Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ichikawa and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Ichikawa and in Playa del Carmen: $1,167 and $1,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Ichikawa
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Ichikawa Living Index
59

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

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Ichikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,167

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,167 in Ichikawa versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Ichikawa $1,167
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,876 in Ichikawa versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Ichikawa $1,876
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,585 in Ichikawa versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Ichikawa $2,585
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Ichikawa costs roughly 4% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ichikawa 14% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.13 ¥811

$10.76 MX$199

-52.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.09 ¥4,912

$43.03 MX$795

-27.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.30 ¥680

$11.79 MX$218

-63.53%

Cappuccino

$2.23 ¥352

$3.87 MX$71.4

-42.38%

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

$0.72 ¥113

$1.37 MX$25.29

-47.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥55.7

$0.84 MX$15.44

-58.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 ¥395

$3.10 MX$57.3

-19.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥502

$5.07 MX$93.6

-37.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ¥218

$1.44 MX$26.55

-4.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ¥261

$2.23 MX$41.23

-26.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 ¥578

$1.47 MX$27.17

148.98%

Eggs

$1.97 ¥311

$2.53 MX$46.71

-22.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 ¥1,663

$7.30 MX$135

44.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 ¥926

$7.86 MX$145

-25.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.38 ¥2,272

$12.79 MX$236

12.43%

Apples (1kg)

$5.53 ¥874

$2.90 MX$53.6

90.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 ¥442

$1.44 MX$26.53

94.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 ¥444

$2.55 MX$47.07

10.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 ¥673

$2.06 MX$38.03

106.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 ¥413

$2.00 MX$36.97

30.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$2.01 MX$37.07

27.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥202

$1.19 MX$22.02

7.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$1.26 MX$23.23

-40.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 ¥590

$4.40 MX$81.4

-15.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.38 ¥1,007

$9.59 MX$177

-33.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ¥281

$1.59 MX$29.41

11.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ¥320

$2.81 MX$51.9

-28.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$0.57 MX$10.47

136.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.9 ¥9,457

$27.82 MX$514

115.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

$4.98 MX$92.1

-37.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 ¥432

$3.50 MX$64.6

-22.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.59 ¥3,253

$5.40 MX$99.8

281.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.47 MX$27.08

-28.57%

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

$21.2K ¥3.4M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

1.06%

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

$18.5K ¥2.9M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-22.50%

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

$132 ¥20.8K

$84.2 MX$1,556

56.56%

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

$23.97 ¥3,788

$23.99 MX$443

-0.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.98 ¥5,052

$29.02 MX$536

10.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.04 ¥7,431

$63.0 MX$1,164

-25.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$12.80 ¥2,022

$4.94 MX$91.3

159.11%

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

$642 ¥101.4K

$204 MX$3,763

215.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K ¥2.3M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

269.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 ¥9,801

$43.60 MX$806

42.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.27 ¥5,889

$43.12 MX$797

-13.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.5 ¥9,559

$75.8 MX$1,400

-20.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.1K

$88.6 MX$1,637

14.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 ¥78.3K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-50.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 ¥50.1K

$374 MX$6,911

-15.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 ¥187.3K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-30.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$763 ¥120.5K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-31.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,455 ¥703.9K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

12.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,881 ¥297.2K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-69.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

11.45

-76.94%

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

Last update for Ichikawa: October 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ichikawa

$317 27.1%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 18.1% $57

Groceries & Markets

Ichikawa

$287 24.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 9.8% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ichikawa

$188 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 26.9% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Ichikawa

$118 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 4% $4.7

Eating Out

Ichikawa

$104 8.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 94.8% $98

Getting Around

Ichikawa

$82 7%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 35.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Ichikawa

$73 6.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $495 in Ichikawa and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31.00 in Ichikawa vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $287 vs $258, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ichikawa

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

09:05 9:05 AM

14 h behind Ichikawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

496,676

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 19, 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 19, 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 →

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Between locations

Ichikawa Playa del Carmen 12,030 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Ichikawa
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

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

Ichikawa and Playa del Carmen differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,167 vs $1,210 including rent). Ichikawa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,751 in Ichikawa and $1,816 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $495 in Ichikawa versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Ichikawa – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,167 in Ichikawa versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ichikawa but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Ichikawa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Ichikawa and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ichikawa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.