Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Morioka and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Morioka and in Playa del Carmen: $1,189 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

Morioka, Japan
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Morioka
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,189
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,189 per month in Morioka vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Morioka $1,189
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,898 per month in Morioka vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Morioka $1,898
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,607 per month in Morioka vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Morioka $2,607
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Morioka and Playa del Carmen have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Morioka and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Morioka 13% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Morioka
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.22 ¥981
$10.92 MX$205
-43.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.27 ¥5,088
$43.37 MX$815
-25.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.15 ¥812
$11.78 MX$221
-56.28%
Cappuccino
$3.06 ¥482
$3.81 MX$71.6
-19.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.14 ¥180
$1.28 MX$24.10
-10.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.80 ¥127
$0.78 MX$14.71
2.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.63 ¥415
$3.17 MX$59.5
-17.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.23 ¥510
$4.93 MX$92.7
-34.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Morioka
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 ¥231
$1.41 MX$26.43
4.26%
White Bread (500g)
$1.54 ¥243
$2.22 MX$41.66
-30.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.08 ¥643
$1.42 MX$26.64
187.32%
Eggs
$2.13 ¥336
$2.52 MX$47.41
-15.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.94 ¥1,567
$7.26 MX$137
36.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.45 ¥1,174
$7.70 MX$145
-3.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.63 ¥2,623
$12.69 MX$239
31.05%
Apples (1kg)
$4.03 ¥635
$2.78 MX$52.3
44.96%
Banana (1kg)
$2.08 ¥328
$1.37 MX$25.71
51.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.03 ¥478
$2.55 MX$47.94
18.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.77 ¥751
$2.12 MX$39.90
125.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.78 ¥438
$1.94 MX$36.43
43.30%
Onion (1kg)
$2.73 ¥430
$1.89 MX$35.44
44.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.33 ¥209
$1.15 MX$21.55
15.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.91 ¥144
$1.18 MX$22.16
-22.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.57 ¥563
$4.30 MX$80.7
-16.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.82 ¥1,075
$9.95 MX$187
-31.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.67 ¥264
$1.58 MX$29.76
5.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 ¥378
$2.67 MX$50.2
-10.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Morioka
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.47 ¥232
$0.55 MX$10.40
167.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$57.6 ¥9,074
$26.62 MX$500
116.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 ¥510
$4.97 MX$93.4
-34.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.11 ¥490
$3.33 MX$62.6
-6.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.05 ¥3,004
$5.36 MX$101
255.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.06 ¥168
$1.44 MX$27.14
-26.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.0K ¥3.0M
$20.7K MX$388.4K
-7.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.5K ¥2.4M
$23.5K MX$441.0K
-34.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Morioka
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$137 ¥21.6K
$84.8 MX$1,594
61.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.86 ¥3,763
$23.41 MX$440
1.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.17 ¥4,915
$28.66 MX$539
8.76%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Morioka
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.5 ¥7,965
$57.1 MX$1,072
-11.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$543
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.62 ¥2,148
$5.14 MX$96.6
164.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Morioka
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$759 ¥119.6K
$207 MX$3,882
267.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.5K ¥2.1M
$3,927 MX$73.8K
242.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Morioka
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.09 ¥6,794
$43.35 MX$815
-0.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.59 ¥4,981
$41.44 MX$779
-23.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$69.6 ¥11.0K
$74.2 MX$1,394
-6.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$102 ¥16.1K
$89.3 MX$1,677
14.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Morioka
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$626 ¥98.7K
$980 MX$18.4K
-36.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$300 ¥47.2K
$381 MX$7,157
-21.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$916 ¥144.5K
$1,708 MX$32.1K
-46.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$706 ¥111.4K
$1,075 MX$20.2K
-34.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,709 ¥742.5K
$3,943 MX$74.1K
19.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,118 ¥334.0K
$6,158 MX$115.7K
-65.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Morioka
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$735 MX$13.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.21
11.45
-80.70%

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

Last update for Morioka: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Morioka
$300
Playa del Carmen
$381 27.1% $81
Groceries & Markets
Morioka
$297
Playa del Carmen
$255 14.3% $42
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Morioka
$192
Playa del Carmen
$137 28.7% $55
Eating Out
Morioka
$129
Playa del Carmen
$202 56.5% $73
Clothing & Footwear
Morioka
$111
Playa del Carmen
$112 0.9% $1
Getting Around
Morioka
$82
Playa del Carmen
$50 38.6% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Morioka
$78
Playa del Carmen
$67 13.4% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $626 in Morioka versus $980 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 $32 in Morioka versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Morioka vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Morioka
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
22:09 10:09 PM
08:09 8:09 AM
14 h behind Morioka
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
289,731
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Morioka Playa del Carmen 11,650 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Morioka
  • 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
Morioka vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What salary covers living expenses in Morioka compared to Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,783 per month in Morioka and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Morioka and Playa del Carmen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Morioka, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $626 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Morioka and Playa del Carmen?
Kindergarten costs $759 per month in Morioka and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How far does $2,000 go in Morioka compared to Playa del Carmen?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,189 in Morioka and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
How does quality of life compare between Morioka and Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,189 in Morioka to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Morioka vs other spots: cost of living compared

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