Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kagoshima and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Kagoshima: $1,135 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Kagoshima
Learn more

Kagoshima Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Kagoshima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,135

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,135 per month in Kagoshima vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kagoshima $1,135
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,887 per month in Kagoshima vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kagoshima $1,887
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,639 per month in Kagoshima vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kagoshima $2,639
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Kagoshima is about 6% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kagoshima and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Kagoshima 17% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.39 ¥1,008

$10.92 MX$205

-41.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.97 ¥5,364

$43.37 MX$813

-21.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.34 ¥844

$11.78 MX$221

-54.67%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥469

$3.81 MX$71.4

-22.05%

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

$1.04 ¥165

$1.28 MX$24.03

-18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$0.78 MX$14.67

-3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 ¥395

$3.17 MX$59.3

-21.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥349

$4.93 MX$92.5

-55.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥208

$1.41 MX$26.35

-7.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ¥182

$2.22 MX$41.54

-48.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.15 ¥813

$1.42 MX$26.56

262.68%

Eggs

$2.05 ¥325

$2.52 MX$47.27

-18.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.94 ¥2,834

$7.26 MX$136

147.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.29 ¥836

$7.70 MX$144

-31.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.77 ¥2,965

$12.69 MX$238

47.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 ¥586

$2.78 MX$52.2

33.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 ¥294

$1.37 MX$25.64

35.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 ¥447

$2.55 MX$47.80

10.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 ¥542

$2.12 MX$39.78

61.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 ¥329

$1.94 MX$36.32

7.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 ¥297

$1.89 MX$35.34

-0.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ¥163

$1.15 MX$21.49

-10.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$1.18 MX$22.09

-32.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 ¥608

$4.30 MX$80.5

-10.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 ¥979

$9.95 MX$186

-37.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ¥191

$1.58 MX$29.67

-23.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ¥291

$2.67 MX$50.1

-31.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 ¥197

$0.55 MX$10.37

127.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ¥8,950

$26.62 MX$499

112.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 ¥650

$4.97 MX$93.1

-17.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.34 ¥370

$3.33 MX$62.4

-29.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.30 ¥1,784

$5.36 MX$100

110.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.44 MX$27.06

-22.92%

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

$22.6K ¥3.6M

$20.7K MX$387.3K

9.27%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$23.5K MX$439.7K

-34.99%

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

$188 ¥29.6K

$84.8 MX$1,589

121.37%

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

$24.69 ¥3,900

$23.41 MX$439

5.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.51 ¥4,976

$28.66 MX$537

9.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ¥8,229

$57.1 MX$1,069

-8.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$11.96 ¥1,889

$5.14 MX$96.3

132.68%

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

$703 ¥111.1K

$207 MX$3,871

240.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ¥2.0M

$3,927 MX$73.6K

214.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.66 ¥7,685

$43.35 MX$812

12.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.33 ¥4,158

$41.44 MX$777

-36.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.4 ¥10.3K

$74.2 MX$1,390

-11.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.3 ¥12.1K

$89.3 MX$1,672

-14.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 ¥86.8K

$980 MX$18.4K

-43.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$219 ¥34.5K

$381 MX$7,136

-42.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 ¥151.2K

$1,708 MX$32.0K

-43.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$730 ¥115.3K

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-32.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,461 ¥704.5K

$3,943 MX$73.9K

13.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,528 ¥399.3K

$6,158 MX$115.4K

-58.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,861 ¥293.9K

$735 MX$13.8K

153.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

11.45

-82.79%

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

Last update for Kagoshima: October 25, 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

Kagoshima

$294 25.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 13.4% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kagoshima

$244 21.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 43.9% $107

Accommodation & Living

Kagoshima

$219 19.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 74.1% $162

Eating Out

Kagoshima

$127 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 59.5% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Kagoshima

$98 8.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 14.6% $14

Getting Around

Kagoshima

$77 6.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 34.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Kagoshima

$76 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 11.4% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $550 in Kagoshima 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.

Salaries in Kagoshima are about 2.5 times higher, 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 $34 in Kagoshima versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $294 in Kagoshima vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kagoshima

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:34 2:34 AM

12:34 12:34 PM

14 h behind Kagoshima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,128

149,923

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kagoshima Playa del Carmen 12,960 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Kagoshima
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 6% more than Kagoshima, 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 $1,702 per month in Kagoshima 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 Kagoshima, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $550 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 53% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $703 per month in Kagoshima and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,135 in Kagoshima and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,135 in Kagoshima to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.