Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nagasaki and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,287 in Nagasaki, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nagasaki outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Nagasaki
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Nagasaki Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Nagasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,287

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,287 in Nagasaki versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Nagasaki $1,287
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,907 in Nagasaki versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Nagasaki $1,907
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,527 in Nagasaki versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Nagasaki $2,527
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Nagasaki is roughly 7% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nagasaki 5% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.03 ¥793

$10.92 MX$205

-53.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.07 ¥3,007

$43.37 MX$815

-56.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥803

$11.78 MX$221

-56.71%

Cappuccino

$3.63 ¥572

$3.81 MX$71.6

-4.72%

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

$1.04 ¥164

$1.28 MX$24.10

-18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥120

$0.78 MX$14.71

-2.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 ¥341

$3.17 MX$59.5

-31.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥356

$4.93 MX$92.7

-54.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥245

$1.41 MX$26.43

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ¥291

$2.22 MX$41.66

-17.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.21 ¥980

$1.42 MX$26.64

337.32%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥321

$2.52 MX$47.41

-19.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.36 ¥1,477

$7.26 MX$137

28.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ¥506

$7.70 MX$145

-58.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.33 ¥3,048

$12.69 MX$239

52.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 ¥561

$2.78 MX$52.3

28.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 ¥288

$1.37 MX$25.71

33.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 ¥454

$2.55 MX$47.94

12.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 ¥514

$2.12 MX$39.90

53.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 ¥353

$1.94 MX$36.43

15.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 ¥418

$1.89 MX$35.44

40.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ¥163

$1.15 MX$21.55

-9.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ¥153

$1.18 MX$22.16

-17.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 ¥609

$4.30 MX$80.7

-10.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.50 ¥1,025

$9.95 MX$187

-34.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥269

$1.58 MX$29.76

8.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥292

$2.67 MX$50.2

-30.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 ¥200

$0.55 MX$10.40

130.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.4 ¥8,898

$26.62 MX$500

111.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 ¥649

$4.97 MX$93.4

-17.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 ¥378

$3.33 MX$62.6

-27.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.66 ¥2,785

$5.36 MX$101

229.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ¥170

$1.44 MX$27.14

-25.00%

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

$22.8K ¥3.6M

$20.7K MX$388.4K

10.41%

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

$15.5K ¥2.4M

$23.5K MX$441.0K

-34.10%

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

$215 ¥33.8K

$84.8 MX$1,594

153.14%

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

$24.77 ¥3,906

$23.41 MX$440

5.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.03 ¥5,208

$28.66 MX$539

15.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ¥8,251

$57.1 MX$1,072

-8.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 ¥1,997

$5.14 MX$96.6

146.30%

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

$706 ¥111.3K

$207 MX$3,882

241.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ¥2.0M

$3,927 MX$73.8K

216.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.40 ¥7,632

$43.35 MX$815

11.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.87 ¥4,079

$41.44 MX$779

-37.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.7 ¥10.7K

$74.2 MX$1,394

-8.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.74 ¥7,370

$89.3 MX$1,677

-47.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 ¥86.7K

$980 MX$18.4K

-43.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 ¥59.0K

$381 MX$7,157

-1.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 ¥171.1K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-36.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 ¥117.1K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-30.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,205 ¥663.0K

$3,943 MX$74.1K

6.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,287 ¥360.6K

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-62.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

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 Nagasaki: October 25, 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

Nagasaki

$374 29.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 1.8% $6.7

Groceries & Markets

Nagasaki

$279 21.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 8.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nagasaki

$272 21.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 49.8% $136

Eating Out

Nagasaki

$122 9.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 66.4% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Nagasaki

$85 6.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 31.5% $27

Getting Around

Nagasaki

$78 6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 35% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Nagasaki

$78 6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 13.3% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $550 in Nagasaki and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Nagasaki vs $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $279 vs $255, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nagasaki

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:11 9:11 AM

19:11 7:11 PM

14 h behind Nagasaki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

409,118

149,923

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 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 = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Nagasaki Playa del Carmen 12,900 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nagasaki
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,931 in Nagasaki and $1,806 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $550 in Nagasaki versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Nagasaki. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Nagasaki – a meal for two runs $19 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.