Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nago, Okinawa and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Nago, Okinawa and in Playa del Carmen: $1,231 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Nago, Okinawa
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Nago, Okinawa Living Index
59

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

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Nago, Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,231

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,231 per month in Nago, Okinawa vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Nago, Okinawa $1,231
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,923 per month in Nago, Okinawa vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Nago, Okinawa $1,923
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,614 per month in Nago, Okinawa vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Nago, Okinawa $2,614
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Nago, Okinawa costs about 2% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nago, Okinawa and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Nago, Okinawa 9% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.82 ¥1,077

$10.86 MX$201

-37.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.35 ¥5,586

$44.21 MX$817

-20.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.68 ¥898

$11.76 MX$217

-51.70%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥479

$3.68 MX$68.0

-17.66%

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

$1.10 ¥173

$1.34 MX$24.79

-17.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥121

$0.82 MX$15.24

-7.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 ¥332

$3.06 MX$56.6

-31.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 ¥482

$4.94 MX$91.2

-38.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥239

$1.47 MX$27.17

3.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥259

$2.22 MX$40.95

-26.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.67 ¥738

$1.48 MX$27.32

215.54%

Eggs

$2.28 ¥361

$2.49 MX$45.99

-8.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.13 ¥1,601

$7.52 MX$139

34.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.15 ¥971

$7.96 MX$147

-22.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.49 ¥2,448

$12.57 MX$232

23.23%

Apples (1kg)

$5.36 ¥847

$2.78 MX$51.3

92.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 ¥402

$1.43 MX$26.37

78.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.13 ¥652

$2.62 MX$48.37

57.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 ¥716

$2.14 MX$39.49

111.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.24 ¥511

$2.02 MX$37.38

60.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$1.99 MX$36.74

28.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 ¥217

$1.14 MX$21.01

21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥140

$1.20 MX$22.18

-26.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ¥674

$4.26 MX$78.7

Wine (Bottle)

$6.50 ¥1,027

$10.02 MX$185

-35.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 ¥302

$1.54 MX$28.41

24.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ¥375

$2.66 MX$49.17

-10.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 ¥250

$0.53 MX$9.73

198.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 ¥8,840

$27.51 MX$508

103.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 ¥542

$4.90 MX$90.6

-30.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.87 ¥454

$3.43 MX$63.5

-16.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.07 ¥3,329

$5.38 MX$99.4

291.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥194

$1.45 MX$26.76

-15.17%

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

$23.5K ¥3.7M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

11.05%

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

$16.9K ¥2.7M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-26.77%

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

$139 ¥21.9K

$85.4 MX$1,577

62.45%

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

$27.18 ¥4,294

$23.46 MX$434

15.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.51 ¥5,452

$28.43 MX$525

21.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 ¥9,012

$62.2 MX$1,149

-8.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.97 ¥2,207

$28.68 MX$530

-51.29%

Cinema Ticket

$13.04 ¥2,061

$5.10 MX$94.3

155.69%

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

$285 ¥45.0K

$201 MX$3,715

41.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K ¥2.1M

$3,947 MX$72.9K

242.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.95 ¥6,944

$44.39 MX$820

-0.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.96 ¥4,575

$41.35 MX$764

-29.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 ¥9,328

$72.7 MX$1,344

-18.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.2 ¥14.6K

$89.6 MX$1,656

2.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$461 ¥72.8K

$979 MX$18.1K

-52.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.9K

$373 MX$6,887

-11.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ¥138.6K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-47.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ¥104.1K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-39.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,826 ¥446.5K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-28.43%

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 %)

1.81

11.45

-84.19%

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

Last update for Nago, Okinawa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nago, Okinawa

$328 26.7%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 13.5% $44

Groceries & Markets

Nago, Okinawa

$306 24.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 15.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nago, Okinawa

$200 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 31.5% $63

Eating Out

Nago, Okinawa

$132 10.7%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 51.7% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Nago, Okinawa

$101 8.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 10.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Nago, Okinawa

$83 6.8%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 12.9% $11

Getting Around

Nago, Okinawa

$80 6.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 35.5% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $461 in Nago, Okinawa 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 $35.00 in Nago, Okinawa versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $306 in Nago, Okinawa vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nago, Okinawa

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:34 9:34 PM

07:34 7:34 AM

14 h behind Nago, Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,554

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 20, 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 20, 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

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Between locations

Nago, Okinawa Playa del Carmen 13,550 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nago, Okinawa
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

Nago, Okinawa vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nago, Okinawa is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,847 per month in Nago, Okinawa 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 103% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $285 per month in Nago, Okinawa 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 Nago, Okinawa at $1,231. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nago, Okinawa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Nago, Okinawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.