Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Narita and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Narita and in Playa del Carmen: $1,203 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Narita
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Narita Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Narita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,203

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,203 in Narita versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Narita $1,203
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,912 in Narita versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Narita $1,912
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,620 in Narita versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Narita $2,620
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Monthly costs are close between Narita and Playa del Carmen; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.73 ¥904

$10.92 MX$205

-47.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.80 ¥6,592

$43.37 MX$815

-3.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.42 ¥697

$11.78 MX$221

-62.48%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ¥513

$3.81 MX$71.6

-14.70%

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

$0.78 ¥124

$1.28 MX$24.10

-39.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ¥116

$0.78 MX$14.71

-6.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 ¥326

$3.17 MX$59.5

-34.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 ¥508

$4.93 MX$92.7

-34.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥196

$1.41 MX$26.43

-11.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 ¥272

$2.22 MX$41.66

-22.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.63 ¥573

$1.42 MX$26.64

155.63%

Eggs

$1.98 ¥313

$2.52 MX$47.41

-21.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.31 ¥1,626

$7.26 MX$137

42.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 ¥966

$7.70 MX$145

-20.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 ¥2,262

$12.69 MX$239

13.00%

Apples (1kg)

$5.83 ¥919

$2.78 MX$52.3

109.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ¥431

$1.37 MX$25.71

99.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ¥460

$2.55 MX$47.94

14.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 ¥656

$2.12 MX$39.90

96.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 ¥417

$1.94 MX$36.43

36.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 ¥423

$1.89 MX$35.44

42.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥206

$1.15 MX$21.55

13.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥129

$1.18 MX$22.16

-30.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥596

$4.30 MX$80.7

-12.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 ¥980

$9.95 MX$187

-37.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥283

$1.58 MX$29.76

13.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 ¥329

$2.67 MX$50.2

-21.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 ¥234

$0.55 MX$10.40

169.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.9 ¥10.2K

$26.62 MX$500

143.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 ¥512

$4.97 MX$93.4

-34.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ¥255

$3.33 MX$62.6

-51.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.95 ¥3,303

$5.36 MX$101

290.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 ¥162

$1.44 MX$27.14

-28.47%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

$20.7K MX$388.4K

5.43%

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

$16.1K ¥2.5M

$23.5K MX$441.0K

-31.49%

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

$131 ¥20.6K

$84.8 MX$1,594

54.16%

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

$24.14 ¥3,806

$23.41 MX$440

3.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.35 ¥4,470

$28.66 MX$539

-1.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ¥8,254

$57.1 MX$1,072

-8.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$11.49 ¥1,811

$5.14 MX$96.6

123.54%

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

$828 ¥130.6K

$207 MX$3,882

300.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$3,927 MX$73.8K

278.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 ¥9,818

$43.35 MX$815

43.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.42 ¥5,742

$41.44 MX$779

-12.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 ¥9,620

$74.2 MX$1,394

-17.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 ¥16.5K

$89.3 MX$1,677

17.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$540 ¥85.1K

$980 MX$18.4K

-44.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 ¥52.6K

$381 MX$7,157

-12.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ¥142.1K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-47.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$700 ¥110.3K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-34.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,825 ¥603.2K

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-2.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,316 ¥365.3K

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-62.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,258 ¥198.3K

$735 MX$13.8K

71.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

11.45

-76.94%

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

Last update for Narita: October 27, 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

Narita

$334 27.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 14.1% $47

Groceries & Markets

Narita

$289 24%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 11.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Narita

$183 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 25.3% $46

Eating Out

Narita

$121 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 67.3% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Narita

$119 9.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 6.1% $7.3

Getting Around

Narita

$82 6.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 38.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Narita

$75 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 10.6% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $540 in Narita and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Narita pays 71% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $42 in Narita vs $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $289 vs $255, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Narita

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:14 9:14 PM

07:14 7:14 AM

14 h behind Narita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

131,613

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 = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Narita Playa del Carmen 12,000 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Narita
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

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

Average pay runs 71% higher in Narita, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $540 in Narita versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 59% less than in Narita. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $828 in Narita versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Narita 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.