Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kyoto and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Kyoto and in Playa del Carmen: $1,229 and $1,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Kyoto
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Kyoto Living Index
59

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

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Kyoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,229

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,229 per month in Kyoto vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kyoto $1,229
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,987 per month in Kyoto vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kyoto $1,987
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,745 per month in Kyoto vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kyoto $2,745
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Kyoto costs about 2% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kyoto and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Kyoto 9% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.52 ¥1,504

$10.76 MX$199

-11.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.84 ¥5,031

$43.03 MX$795

-26.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.00 ¥791

$11.79 MX$218

-57.59%

Cappuccino

$3.35 ¥529

$3.87 MX$71.4

-13.44%

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

$0.83 ¥132

$1.37 MX$25.29

-39.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ¥115

$0.84 MX$15.44

-13.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 ¥503

$3.10 MX$57.3

2.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.51 ¥870

$5.07 MX$93.6

8.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥244

$1.44 MX$26.55

7.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥258

$2.23 MX$41.23

-26.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.74 ¥907

$1.47 MX$27.17

290.48%

Eggs

$2.12 ¥335

$2.53 MX$46.71

-16.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 ¥1,353

$7.30 MX$135

17.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.58 ¥1,197

$7.86 MX$145

-3.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 ¥1,690

$12.79 MX$236

-16.34%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 ¥815

$2.90 MX$53.6

77.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 ¥359

$1.44 MX$26.53

57.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 ¥781

$2.55 MX$47.07

93.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 ¥555

$2.06 MX$38.03

70.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 ¥307

$2.00 MX$36.97

-3.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ¥262

$2.01 MX$37.07

-17.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥187

$1.19 MX$22.02

-0.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ¥156

$1.26 MX$23.23

-21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.86 ¥610

$4.40 MX$81.4

-12.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.52 ¥1,189

$9.59 MX$177

-21.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥247

$1.59 MX$29.41

-1.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 ¥517

$2.81 MX$51.9

16.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 ¥234

$0.57 MX$10.47

159.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.5 ¥10.0K

$27.82 MX$514

128.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 ¥513

$4.98 MX$92.1

-34.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.77 ¥596

$3.50 MX$64.6

7.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.62 ¥4,521

$5.40 MX$99.8

430.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.47 MX$27.08

-27.89%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

3.79%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-36.75%

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

$102 ¥16.1K

$84.2 MX$1,556

20.72%

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

$23.50 ¥3,712

$23.99 MX$443

-2.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.15 ¥4,921

$29.02 MX$536

7.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ¥8,265

$63.0 MX$1,164

-16.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.00 ¥3,001

$29.14 MX$539

-34.80%

Cinema Ticket

$12.06 ¥1,905

$4.94 MX$91.3

144.13%

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

$642 ¥101.5K

$204 MX$3,763

215.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,412 ¥1.0M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

62.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 ¥8,980

$43.60 MX$806

30.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.66 ¥7,214

$43.12 MX$797

5.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.4 ¥11.0K

$75.8 MX$1,400

-8.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 ¥16.5K

$88.6 MX$1,637

18.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$552 ¥87.1K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-45.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ¥51.4K

$374 MX$6,911

-13.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,743 ¥275.4K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

2.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$766 ¥121.0K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-30.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,241 ¥354.0K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-43.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,270 ¥200.7K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-79.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,889 ¥298.5K

$754 MX$13.9K

150.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

11.45

-80.52%

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

Last update for Kyoto: October 10, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kyoto

$325 26.5%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 15% $49

Groceries & Markets

Kyoto

$291 23.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 11.1% $32

Eating Out

Kyoto

$165 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 22.9% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kyoto

$156 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 12.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Kyoto

$124 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 9.2% $11

Getting Around

Kyoto

$91 7.4%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 42.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Kyoto

$76 6.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 4.7% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $552 in Kyoto versus $1,008 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 run about 151% higher in Kyoto, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Kyoto versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $291 in Kyoto vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kyoto

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:37 4:37 PM

02:37 2:37 AM

14 h behind Kyoto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,183

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 →

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Between locations

Kyoto Playa del Carmen 12,350 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Kyoto
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,229 in Kyoto, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,844 per month in Kyoto and $1,816 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Kyoto, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Kyoto and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Kyoto at $1,229. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kyoto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,210 in Playa del Carmen to $1,229 in Kyoto. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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