Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matsuyama and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,277 in Matsuyama, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Matsuyama
Learn more

Matsuyama Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Matsuyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,277

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,277 per month in Matsuyama vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Matsuyama $1,277
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,017 per month in Matsuyama vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Matsuyama $2,017
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,758 per month in Matsuyama vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Matsuyama $2,758
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Matsuyama costs about 6% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Matsuyama and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Matsuyama 6% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.38 ¥1,008

$10.86 MX$201

-41.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.99 ¥4,896

$44.21 MX$817

-29.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.71 ¥744

$11.76 MX$217

-59.95%

Cappuccino

$2.38 ¥376

$3.68 MX$68.0

-35.33%

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

$1.19 ¥188

$1.34 MX$24.79

-11.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥91.7

$0.82 MX$15.24

-29.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.09 ¥330

$3.06 MX$56.6

-31.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥361

$4.94 MX$91.2

-53.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ¥238

$1.47 MX$27.17

2.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 ¥210

$2.22 MX$40.95

-40.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.40 ¥853

$1.48 MX$27.32

264.86%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥329

$2.49 MX$45.99

-16.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ¥1,974

$7.52 MX$139

66.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 ¥1,498

$7.96 MX$147

19.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.49 ¥5,134

$12.57 MX$232

158.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 ¥579

$2.78 MX$51.3

32.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 ¥367

$1.43 MX$26.37

62.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.34 ¥1,001

$2.62 MX$48.37

141.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 ¥670

$2.14 MX$39.49

98.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.67 ¥580

$2.02 MX$37.38

81.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.45 ¥545

$1.99 MX$36.74

73.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ¥196

$1.14 MX$21.01

8.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ¥154

$1.20 MX$22.18

-19.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ¥555

$4.26 MX$78.7

-17.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 ¥1,262

$10.02 MX$185

-20.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 ¥312

$1.54 MX$28.41

27.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 ¥227

$2.66 MX$49.17

-45.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥228

$0.53 MX$9.73

171.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.7 ¥8,327

$27.51 MX$508

91.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 ¥510

$4.90 MX$90.6

-34.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.08 ¥486

$3.43 MX$63.5

-10.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.40 ¥4,170

$5.38 MX$99.4

390.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥173

$1.45 MX$26.76

-24.14%

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

$20.0K ¥3.2M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

-5.34%

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

$16.7K ¥2.6M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-27.44%

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

$144 ¥22.8K

$85.4 MX$1,577

69.05%

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

$23.66 ¥3,738

$23.46 MX$434

0.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.16 ¥6,819

$28.43 MX$525

51.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 ¥8,379

$62.2 MX$1,149

-14.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 ¥1,982

$5.10 MX$94.3

145.88%

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

$319 ¥50.3K

$201 MX$3,715

58.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,069 ¥958.9K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

53.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.43 ¥7,809

$44.39 MX$820

11.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.19 ¥3,980

$41.35 MX$764

-39.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.18 ¥7,297

$72.7 MX$1,344

-36.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.3 ¥10.5K

$89.6 MX$1,656

-26.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ¥83.2K

$979 MX$18.1K

-46.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.8K

$373 MX$6,887

-12.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ¥177.3K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-33.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 ¥114.4K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-33.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,302 ¥679.6K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

8.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,726 ¥272.6K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-71.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.28

11.45

-80.09%

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

Last update for Matsuyama: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Matsuyama

$383 30%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 32.5% $124

Accommodation & Living

Matsuyama

$328 25.7%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 13.7% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matsuyama

$211 16.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 35% $74

Eating Out

Matsuyama

$116 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 72.9% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Matsuyama

$84 6.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 32.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Matsuyama

$78 6.1%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 7.3% $5.7

Getting Around

Matsuyama

$77 6%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 32.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Matsuyama versus $979 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Matsuyama versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $383 in Matsuyama vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Matsuyama

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:27 10:27 AM

20:27 8:27 PM

14 h behind Matsuyama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

511,192

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Matsuyama Playa del Carmen 12,630 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Matsuyama
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,277 in Matsuyama, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,915 per month in Matsuyama 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 92% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $319 per month in Matsuyama and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Matsuyama at $1,277. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Matsuyama 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,277 in Matsuyama. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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