Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matsudo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Matsudo and in Playa del Carmen: $1,200 and $1,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

Matsudo
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,200
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,200 in Matsudo versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Matsudo $1,200
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,896 in Matsudo versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Matsudo $1,896
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,593 in Matsudo versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Matsudo $2,593
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Matsudo costs roughly 1% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Matsudo 11% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Matsudo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.47 ¥1,023
$10.76 MX$199
-39.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.31 ¥5,895
$43.03 MX$795
-13.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.02 ¥793
$11.79 MX$218
-57.42%
Cappuccino
$3.43 ¥542
$3.87 MX$71.4
-11.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 ¥174
$1.37 MX$25.29
-19.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 ¥124
$0.84 MX$15.44
-7.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.45 ¥387
$3.10 MX$57.3
-20.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.17 ¥501
$5.07 MX$93.6
-37.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Matsudo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 ¥227
$1.44 MX$26.55
-
White Bread (500g)
$1.65 ¥260
$2.23 MX$41.23
-26.01%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.59 ¥567
$1.47 MX$27.17
144.22%
Eggs
$2.09 ¥330
$2.53 MX$46.71
-17.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.21 ¥1,613
$7.30 MX$135
39.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.06 ¥957
$7.86 MX$145
-22.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.09 ¥2,226
$12.79 MX$236
10.16%
Apples (1kg)
$4.81 ¥759
$2.90 MX$53.6
65.86%
Banana (1kg)
$2.29 ¥361
$1.44 MX$26.53
59.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.94 ¥464
$2.55 MX$47.07
15.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.21 ¥666
$2.06 MX$38.03
104.37%
Potato (1kg)
$2.64 ¥417
$2.00 MX$36.97
32.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.67 ¥421
$2.01 MX$37.07
32.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 ¥181
$1.19 MX$22.02
-3.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 ¥120
$1.26 MX$23.23
-39.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.79 ¥599
$4.40 MX$81.4
-13.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.21 ¥981
$9.59 MX$177
-35.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 ¥258
$1.59 MX$29.41
2.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 ¥318
$2.81 MX$51.9
-28.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Matsudo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.53 ¥241
$0.57 MX$10.47
168.42%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.9 ¥8,521
$27.82 MX$514
93.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.17 ¥501
$4.98 MX$92.1
-36.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.74 ¥433
$3.50 MX$64.6
-21.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.67 ¥2,950
$5.40 MX$99.8
245.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.04 ¥164
$1.47 MX$27.08
-29.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.4K ¥3.4M
$21.0K MX$387.8K
2.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.7K ¥2.5M
$23.9K MX$441.8K
-34.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Matsudo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$130 ¥20.5K
$84.2 MX$1,556
54.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.89 ¥3,458
$23.99 MX$443
-8.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.21 ¥4,772
$29.02 MX$536
4.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Matsudo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.9 ¥8,832
$63.0 MX$1,164
-11.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$29.14 MX$539
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.39 ¥1,957
$4.94 MX$91.3
150.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Matsudo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$628 ¥99.3K
$204 MX$3,763
208.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ¥2.3M
$3,941 MX$72.8K
276.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Matsudo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.9 ¥8,670
$43.60 MX$806
25.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.28 ¥5,257
$43.12 MX$797
-22.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$61.5 ¥9,718
$75.8 MX$1,400
-18.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.8 ¥11.3K
$88.6 MX$1,637
-18.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Matsudo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$456 ¥72.1K
$1,008 MX$18.6K
-54.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$348 ¥54.9K
$374 MX$6,911
-7.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,160 ¥183.3K
$1,708 MX$31.6K
-32.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$738 ¥116.6K
$1,106 MX$20.4K
-33.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,559 ¥720.3K
$3,944 MX$72.9K
15.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,840 ¥290.7K
$6,169 MX$114.0K
-70.17%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Matsudo
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$754 MX$13.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.25
11.45
-80.35%

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

Last update for Matsudo: October 11, 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
Matsudo
$348
Playa del Carmen
$374 7.6% $26
Groceries & Markets
Matsudo
$279
Playa del Carmen
$258 7.3% $20
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Matsudo
$182
Playa del Carmen
$137 24.6% $45
Eating Out
Matsudo
$134
Playa del Carmen
$202 50.8% $68
Clothing & Footwear
Matsudo
$100
Playa del Carmen
$113 13.4% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Matsudo
$81
Playa del Carmen
$73 9.7% $7.8
Getting Around
Matsudo
$77
Playa del Carmen
$53 31.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $456 in Matsudo and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37.00 in Matsudo vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $279 vs $258, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Matsudo
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
23:04 11:04 PM
09:04 9:04 AM
14 h behind Matsudo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
485,803
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Matsudo Playa del Carmen 12,030 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Matsudo
  • 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
Matsudo vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Matsudo?
Matsudo is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,800 in Matsudo and $1,816 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.
What is the rent difference between Matsudo and Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $456 in Matsudo versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Matsudo runs roughly 94% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $628 in Matsudo versus $204 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Matsudo or in Playa del Carmen?
At $1,200 in Matsudo versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Matsudo but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Matsudo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Matsudo or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
For families, Matsudo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Matsudo or Playa del Carmen?
Safety-wise, Matsudo 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Matsudo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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