Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Aomori

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Aomori: $1,204 and $1,197 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Aomori
Learn more

Aomori Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Aomori

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,197

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Aomori

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Aomori actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,197 in Aomori.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Aomori $1,197

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,893 in Aomori.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Aomori $1,893

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,589 in Aomori.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Aomori $2,589

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 1% more expensive than in Aomori, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Aomori 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$6.44 ¥1,018

68.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$31.48 ¥4,974

40.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$5.09 ¥805

131.04%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.12 ¥493

17.95%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.19 ¥187

12.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.79 ¥124

3.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.69 ¥425

13.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$3.23 ¥510

52.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.47 ¥232

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.54 ¥244

44.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$4.08 ¥645

-63.73%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.10 ¥332

18.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$10.27 ¥1,623

-26.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$6.66 ¥1,052

19.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$16.32 ¥2,578

-22.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.67 ¥580

-24.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.26 ¥356

-36.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.90 ¥458

-9.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$4.09 ¥646

-47.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.45 ¥386

-17.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.57 ¥405

-22.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.29 ¥204

-11.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.80 ¥127

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.00 ¥631

6.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$6.60 ¥1,042

51.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.81 ¥285

-14.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.10 ¥332

26.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$1.46 ¥231

-63.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$53.5 ¥8,451

-48.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$3.07 ¥485

59.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$2.90 ¥458

18.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$18.51 ¥2,925

-70.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.01 ¥160

43.56%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

-2.37%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

49.02%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$132 ¥20.9K

-35.52%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$24.30 ¥3,839

-3.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$31.31 ¥4,947

-9.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$53.0 ¥8,375

17.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$12.04 ¥1,902

-57.64%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$511 ¥80.7K

-60.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$12.7K ¥2.0M

-68.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$50.5 ¥7,970

-12.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$31.64 ¥4,999

30.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$61.5 ¥9,708

18.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$89.4 ¥14.1K

0.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$539 ¥85.1K

81.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$333 ¥52.5K

12.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,114 ¥176.0K

50.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$743 ¥117.4K

47.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$4,143 ¥654.5K

-4.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,774 ¥280.2K

246.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.21

418.10%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Aomori: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Aomori

$333 27.8% 10.8% $40

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Aomori

$286 23.9% 10.5% $27

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Aomori

$132 11% 34% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Aomori

$188 15.7% 37% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Aomori

$105 8.8% 6.1% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Aomori

$77 6.4% 6.5% $4.7

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Aomori

$77 6.4% 48.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $539 in Aomori. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $31.00 in Aomori. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $286, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇵 Aomori

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

22:23 10:23 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

275,192

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Aomori 11,590 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Aomori

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

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

Playa del Carmen and Aomori differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $1,197 including rent). Aomori is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,795 in Aomori to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $539 in Aomori. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $511 in Aomori. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,197 in Aomori versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Aomori but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Aomori 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, Playa del Carmen and Aomori 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 Aomori gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.