Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hiroshima and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Hiroshima: $961 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Hiroshima
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Hiroshima Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Hiroshima

🇯🇵 Japan

$961

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $961 per month in Hiroshima vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hiroshima $961
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,557 per month in Hiroshima vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hiroshima $1,557
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,152 per month in Hiroshima vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hiroshima $2,152
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Hiroshima is about 20% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hiroshima and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Hiroshima 29% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.13 ¥969

$10.86 MX$201

-43.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.92 ¥5,043

$44.21 MX$817

-27.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.07 ¥801

$11.76 MX$217

-56.89%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ¥429

$3.68 MX$68.0

-26.09%

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

$0.96 ¥152

$1.34 MX$24.79

-28.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥109

$0.82 MX$15.24

-15.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.74 ¥433

$3.06 MX$56.6

-10.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ¥582

$4.94 MX$91.2

-25.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.47 MX$27.17

1.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥240

$2.22 MX$40.95

-31.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.74 ¥748

$1.48 MX$27.32

220.27%

Eggs

$2.07 ¥327

$2.49 MX$45.99

-16.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.11 ¥808

$7.52 MX$139

-32.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.18 ¥976

$7.96 MX$147

-22.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ¥1,722

$12.57 MX$232

-13.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ¥522

$2.78 MX$51.3

19.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 ¥313

$1.43 MX$26.37

38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 ¥595

$2.62 MX$48.37

43.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 ¥588

$2.14 MX$39.49

73.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ¥238

$2.02 MX$37.38

-25.25%

Onion (1kg)

$3.45 ¥545

$1.99 MX$36.74

73.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 ¥214

$1.14 MX$21.01

18.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥130

$1.20 MX$22.18

-30.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ¥631

$4.26 MX$78.7

-6.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.70 ¥1,217

$10.02 MX$185

-23.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥303

$1.54 MX$28.41

24.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ¥392

$2.66 MX$49.17

-6.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.84 ¥290

$0.53 MX$9.73

247.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,181

$27.51 MX$508

19.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 ¥581

$4.90 MX$90.6

-24.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 ¥192

$3.43 MX$63.5

-64.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.43 ¥3,386

$5.38 MX$99.4

298.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.45 MX$26.76

-24.14%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

3.10%

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

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-35.91%

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

$139 ¥21.9K

$85.4 MX$1,577

62.75%

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

$24.17 ¥3,818

$23.46 MX$434

3.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.93 ¥4,887

$28.43 MX$525

8.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.6 ¥8,315

$62.2 MX$1,149

-15.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.65 ¥734

$28.68 MX$530

-83.79%

Cinema Ticket

$12.72 ¥2,009

$5.10 MX$94.3

149.41%

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

$155 ¥24.5K

$201 MX$3,715

-22.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,400 ¥537.2K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

-13.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.67 ¥4,529

$44.39 MX$820

-35.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.54 ¥3,877

$41.35 MX$764

-40.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.85 ¥7,560

$72.7 MX$1,344

-34.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.0 ¥10.1K

$89.6 MX$1,656

-28.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$241 ¥38.1K

$979 MX$18.1K

-75.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 ¥29.3K

$373 MX$6,887

-50.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$618 ¥97.7K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-63.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 ¥80.2K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-53.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,058 ¥483.1K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-22.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,406 ¥222.2K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-77.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,973 ¥311.8K

$738 MX$13.6K

167.56%

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 Hiroshima: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hiroshima

$255 26.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 1.3% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hiroshima

$194 20.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 29.3% $57

Accommodation & Living

Hiroshima

$186 19.3%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 101% $187

Eating Out

Hiroshima

$125 13%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 60.8% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Hiroshima

$78 8.1%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 7.3% $5.7

Clothing & Footwear

Hiroshima

$74 7.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 50.3% $37

Getting Around

Hiroshima

$50 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 3.6% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $241 in Hiroshima versus $979 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 run about 168% higher in Hiroshima, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Hiroshima versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $258 – making Hiroshima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Hiroshima

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:00 12:00 PM

22:00 10:00 PM

14 h behind Hiroshima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,200,754

149,923

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hiroshima Playa del Carmen 12,610 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Hiroshima
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 25% more than Hiroshima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,442 per month in Hiroshima 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 Hiroshima, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $961 in Hiroshima and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 25%.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Hiroshima. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hiroshima, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Hiroshima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hiroshima costs $961 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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