Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Fukushima

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Fukushima: $1,202 and $1,179 a month, rent and utilities included.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Fukushima, Japan
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Fukushima
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,179
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Fukushima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,179 in Fukushima.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Fukushima $1,179

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,896 in Fukushima.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Fukushima $1,896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,613 in Fukushima.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Fukushima $2,613

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Fukushima 13% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Fukushima
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$200
$5.97 ¥940
78.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$823
$29.63 ¥4,667
47.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$221
$4.37 ¥688
169.79%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$71.1
$2.47 ¥389
53.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.36
$0.97 ¥153
34.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.65
$0.67 ¥105
23.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$59.1
$2.58 ¥407
22.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$3.18 ¥501
55.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Fukushima
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.46
$1.51 ¥238
-6.62%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$41.23
$1.53 ¥242
43.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.66
$4.10 ¥646
-64.15%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.89
$2.09 ¥329
19.62%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$137
$10.23 ¥1,611
-28.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$149
$6.50 ¥1,023
22.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$242
$17.13 ¥2,698
-24.93%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$54.4
$3.71 ¥585
-21.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.98
$2.23 ¥351
-38.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.78
$2.95 ¥464
-15.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$38.12
$4.09 ¥644
-50.37%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$38.03
$2.38 ¥374
-15.13%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.74
$2.48 ¥390
-23.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.49
$1.32 ¥209
-13.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.27
$0.83 ¥131
49.40%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$80.2
$3.99 ¥629
7.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$184
$6.55 ¥1,031
49.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.78
$1.88 ¥296
-15.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.6
$2.15 ¥339
27.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Fukushima
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.67
$1.52 ¥239
-66.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$514
$58.4 ¥9,199
-53.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$89.4
$3.56 ¥561
33.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$61.0
$2.96 ¥466
9.80%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$101
$23.07 ¥3,633
-76.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.70
$1.21 ¥191
26.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$398.4K
$22.4K ¥3.5M
-5.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$436.9K
$15.0K ¥2.4M
55.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Fukushima
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,568
$125 ¥19.6K
-33.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$435
$21.80 ¥3,433
6.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$519
$32.57 ¥5,129
-15.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Fukushima
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,060
$51.2 ¥8,060
10.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$529
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.9
$11.50 ¥1,811
-56.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Fukushima
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,889
$692 ¥109.0K
-70.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$98.2K
$18.2K ¥2.9M
-71.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Fukushima
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$816
$52.5 ¥8,267
-17.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$799
$34.18 ¥5,383
24.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,367
$67.4 ¥10.6K
7.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,660
$77.2 ¥12.2K
14.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Fukushima
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.7K
$556 ¥87.5K
79.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,181
$334 ¥52.6K
14.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.4K
$973 ¥153.2K
72.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.3K
$808 ¥127.3K
33.71%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$73.4K
$4,329 ¥681.8K
-9.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$115.3K
$2,479 ¥390.5K
147.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Fukushima
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.6K
-
-
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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Fukushima: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Fukushima
$334 12.7% $48
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Fukushima
$288 11.9% $31
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Fukushima
$116 41.9% $84
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Fukushima
$179 33.3% $45
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Fukushima
$104 6.4% $7.2
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Fukushima
$74 11.6% $7.7
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Fukushima
$83 64.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $556 in Fukushima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $30 in Fukushima. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $288, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇯🇵 Fukushima
🕒 Local time
22:56 10:56 PM
12:56 12:56 PM
14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
282,693
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 157 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Fukushima 11,840 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Fukushima

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 Fukushima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,768 in Fukushima 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.
What is the rent difference between Playa del Carmen and Fukushima?
Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $556 in Fukushima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $692 in Fukushima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Playa del Carmen or in Fukushima?
Dining out is cheaper in Fukushima – a meal for two runs $30 versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 enough for either Playa del Carmen or Fukushima?
Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Fukushima gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Fukushima?
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.

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