Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Itoman and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Itoman: $1,162 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $500 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

Itoman, Japan
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Itoman
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,162
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,162 per month in Itoman vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Itoman $1,162
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,814 per month in Itoman vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Itoman $1,814
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,466 per month in Itoman vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Itoman $2,466
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Itoman is about 3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Itoman and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Itoman 15% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Itoman
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.21 ¥506
$10.92 MX$205
-70.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.93 ¥6,297
$43.37 MX$815
-7.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.92 ¥618
$11.78 MX$221
-66.72%
Cappuccino
$2.56 ¥404
$3.81 MX$71.6
-32.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00 ¥158
$1.28 MX$24.10
-21.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.77 ¥122
$0.78 MX$14.71
-1.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.61 ¥412
$3.17 MX$59.5
-17.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 ¥690
$4.93 MX$92.7
-11.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Itoman
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 ¥259
$1.41 MX$26.43
16.31%
White Bread (500g)
$0.80 ¥126
$2.22 MX$41.66
-63.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.12 ¥334
$1.42 MX$26.64
49.30%
Eggs
$1.76 ¥277
$2.52 MX$47.41
-30.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.69 ¥2,790
$7.26 MX$137
143.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.91 ¥458
$7.70 MX$145
-62.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.93 ¥1,092
$12.69 MX$239
-45.39%
Apples (1kg)
$3.69 ¥582
$2.78 MX$52.3
32.73%
Banana (1kg)
$2.74 ¥432
$1.37 MX$25.71
100.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.16 ¥340
$2.55 MX$47.94
-15.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.02 ¥792
$2.12 MX$39.90
136.79%
Potato (1kg)
$2.47 ¥390
$1.94 MX$36.43
27.32%
Onion (1kg)
$2.59 ¥408
$1.89 MX$35.44
37.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 ¥206
$1.15 MX$21.55
13.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.65 ¥103
$1.18 MX$22.16
-44.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.92 ¥619
$4.30 MX$80.7
-8.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.63 ¥887
$9.95 MX$187
-43.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 ¥308
$1.58 MX$29.76
23.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.35 ¥529
$2.67 MX$50.2
25.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Itoman
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.67 ¥263
$0.55 MX$10.40
203.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$64.6 ¥10.2K
$26.62 MX$500
142.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.71 ¥584
$4.97 MX$93.4
-25.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.58 ¥564
$3.33 MX$62.6
7.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.25 ¥1,775
$5.36 MX$101
109.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.06 ¥167
$1.44 MX$27.14
-26.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ¥3.3M
$20.7K MX$388.4K
2.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.2K ¥2.4M
$23.5K MX$441.0K
-35.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Itoman
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$159 ¥25.1K
$84.8 MX$1,594
87.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.71 ¥3,896
$23.41 MX$440
5.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.44 ¥6,061
$28.66 MX$539
34.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Itoman
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.74 ¥7,370
$57.1 MX$1,072
-18.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$543
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.28 ¥1,936
$5.14 MX$96.6
138.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Itoman
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$333 ¥52.5K
$207 MX$3,882
61.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,536 ¥872.9K
$3,927 MX$73.8K
40.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Itoman
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.87 ¥7,863
$43.35 MX$815
15.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$23.12 ¥3,645
$41.44 MX$779
-44.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$50.5 ¥7,965
$74.2 MX$1,394
-31.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.3 ¥15.3K
$89.3 MX$1,677
9.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Itoman
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$520 ¥82.0K
$980 MX$18.4K
-46.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$329 ¥51.9K
$381 MX$7,157
-13.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$910 ¥143.4K
$1,708 MX$32.1K
-46.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$696 ¥109.8K
$1,075 MX$20.2K
-35.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,553 ¥718.0K
$3,943 MX$74.1K
15.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,575 ¥406.0K
$6,158 MX$115.7K
-58.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Itoman
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$735 MX$13.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.23
11.45
-80.52%

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

Last update for Itoman: 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
Itoman
$329
Playa del Carmen
$381 15.6% $52
Groceries & Markets
Itoman
$250
Playa del Carmen
$255 1.8% $4.5
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Itoman
$222
Playa del Carmen
$137 38.4% $85
Clothing & Footwear
Itoman
$99
Playa del Carmen
$112 12.4% $12
Eating Out
Itoman
$97
Playa del Carmen
$202 109% $105
Getting Around
Itoman
$93
Playa del Carmen
$50 45.7% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Itoman
$71
Playa del Carmen
$67 5.6% $4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $520 in Itoman 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Itoman versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $255 – making Itoman the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Itoman
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
20:10 8:10 PM
06:10 6:10 AM
14 h behind Itoman
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
61,007
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Itoman Playa del Carmen 13,610 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Itoman
  • 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
Itoman vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Itoman cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,744 per month in Itoman and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Itoman, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $520 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
Is eating out cheaper in Itoman or in Playa del Carmen?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Itoman and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 59% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 enough for either Itoman or Playa del Carmen?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,162 in Itoman and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Itoman or in Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,162 in Itoman to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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