Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fukushima and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Fukushima and in Playa del Carmen: $1,179 and $1,202 a month, rent and utilities included.

Fukushima, Japan
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Fukushima
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,179
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,179 in Fukushima versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Fukushima $1,179
  • Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,896 in Fukushima versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Fukushima $1,896
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,613 in Fukushima versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Fukushima $2,613
  • Playa del Carmen $2,962

Monthly costs are close between Fukushima and Playa del Carmen; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Fukushima 13% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Fukushima
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.97 ¥940
$10.67 MX$200
-44.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.63 ¥4,667
$43.80 MX$823
-32.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.37 ¥688
$11.79 MX$221
-62.93%
Cappuccino
$2.47 ¥389
$3.79 MX$71.1
-34.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.97 ¥153
$1.30 MX$24.36
-25.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.67 ¥105
$0.83 MX$15.65
-19.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.58 ¥407
$3.15 MX$59.1
-18.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 ¥501
$4.93 MX$92.7
-35.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Fukushima
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 ¥238
$1.41 MX$26.46
7.09%
White Bread (500g)
$1.53 ¥242
$2.20 MX$41.23
-30.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.10 ¥646
$1.47 MX$27.66
178.91%
Eggs
$2.09 ¥329
$2.50 MX$46.89
-16.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.23 ¥1,611
$7.29 MX$137
40.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.50 ¥1,023
$7.95 MX$149
-18.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.13 ¥2,698
$12.86 MX$242
33.20%
Apples (1kg)
$3.71 ¥585
$2.90 MX$54.4
27.93%
Banana (1kg)
$2.23 ¥351
$1.38 MX$25.98
61.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.95 ¥464
$2.49 MX$46.78
18.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.09 ¥644
$2.03 MX$38.12
101.48%
Potato (1kg)
$2.38 ¥374
$2.02 MX$38.03
17.82%
Onion (1kg)
$2.48 ¥390
$1.90 MX$35.74
30.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.32 ¥209
$1.14 MX$21.49
15.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 ¥131
$1.24 MX$23.27
-33.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.99 ¥629
$4.27 MX$80.2
-6.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.55 ¥1,031
$9.81 MX$184
-33.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.88 ¥296
$1.59 MX$29.78
18.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 ¥339
$2.75 MX$51.6
-21.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Fukushima
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 ¥239
$0.51 MX$9.67
198.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$58.4 ¥9,199
$27.39 MX$514
113.25%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.56 ¥561
$4.76 MX$89.4
-25.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.96 ¥466
$3.25 MX$61.0
-8.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.07 ¥3,633
$5.39 MX$101
328.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 ¥191
$1.53 MX$28.70
-20.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.4K ¥3.5M
$21.2K MX$398.4K
5.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.0K ¥2.4M
$23.3K MX$436.9K
-35.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fukushima
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$125 ¥19.6K
$83.5 MX$1,568
49.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.80 ¥3,433
$23.19 MX$435
-5.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.57 ¥5,129
$27.61 MX$519
17.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Fukushima
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 ¥8,060
$56.4 MX$1,060
-9.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.19 MX$529
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.50 ¥1,811
$5.00 MX$93.9
130.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Fukushima
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$692 ¥109.0K
$207 MX$3,889
234.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.2K ¥2.9M
$5,231 MX$98.2K
248.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Fukushima
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.5 ¥8,267
$43.45 MX$816
20.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.18 ¥5,383
$42.54 MX$799
-19.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$67.4 ¥10.6K
$72.8 MX$1,367
-7.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.2 ¥12.2K
$88.4 MX$1,660
-12.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Fukushima
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$556 ¥87.5K
$995 MX$18.7K
-44.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$334 ¥52.6K
$382 MX$7,181
-12.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$973 ¥153.2K
$1,674 MX$31.4K
-41.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$808 ¥127.3K
$1,081 MX$20.3K
-25.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,329 ¥681.8K
$3,909 MX$73.4K
10.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,479 ¥390.5K
$6,138 MX$115.3K
-59.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Fukushima
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$832 MX$15.6K
-
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 Fukushima: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Fukushima
$334
Playa del Carmen
$382 14.5% $48
Groceries & Markets
Fukushima
$288
Playa del Carmen
$257 10.7% $31
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fukushima
$179
Playa del Carmen
$134 25% $45
Eating Out
Fukushima
$116
Playa del Carmen
$200 72.2% $84
Clothing & Footwear
Fukushima
$104
Playa del Carmen
$111 6.9% $7.2
Getting Around
Fukushima
$83
Playa del Carmen
$50 39.1% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Fukushima
$74
Playa del Carmen
$66 10.4% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $556 in Fukushima and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30 in Fukushima vs $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $257, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Fukushima
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
21:54 9:54 PM
07:54 7:54 AM
14 h behind Fukushima
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
282,693
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 157 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Fukushima Playa del Carmen 11,840 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Fukushima
  • 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
Fukushima vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,768 in Fukushima and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Fukushima and Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $556 in Fukushima versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $692 in Fukushima versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Fukushima or in Playa del Carmen?
Dining out is cheaper in Fukushima – a meal for two runs $30 versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 enough for either Fukushima or Playa del Carmen?
Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Fukushima gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is it better to live in Fukushima or in Playa del Carmen?
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.

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