Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Hiroshima

For one person, living is cheaper in Hiroshima: $961 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Hiroshima
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Hiroshima Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Hiroshima

🇯🇵 Japan

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $961 in Hiroshima, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Hiroshima $961

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,557 in Hiroshima, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Hiroshima $1,557

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,152 in Hiroshima, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Hiroshima $2,152

Playa del Carmen costs about 25% more than Hiroshima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Hiroshima are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Hiroshima 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$6.13 ¥969

77.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$31.92 ¥5,043

38.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$5.07 ¥801

131.95%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.72 ¥429

35.29%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.96 ¥152

39.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.69 ¥109

18.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.74 ¥433

11.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$3.68 ¥582

34.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.49 ¥236

-1.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.52 ¥240

46.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$4.74 ¥748

-68.78%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.07 ¥327

20.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$5.11 ¥808

47.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$6.18 ¥976

28.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$10.90 ¥1,722

15.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.31 ¥522

-16.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.98 ¥313

-27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$3.77 ¥595

-30.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$3.72 ¥588

-42.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.51 ¥238

33.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$3.45 ¥545

-42.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.35 ¥214

-15.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.83 ¥130

44.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.00 ¥631

6.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$7.70 ¥1,217

30.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.92 ¥303

-19.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.48 ¥392

7.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$1.84 ¥290

-71.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$32.79 ¥5,181

-16.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$3.68 ¥581

33.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.22 ¥192

181.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$21.43 ¥3,386

-74.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.10 ¥174

31.82%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$21.8K ¥3.4M

-3.01%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

56.03%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$139 ¥21.9K

-38.55%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$24.17 ¥3,818

-2.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$30.93 ¥4,887

-8.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$52.6 ¥8,315

18.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$4.65 ¥734

516.77%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$12.72 ¥2,009

-59.91%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$155 ¥24.5K

29.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$3,400 ¥537.2K

16.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$28.67 ¥4,529

54.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$24.54 ¥3,877

68.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$47.85 ¥7,560

52.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$64.0 ¥10.1K

40.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$241 ¥38.1K

306.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$186 ¥29.3K

100.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$618 ¥97.7K

171.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$508 ¥80.2K

115.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$3,058 ¥483.1K

29.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,406 ¥222.2K

336.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$1,973 ¥311.8K

-62.63%

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 Hiroshima: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Hiroshima

$186 19.3% 50.2% $187

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Hiroshima

$255 26.5% 1.3% $3.4

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Hiroshima

$125 13% 37.8% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Hiroshima

$194 20.2% 41.4% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Hiroshima

$74 7.7% 33.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Hiroshima

$78 8.1% 7.8% $5.7

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Hiroshima

$50 5.2% 3.5% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $241 in Hiroshima. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 168% higher in Hiroshima, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $32.00 in Hiroshima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $255 – making Hiroshima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇵 Hiroshima

🕒 Local time

22:52 10:52 PM

12:52 12:52 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,200,754

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 →

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Playa del Carmen Hiroshima 12,610 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

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Playa del Carmen
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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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 25% more than Hiroshima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,442 in Hiroshima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hiroshima, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $961 in Hiroshima. That's a gap of about 25%.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Hiroshima. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hiroshima, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Hiroshima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hiroshima costs $961 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Hiroshima. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.