Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Naha and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,344 in Naha, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Naha outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Naha
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Naha Living Index
57

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

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Naha

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,344

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,344 per month in Naha vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Naha $1,344
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $2,090 per month in Naha vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Naha $2,090
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,836 per month in Naha vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Naha $2,836
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Naha costs about 12% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.97 ¥787

$10.67 MX$200

-53.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.22 ¥4,785

$43.80 MX$819

-31.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.92 ¥779

$11.79 MX$220

-58.27%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ¥474

$3.79 MX$70.8

-20.84%

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

$1.29 ¥204

$1.30 MX$24.26

-0.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥135

$0.83 MX$15.59

3.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 ¥407

$3.15 MX$58.9

-18.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ¥649

$4.93 MX$92.3

-16.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ¥256

$1.41 MX$26.35

14.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 ¥341

$2.20 MX$41.07

-2.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.91 ¥619

$1.47 MX$27.54

165.99%

Eggs

$1.84 ¥292

$2.50 MX$46.70

-26.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 ¥2,802

$7.29 MX$136

142.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.95 ¥784

$7.95 MX$149

-37.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.19 ¥3,513

$12.86 MX$241

72.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 ¥573

$2.90 MX$54.2

24.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.61 ¥414

$1.38 MX$25.87

89.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 ¥348

$2.49 MX$46.59

-11.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 ¥796

$2.03 MX$37.97

147.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 ¥381

$2.02 MX$37.88

19.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 ¥390

$1.90 MX$35.60

29.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ¥199

$1.14 MX$21.41

10.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥122

$1.24 MX$23.17

-37.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 ¥627

$4.27 MX$79.9

-7.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.41 ¥1,014

$9.81 MX$184

-34.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 ¥312

$1.59 MX$29.66

23.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ¥512

$2.75 MX$51.3

17.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.63

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 ¥628

$4.76 MX$89.1

-16.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.49 ¥553

$3.25 MX$60.8

7.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.42 ¥1,808

$5.39 MX$101

111.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ¥162

$1.53 MX$28.58

-33.33%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$21.2K MX$396.8K

1.55%

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

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$23.3K MX$435.1K

-35.43%

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

$95.4 ¥15.1K

$83.5 MX$1,562

14.25%

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

$25.01 ¥3,960

$23.19 MX$434

7.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.9 ¥8,215

$27.61 MX$516

87.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,056

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

Cinema Ticket

$11.83 ¥1,873

$5.00 MX$93.5

136.60%

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

$327 ¥51.7K

$207 MX$3,873

57.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,517 ¥873.4K

$5,231 MX$97.8K

5.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.4 ¥7,977

$43.45 MX$813

15.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.44 ¥3,711

$42.54 MX$796

-44.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 ¥12.9K

$72.8 MX$1,361

12.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ¥15.3K

$88.4 MX$1,653

9.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$725 ¥114.8K

$995 MX$18.6K

-27.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 ¥89.4K

$382 MX$7,152

47.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 ¥178.2K

$1,674 MX$31.3K

-32.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,136 ¥179.9K

$1,081 MX$20.2K

5.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,310 ¥207.3K

$832 MX$15.6K

57.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

11.45

-80.52%

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

Last update for Naha: October 31, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Naha

$564 42%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 32.3% $182

Groceries & Markets

Naha

$328 24.4%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 21.6% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Naha

$172 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 22.1% $38

Eating Out

Naha

$120 8.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 66.8% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Naha

$113 8.4%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 1.9% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Naha

$24 * 1.8%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 181% $43

Getting Around

Naha

$21 * 1.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 135% $29

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $725 in Naha versus $995 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.

Salaries run about 57% higher in Naha. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Naha versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $328 in Naha vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Naha

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

11:02 11:02 AM

14 h behind Naha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

317,625

149,923

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Naha Playa del Carmen 13,600 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Naha
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

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

Naha costs about 12% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,015 per month in Naha and $1,804 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 Naha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $725 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,344 in Naha and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 11% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $327 per month in Naha and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,344 in Naha and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,344 in Naha. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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