Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kitakyushu and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,250 in Kitakyushu, rent and utilities included – about $550 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kitakyushu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Kitakyushu
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Kitakyushu Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Kitakyushu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,250

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,250 per month in Kitakyushu vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kitakyushu $1,250
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,923 per month in Kitakyushu vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kitakyushu $1,923
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,596 per month in Kitakyushu vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kitakyushu $2,596
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Kitakyushu costs about 4% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kitakyushu and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Kitakyushu 8% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.03 ¥1,108

$10.92 MX$205

-35.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.97 ¥5,198

$43.37 MX$815

-23.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.43 ¥855

$11.78 MX$221

-53.90%

Cappuccino

$3.40 ¥536

$3.81 MX$71.6

-10.76%

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

$1.06 ¥167

$1.28 MX$24.10

-17.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥111

$0.78 MX$14.71

-10.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 ¥479

$3.17 MX$59.5

-4.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥343

$4.93 MX$92.7

-55.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 ¥224

$1.41 MX$26.43

0.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 ¥201

$2.22 MX$41.66

-42.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.29 ¥834

$1.42 MX$26.64

272.54%

Eggs

$2.20 ¥347

$2.52 MX$47.41

-12.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 ¥1,485

$7.26 MX$137

29.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.25 ¥828

$7.70 MX$145

-31.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.86 ¥2,973

$12.69 MX$239

48.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 ¥566

$2.78 MX$52.3

29.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 ¥296

$1.37 MX$25.71

37.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 ¥440

$2.55 MX$47.94

9.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 ¥453

$2.12 MX$39.90

35.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 ¥351

$1.94 MX$36.43

14.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 ¥417

$1.89 MX$35.44

39.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 ¥165

$1.15 MX$21.55

-8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ¥156

$1.18 MX$22.16

-16.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 ¥639

$4.30 MX$80.7

-5.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.23 ¥983

$9.95 MX$187

-37.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥259

$1.58 MX$29.76

3.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ¥270

$2.67 MX$50.2

-35.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 ¥256

$0.55 MX$10.40

194.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.8 ¥8,950

$26.62 MX$500

113.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 ¥627

$4.97 MX$93.4

-19.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 ¥322

$3.33 MX$62.6

-38.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.83 ¥2,811

$5.36 MX$101

232.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥165

$1.44 MX$27.14

-27.08%

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

$20.3K ¥3.2M

$20.7K MX$388.4K

-1.94%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$23.5K MX$441.0K

-34.44%

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

$196 ¥31.0K

$84.8 MX$1,594

131.74%

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

$25.10 ¥3,959

$23.41 MX$440

7.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.21 ¥5,079

$28.66 MX$539

12.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ¥8,220

$57.1 MX$1,072

-8.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.22 ¥508

$28.91 MX$543

-88.86%

Cinema Ticket

$12.65 ¥1,995

$5.14 MX$96.6

146.11%

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

$379 ¥59.7K

$207 MX$3,882

83.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K ¥1.9M

$3,927 MX$73.8K

213.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.55 ¥7,656

$43.35 MX$815

12.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.37 ¥4,158

$41.44 MX$779

-36.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 ¥10.6K

$74.2 MX$1,394

-9.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.7 ¥8,784

$89.3 MX$1,677

-37.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$555 ¥87.5K

$980 MX$18.4K

-43.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 ¥53.2K

$381 MX$7,157

-11.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 ¥158.5K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-41.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 ¥112.8K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-33.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,304 ¥678.7K

$3,943 MX$74.1K

9.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,319 ¥365.6K

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-62.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,533 ¥241.8K

$735 MX$13.8K

108.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.69

11.45

-85.24%

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

Last update for Kitakyushu: October 24, 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

Kitakyushu

$338 27%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 12.8% $43

Groceries & Markets

Kitakyushu

$275 22%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 7.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kitakyushu

$254 20.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 46.1% $117

Eating Out

Kitakyushu

$140 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 44.7% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Kitakyushu

$89 7.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 25.6% $23

Getting Around

Kitakyushu

$77 6.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 34.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Kitakyushu

$77 6.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 13.1% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $555 in Kitakyushu 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 Kitakyushu are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Kitakyushu versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $275 in Kitakyushu vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kitakyushu

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:10 8:10 PM

06:10 6:10 AM

14 h behind Kitakyushu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

939,029

149,923

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 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 = 6.34 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).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kitakyushu Playa del Carmen 12,740 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Kitakyushu
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,250 in Kitakyushu, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 4% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,875 per month in Kitakyushu 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 Kitakyushu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $555 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Kitakyushu, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Kitakyushu and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,250 in Kitakyushu 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 $1,250 in Kitakyushu. 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, Kitakyushu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.