 per month in Fukuoka 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 Fukuoka, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $523 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,307 in Fukuoka and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 8% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $702 per month in Fukuoka and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,307 in Fukuoka and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,307 in Fukuoka. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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