Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gifu and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,267 in Gifu, rent and utilities included – about $760 less a year. The total is higher in Gifu despite lower rent and utilities.

Gifu, Japan
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Gifu
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,267
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,267 in Gifu versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Gifu $1,267
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,040 in Gifu versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Gifu $2,040
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,814 in Gifu versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Gifu $2,814
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Gifu 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: Gifu 7% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Gifu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.71 ¥1,218
$10.92 MX$204
-29.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$31.30 ¥4,945
$43.37 MX$810
-27.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.85 ¥766
$11.78 MX$220
-58.83%
Cappuccino
$2.31 ¥365
$3.81 MX$71.2
-39.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.18 ¥186
$1.28 MX$23.96
-7.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.62 ¥97.3
$0.78 MX$14.63
-20.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.12 ¥335
$3.17 MX$59.2
-33.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 ¥374
$4.93 MX$92.2
-51.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Gifu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 ¥237
$1.41 MX$26.28
6.38%
White Bread (500g)
$1.32 ¥208
$2.22 MX$41.43
-40.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.52 ¥871
$1.42 MX$26.48
288.73%
Eggs
$2.09 ¥330
$2.52 MX$47.14
-17.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.52 ¥1,979
$7.26 MX$136
72.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.60 ¥1,517
$7.70 MX$144
24.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$32.24 ¥5,093
$12.69 MX$237
154.06%
Apples (1kg)
$3.81 ¥602
$2.78 MX$52.0
37.05%
Banana (1kg)
$2.30 ¥364
$1.37 MX$25.56
67.88%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.42 ¥1,014
$2.55 MX$47.66
151.76%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.21 ¥665
$2.12 MX$39.67
98.58%
Potato (1kg)
$3.74 ¥590
$1.94 MX$36.22
92.78%
Onion (1kg)
$3.47 ¥548
$1.89 MX$35.24
83.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.29 ¥204
$1.15 MX$21.42
12.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 ¥150
$1.18 MX$22.03
-19.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.54 ¥560
$4.30 MX$80.3
-17.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.36 ¥1,321
$9.95 MX$186
-15.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.04 ¥322
$1.58 MX$29.59
29.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.53 ¥241
$2.67 MX$49.91
-42.70%
🚌 Getting Around
Gifu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.56 ¥246
$0.55 MX$10.34
183.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$61.4 ¥9,707
$26.62 MX$497
130.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.15 ¥498
$4.97 MX$92.9
-36.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.26 ¥514
$3.33 MX$62.2
-2.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.03 ¥4,270
$5.36 MX$100
404.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 ¥175
$1.44 MX$26.98
-22.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.0K ¥3.2M
$20.7K MX$386.2K
-3.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.5K ¥2.6M
$23.5K MX$438.5K
-29.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gifu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$143 ¥22.6K
$84.8 MX$1,584
68.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.52 ¥3,874
$23.41 MX$437
4.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.97 ¥6,789
$28.66 MX$535
49.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Gifu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.00 ¥7,742
$57.1 MX$1,066
-14.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$540
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.61 ¥1,993
$5.14 MX$96.0
145.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Gifu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$323 ¥51.1K
$207 MX$3,860
56.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,232 ¥984.6K
$3,927 MX$73.4K
58.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Gifu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.60 ¥7,836
$43.35 MX$810
14.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.33 ¥4,002
$41.44 MX$774
-38.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$46.99 ¥7,423
$74.2 MX$1,386
-36.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$66.0 ¥10.4K
$89.3 MX$1,668
-26.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Gifu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$564 ¥89.1K
$980 MX$18.3K
-42.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$298 ¥47.1K
$381 MX$7,116
-21.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 ¥169.9K
$1,708 MX$31.9K
-37.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$737 ¥116.4K
$1,075 MX$20.1K
-31.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,525 ¥714.9K
$3,943 MX$73.7K
14.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,202 ¥347.8K
$6,158 MX$115.1K
-64.25%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Gifu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$735 MX$13.7K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.28
11.45
-80.09%

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

Last update for Gifu: 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.
Groceries & Markets
Gifu
$385
Playa del Carmen
$255 33.9% $130
Accommodation & Living
Gifu
$298
Playa del Carmen
$381 27.6% $82
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gifu
$211
Playa del Carmen
$137 35% $74
Eating Out
Gifu
$126
Playa del Carmen
$202 60.1% $76
Getting Around
Gifu
$87
Playa del Carmen
$50 42.1% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Gifu
$85
Playa del Carmen
$112 32.1% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Gifu
$74
Playa del Carmen
$67 9.3% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $564 in Gifu and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31 in Gifu vs $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $385 vs $255, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Gifu
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
19:08 7:08 PM
05:08 5:08 AM
14 h behind Gifu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
404,352
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

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 = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Gifu Playa del Carmen 12,260 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Gifu
  • 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
Gifu vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Gifu?
Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and utilities. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,900 in Gifu and $1,806 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 Gifu and Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $564 in Gifu versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 57% less than in Gifu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $323 in Gifu versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,500 enough for either Gifu or Playa del Carmen?
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.
Is it better to live in Gifu 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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