Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kumamoto and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,283 in Kumamoto, rent and utilities included – about $950 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kumamoto outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kumamoto
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Kumamoto Living Index
59

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

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Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,283

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,283 in Kumamoto versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Kumamoto $1,283
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,977 in Kumamoto versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Kumamoto $1,977
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,670 in Kumamoto versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Kumamoto $2,670
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Kumamoto is roughly 7% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kumamoto 5% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.13 ¥1,126

$10.86 MX$201

-34.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.86 ¥5,034

$44.21 MX$817

-27.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 ¥942

$11.76 MX$217

-49.32%

Cappuccino

$3.22 ¥508

$3.68 MX$68.0

-12.50%

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

$1.05 ¥166

$1.34 MX$24.79

-21.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥111

$0.82 MX$15.24

-14.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.74 ¥591

$3.06 MX$56.6

22.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥357

$4.94 MX$91.2

-54.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 ¥215

$1.47 MX$27.17

-7.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 ¥299

$2.22 MX$40.95

-14.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.64 ¥1,050

$1.48 MX$27.32

348.65%

Eggs

$1.86 ¥294

$2.49 MX$45.99

-25.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.81 ¥2,814

$7.52 MX$139

136.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 ¥865

$7.96 MX$147

-31.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.87 ¥2,981

$12.57 MX$232

50.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 ¥587

$2.78 MX$51.3

33.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 ¥294

$1.43 MX$26.37

30.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 ¥439

$2.62 MX$48.37

6.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 ¥530

$2.14 MX$39.49

57.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 ¥342

$2.02 MX$37.38

6.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 ¥413

$1.99 MX$36.74

31.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ¥164

$1.14 MX$21.01

-8.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥143

$1.20 MX$22.18

-24.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 ¥623

$4.26 MX$78.7

-7.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 ¥887

$10.02 MX$185

-44.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥268

$1.54 MX$28.41

10.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥290

$2.66 MX$49.17

-31.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥236

$0.53 MX$9.73

183.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.5 ¥8,291

$27.51 MX$508

90.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ¥606

$4.90 MX$90.6

-21.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 ¥317

$3.43 MX$63.5

-41.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.05 ¥2,852

$5.38 MX$99.4

235.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.45 MX$26.76

-26.90%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

3.98%

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

$17.6K ¥2.8M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-23.68%

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

$210 ¥33.2K

$85.4 MX$1,577

146.51%

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

$24.28 ¥3,835

$23.46 MX$434

3.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.30 ¥5,261

$28.43 MX$525

17.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 ¥8,359

$62.2 MX$1,149

-14.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$10.95 ¥1,729

$5.10 MX$94.3

114.71%

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

$126 ¥20.0K

$201 MX$3,715

-37.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ¥2.0M

$3,947 MX$72.9K

213.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.56 ¥7,672

$44.39 MX$820

9.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.99 ¥4,106

$41.35 MX$764

-37.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.3 ¥10.3K

$72.7 MX$1,344

-10.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.20 ¥7,457

$89.6 MX$1,656

-47.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 ¥85.4K

$979 MX$18.1K

-44.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.9K

$373 MX$6,887

-11.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 ¥176.8K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-33.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 ¥114.2K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-34.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,158 ¥656.8K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

5.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,735 ¥274.1K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-71.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

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 Kumamoto: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kumamoto

$328 25.6%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 13.6% $45

Groceries & Markets

Kumamoto

$312 24.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 17.1% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kumamoto

$268 20.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 48.8% $131

Eating Out

Kumamoto

$144 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 39.3% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Kumamoto

$84 6.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 32.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Kumamoto

$75 5.8%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 3.2% $2.4

Getting Around

Kumamoto

$72 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 28.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $541 in Kumamoto and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Kumamoto vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $258, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kumamoto

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

16:53 4:53 PM

14 h behind Kumamoto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

738,865

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 21, 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 21, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Kumamoto Playa del Carmen 12,840 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Kumamoto
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

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

Kumamoto and Playa del Carmen differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,283 vs $1,204 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,924 in Kumamoto and $1,806 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: $541 in Kumamoto versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 91% less than in Kumamoto. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $126 in Kumamoto versus $201 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,283 in Kumamoto, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Kumamoto. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen 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, Kumamoto 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 Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Kumamoto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.