Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,400 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Osaka outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,400

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,400 in Osaka versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen.

Osaka $1,400
Playa del Carmen $1,215

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,991 in Osaka versus $2,144 in Playa del Carmen.

Osaka $1,991
Playa del Carmen $2,144

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,582 in Osaka versus $3,072 in Playa del Carmen.

Osaka $2,582
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Living in Osaka is roughly 15% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 4% above, Playa del Carmen is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.19 ¥979

$10.97 MX$201

-43.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.80 ¥5,032

$44.85 MX$823

-29.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.93 ¥781

$11.92 MX$219

-58.64%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ¥474

$3.80 MX$69.9

-21.05%

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

$1.45 ¥229

$1.31 MX$24.08

10.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥113

$0.86 MX$15.72

-16.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ¥415

$3.21 MX$59.0

-18.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 ¥618

$5.01 MX$92.0

-21.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.46 MX$26.77

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ¥207

$2.33 MX$42.72

-43.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.25 ¥831

$1.44 MX$26.48

264.58%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥321

$2.46 MX$45.20

-17.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.77 ¥1,545

$7.70 MX$141

26.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 ¥1,460

$7.89 MX$145

16.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.95 ¥2,841

$12.80 MX$235

40.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 ¥520

$2.92 MX$53.6

12.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥317

$1.42 MX$26.11

40.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 ¥334

$2.57 MX$47.10

-17.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.11 ¥650

$2.14 MX$39.24

92.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ¥239

$1.95 MX$35.75

-22.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ¥188

$1.94 MX$35.55

-38.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥206

$1.15 MX$21.13

13.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥137

$1.22 MX$22.42

-29.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 ¥604

$4.38 MX$80.3

-12.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.74 ¥1,542

$9.85 MX$181

-1.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ¥296

$1.54 MX$28.23

21.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 ¥499

$2.72 MX$49.86

15.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 ¥212

$0.52 MX$9.64

157.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.68 ¥5,171

$27.42 MX$503

19.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 ¥610

$4.91 MX$90.2

-21.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 ¥505

$3.52 MX$64.7

-9.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.93 ¥3,470

$5.69 MX$104

285.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥173

$1.54 MX$28.27

-28.57%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$21.2K MX$389.9K

1.28%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$24.5K MX$449.6K

-38.21%

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

$140 ¥22.2K

$83.6 MX$1,535

67.54%

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

$24.14 ¥3,821

$24.03 MX$441

0.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.58 ¥4,840

$29.33 MX$539

4.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.41 ¥7,819

$64.9 MX$1,191

-23.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.41 ¥2,914

$29.46 MX$541

-37.51%

Cinema Ticket

$12.27 ¥1,941

$5.09 MX$93.4

141.06%

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

$511 ¥80.9K

$208 MX$3,813

146.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K ¥2.1M

$4,045 MX$74.3K

223.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.50 ¥7,517

$44.55 MX$818

6.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.12 ¥4,767

$42.06 MX$772

-28.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.4 ¥11.6K

$75.5 MX$1,387

-2.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.0 ¥14.4K

$91.4 MX$1,678

-0.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$704 ¥111.3K

$986 MX$18.1K

-28.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 ¥80.4K

$385 MX$7,072

31.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,751 ¥277.2K

$1,713 MX$31.5K

2.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$765 ¥121.1K

$1,108 MX$20.4K

-30.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,208 ¥982.3K

$4,016 MX$73.7K

54.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,938 ¥306.7K

$6,247 MX$114.7K

-68.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,346 ¥371.2K

$758 MX$13.9K

209.47%

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 Osaka: October 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$508 36.9%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 24.2% $123

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$301 21.9%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 13.5% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 29.7% $58

Eating Out

Osaka

$130 9.5%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 57.1% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$109 7.9%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 4.7% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$74 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 1.5% $1.1

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 10% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $704 in Osaka and $986 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 209% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Osaka vs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $301 vs $260, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

05:32 5:32 AM

14 h behind Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

149,923

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Osaka Playa del Carmen 12,400 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Osaka
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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

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

Osaka and Playa del Carmen differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,400 vs $1,215 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 209% higher in Osaka, 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: $704 in Osaka versus $986 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 19% less than in Osaka. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $511 in Osaka versus $208 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,400 in Osaka, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Osaka and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.