Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kashiwa and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,241 in Kashiwa, rent and utilities included – about $440 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kashiwa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Kashiwa
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Kashiwa Living Index
58

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

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Kashiwa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,241

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,241 per month in Kashiwa vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kashiwa $1,241
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,861 per month in Kashiwa vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kashiwa $1,861
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,481 per month in Kashiwa vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kashiwa $2,481
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Kashiwa costs about 3% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kashiwa and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Kashiwa 9% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.27 ¥988

$10.92 MX$205

-42.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.74 ¥4,054

$43.37 MX$814

-40.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.23 ¥824

$11.78 MX$221

-55.60%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ¥545

$3.81 MX$71.5

-9.19%

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

$0.70 ¥110

$1.28 MX$24.07

-45.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥125

$0.78 MX$14.70

1.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ¥403

$3.17 MX$59.5

-19.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 ¥490

$4.93 MX$92.7

-36.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥203

$1.41 MX$26.40

-8.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ¥173

$2.22 MX$41.62

-50.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.61 ¥569

$1.42 MX$26.61

154.23%

Eggs

$1.96 ¥308

$2.52 MX$47.36

-22.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.46 ¥1,018

$7.26 MX$136

-11.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.05 ¥954

$7.70 MX$144

-21.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.59 ¥1,511

$12.69 MX$238

-24.43%

Apples (1kg)

$5.55 ¥875

$2.78 MX$52.3

99.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ¥431

$1.37 MX$25.68

99.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 ¥468

$2.55 MX$47.89

16.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 ¥668

$2.12 MX$39.86

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 ¥420

$1.94 MX$36.39

37.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 ¥402

$1.89 MX$35.41

34.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥95.2

$1.15 MX$21.53

-47.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥104

$1.18 MX$22.13

-44.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.92 ¥618

$4.30 MX$80.6

-8.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.43 ¥1,013

$9.95 MX$187

-35.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥286

$1.58 MX$29.73

15.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥293

$2.67 MX$50.1

-30.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 ¥237

$0.55 MX$10.39

174.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.3 ¥9,030

$26.62 MX$500

115.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥491

$4.97 MX$93.3

-37.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ¥245

$3.33 MX$62.5

-53.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.28 ¥3,194

$5.36 MX$101

278.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ¥160

$1.44 MX$27.11

-29.17%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$20.7K MX$388.0K

4.23%

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

$15.8K ¥2.5M

$23.5K MX$440.5K

-32.53%

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

$124 ¥19.6K

$84.8 MX$1,592

46.79%

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

$24.64 ¥3,881

$23.41 MX$439

5.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.79 ¥5,164

$28.66 MX$538

14.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.3 ¥8,869

$57.1 MX$1,071

-1.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$12.78 ¥2,013

$5.14 MX$96.5

148.64%

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

$815 ¥128.3K

$207 MX$3,878

294.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K ¥2.3M

$3,927 MX$73.7K

271.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 ¥9,763

$43.35 MX$814

42.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.55 ¥5,757

$41.44 MX$778

-11.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.0 ¥9,768

$74.2 MX$1,393

-16.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 ¥15.9K

$89.3 MX$1,676

13.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ¥82.8K

$980 MX$18.4K

-46.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$402 ¥63.4K

$381 MX$7,150

5.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 ¥157.6K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-41.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$716 ¥112.7K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-33.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,322 ¥680.8K

$3,943 MX$74.0K

9.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,597 ¥409.1K

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-57.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,664 ¥419.7K

$735 MX$13.8K

262.75%

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 Kashiwa: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Kashiwa

$402 32.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 5.3% $21

Groceries & Markets

Kashiwa

$251 20.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 1.6% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kashiwa

$182 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 24.8% $45

Eating Out

Kashiwa

$132 10.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 52.9% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Kashiwa

$118 9.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 5% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Kashiwa

$82 6.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 17.8% $15

Getting Around

Kashiwa

$74 6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 32% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Kashiwa 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 Kashiwa are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Kashiwa versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $255 – making Kashiwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kashiwa

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

23:10 11:10 PM

14 h behind Kashiwa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

417,394

149,923

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kashiwa Playa del Carmen 12,020 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Kashiwa
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,241 in Kashiwa, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 3% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,862 per month in Kashiwa 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 Kashiwa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $526 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,241 in Kashiwa and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 3% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Kashiwa and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,241 in Kashiwa and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,241 in Kashiwa. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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