Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kurume and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurume: $965 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Kurume
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Kurume Living Index
59

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

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Kurume

🇯🇵 Japan

$965

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $965 in Kurume versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Kurume $965
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,529 in Kurume versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Kurume $1,529
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,092 in Kurume versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Kurume $2,092
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Kurume costs roughly 20% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kurume 29% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.43 ¥700

$10.76 MX$199

-58.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.67 ¥6,900

$43.03 MX$795

1.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.81 ¥601

$11.79 MX$218

-67.68%

Cappuccino

$1.91 ¥302

$3.87 MX$71.4

-50.65%

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

$0.66 ¥104

$1.37 MX$25.29

-51.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥86.2

$0.84 MX$15.44

-34.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ¥505

$3.10 MX$57.3

3.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥252

$5.07 MX$93.6

-68.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥197

$1.44 MX$26.55

-13.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 ¥197

$2.23 MX$41.23

-43.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.13 ¥810

$1.47 MX$27.17

248.98%

Eggs

$1.88 ¥296

$2.53 MX$46.71

-25.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.85 ¥2,821

$7.30 MX$135

144.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 ¥841

$7.86 MX$145

-32.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.13 ¥3,022

$12.79 MX$236

49.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 ¥584

$2.90 MX$53.6

27.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 ¥296

$1.44 MX$26.53

29.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 ¥456

$2.55 MX$47.07

13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 ¥515

$2.06 MX$38.03

58.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 ¥336

$2.00 MX$36.97

6.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 ¥416

$2.01 MX$37.07

30.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.19 MX$22.02

-10.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥154

$1.26 MX$23.23

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 ¥575

$4.40 MX$81.4

-17.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.21 ¥981

$9.59 MX$177

-35.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥260

$1.59 MX$29.41

3.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 ¥181

$2.81 MX$51.9

-59.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 ¥238

$0.57 MX$10.47

164.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.98 ¥7,423

$27.82 MX$514

68.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ¥626

$4.98 MX$92.1

-20.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 ¥333

$3.50 MX$64.6

-39.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.62 ¥2,784

$5.40 MX$99.8

226.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 ¥94.5

$1.47 MX$27.08

-59.18%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

2.34%

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

$17.8K ¥2.8M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-25.72%

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

$210 ¥33.1K

$84.2 MX$1,556

148.94%

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

$24.97 ¥3,944

$23.99 MX$443

4.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 ¥3,570

$29.02 MX$536

-22.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 ¥8,724

$63.0 MX$1,164

-12.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$6.82 ¥1,078

$4.94 MX$91.3

38.06%

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

$127 ¥20.1K

$204 MX$3,763

-37.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K ¥2.0M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

216.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.62 ¥7,682

$43.60 MX$806

11.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.36 ¥1,953

$43.12 MX$797

-71.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$24.78 ¥3,915

$75.8 MX$1,400

-67.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.02 ¥4,901

$88.6 MX$1,637

-64.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$531 ¥83.9K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-47.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$126 ¥20.0K

$374 MX$6,911

-66.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$468 ¥73.9K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-72.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 ¥49.8K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-71.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,267 ¥674.1K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

8.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,883 ¥297.4K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-69.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,537 ¥242.8K

$754 MX$13.9K

103.80%

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 Kurume: October 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kurume

$299 30.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 13.5% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kurume

$257 26.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 46.7% $120

Accommodation & Living

Kurume

$126 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 196% $248

Eating Out

Kurume

$94 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 116% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Kurume

$69 7.1%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 5.8% $4

Getting Around

Kurume

$68 7%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 22.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Kurume

$53 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 115% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $531 in Kurume and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kurume pays 104% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Kurume vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kurume

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

17:57 5:57 PM

14 h behind Kurume

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

303,316

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 18, 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 18, 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

Kurume Playa del Carmen 12,810 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Kurume
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

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

Kurume and Playa del Carmen differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($965 vs $1,210 including rent). Kurume is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 104% higher in Kurume, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $531 in Kurume versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Kurume – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $965 in Kurume versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kurume but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Kurume 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.

Expats usually find Kurume gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.