Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Amagasaki Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Amagasaki

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,287 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,243 in Amagasaki.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,961 in Amagasaki.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,680 in Amagasaki.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 3% more expensive than Amagasaki, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 4% lower, Amagasaki 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.94 MX$209

$7.01 ¥1,122

70.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.75 MX$748

$34.19 ¥5,473

25.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 MX$185

$5.29 ¥847

100.19%

Cappuccino

$3.62 MX$63.4

$3.13 ¥502

15.65%

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

$1.47 MX$25.69

$1.05 ¥168

40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 MX$16.51

$0.81 ¥130

16.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 MX$54.1

$2.62 ¥419

17.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MX$78.0

$3.17 ¥508

40.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$24.94

$1.54 ¥247

-7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 MX$32.97

$1.55 ¥248

21.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 MX$28.50

$4.84 ¥775

-66.32%

Eggs

$2.64 MX$46.26

$2.21 ¥353

19.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.21 MX$144

$10.15 ¥1,625

-19.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 MX$145

$6.22 ¥996

33.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 MX$194

$15.38 ¥2,462

-27.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 MX$46.40

$5.43 ¥870

-51.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$26.26

$2.63 ¥421

-42.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$34.79

$4.08 ¥653

-51.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 MX$36.33

$5.95 ¥953

-65.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$31.29

$3.17 ¥508

-43.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 MX$38.09

$2.61 ¥417

-16.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MX$18.84

$1.38 ¥220

-21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.15

$0.90 ¥144

15.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 MX$69.5

$4.28 ¥686

-7.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 MX$179

$8.06 ¥1,289

26.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 MX$30.22

$1.83 ¥292

-5.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 MX$43.71

$2.27 ¥363

10.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.07

$1.65 ¥264

-68.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.97 MX$472

$56.2 ¥8,989

-51.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$55.0

$3.49 ¥558

-10.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 MX$42.04

$2.98 ¥477

-19.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 MX$54.0

$21.00 ¥3,361

-85.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$22.28

$1.23 ¥196

3.25%

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

$30.9K MX$540.4K

$23.6K ¥3.8M

30.71%

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

$23.3K MX$408.0K

$17.2K ¥2.8M

35.27%

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

$82.0 MX$1,435

$141 ¥22.6K

-42.01%

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

$22.45 MX$393

$27.60 ¥4,418

-18.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.66 MX$519

$34.23 ¥5,479

-13.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$908

$56.1 ¥8,979

-7.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.67 MX$327

$14.00 ¥2,241

33.36%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MX$87.0

$12.61 ¥2,018

-60.59%

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

$198 MX$3,462

$279 ¥44.6K

-29.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,273 MX$92.3K

$13.5K ¥2.2M

-61.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.34 MX$636

$43.57 ¥6,975

-16.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 MX$701

$29.71 ¥4,756

34.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 MX$1,398

$60.1 ¥9,628

32.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 MX$1,555

$91.2 ¥14.6K

-2.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$16.9K

$463 ¥74.2K

107.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 MX$8,133

$330 ¥52.8K

40.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,596 MX$27.9K

$856 ¥137.1K

86.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 MX$21.2K

$663 ¥106.1K

82.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,942 MX$69.0K

$4,646 ¥743.7K

-15.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,448 MX$112.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$720 MX$12.6K

$2,944 ¥471.2K

-75.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

1.78

541.57%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 25, 2026

Last update for Amagasaki: April 28, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $963 in Playa del Carmen and $463 in Amagasaki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Amagasaki pays 309% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $34.00 in Amagasaki. Groceries flip the comparison at $251 vs $317, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

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

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

Playa del Carmen and Amagasaki differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,287 vs $1,243 including rent). Amagasaki is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Amagasaki earns 309% less. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $963 in Playa del Carmen versus $463 in Amagasaki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 26% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Amagasaki – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,243 in Amagasaki versus $1,287 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Amagasaki but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Amagasaki 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.

Expats usually find Amagasaki gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.