Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Otsu and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,297 in Otsu, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Otsu
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Otsu Living Index
58

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

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Otsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,297 in Otsu versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Otsu $1,297
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,890 in Otsu versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Otsu $1,890
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,482 in Otsu versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Otsu $2,482
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Otsu is roughly 8% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.43 ¥1,331

$10.92 MX$205

-22.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.93 ¥5,043

$43.37 MX$813

-26.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 ¥810

$11.78 MX$221

-56.45%

Cappuccino

$3.12 ¥494

$3.81 MX$71.4

-18.11%

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

$1.18 ¥187

$1.28 MX$24.03

-7.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥142

$0.78 MX$14.67

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 ¥504

$3.17 MX$59.3

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 ¥712

$4.93 MX$92.5

-8.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 ¥242

$1.41 MX$26.35

8.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥245

$2.22 MX$41.54

-30.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 ¥714

$1.42 MX$26.56

218.31%

Eggs

$2.14 ¥338

$2.52 MX$47.27

-15.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.67 ¥2,475

$7.26 MX$136

115.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.88 ¥1,086

$7.70 MX$144

-10.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 ¥2,718

$12.69 MX$238

35.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 ¥782

$2.78 MX$52.2

78.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 ¥393

$1.37 MX$25.64

81.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.97 ¥785

$2.55 MX$47.80

94.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.42 ¥698

$2.12 MX$39.78

108.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 ¥348

$1.94 MX$36.32

13.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ¥295

$1.89 MX$35.34

-1.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ¥187

$1.15 MX$21.49

3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥137

$1.18 MX$22.09

-26.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 ¥627

$4.30 MX$80.5

-7.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.69 ¥1,530

$9.95 MX$186

-2.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥326

$1.58 MX$29.67

30.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥345

$2.67 MX$50.1

-17.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 ¥235

$0.55 MX$10.37

170.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.5 ¥9,080

$26.62 MX$499

115.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 ¥514

$4.97 MX$93.1

-34.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.85 ¥450

$3.33 MX$62.4

-14.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.41 ¥4,486

$5.36 MX$100

430.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ¥177

$1.44 MX$27.06

-22.22%

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

$22.2K ¥3.5M

$20.7K MX$387.3K

7.26%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$23.5K MX$439.7K

-34.96%

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

$118 ¥18.6K

$84.8 MX$1,589

38.83%

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

$23.18 ¥3,661

$23.41 MX$439

-0.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.70 ¥4,849

$28.66 MX$537

7.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ¥8,042

$57.1 MX$1,069

-10.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.46 ¥1,494

$28.91 MX$542

-67.28%

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,029

$5.14 MX$96.3

150.00%

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

$700 ¥110.6K

$207 MX$3,871

239.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K ¥2.0M

$3,927 MX$73.6K

220.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 ¥8,766

$43.35 MX$812

28.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.05 ¥5,693

$41.44 MX$777

-13.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.5 ¥11.0K

$74.2 MX$1,390

-6.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.1 ¥15.3K

$89.3 MX$1,672

8.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$443 ¥69.9K

$980 MX$18.4K

-54.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 ¥57.9K

$381 MX$7,136

-3.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 ¥98.4K

$1,708 MX$32.0K

-63.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ¥72.9K

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-57.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,199 ¥663.1K

$3,943 MX$73.9K

6.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,274 ¥359.2K

$6,158 MX$115.4K

-63.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,818 ¥287.0K

$735 MX$13.8K

147.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.1

11.45

-81.66%

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

Last update for Otsu: 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

Otsu

$366 28.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 3.9% $14

Groceries & Markets

Otsu

$332 25.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 23.2% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Otsu

$172 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 20.2% $35

Eating Out

Otsu

$154 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 31.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Otsu

$116 9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 3.8% $4.5

Getting Around

Otsu

$81 6.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 37.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Otsu

$77 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 12.1% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $443 in Otsu and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Otsu pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Otsu vs $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $332 vs $255, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Otsu

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:49 1:49 AM

11:49 11:49 AM

14 h behind Otsu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

341,314

149,923

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Otsu Playa del Carmen 12,350 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Otsu
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Otsu. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Otsu is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $443 in Otsu versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $700 in Otsu versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Otsu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Otsu on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.