Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ichikawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,245 in Ichikawa, rent and utilities included – about $490 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ichikawa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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

Cost of Living Index in Ichikawa
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Ichikawa Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ichikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,245

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,245 in Ichikawa.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ichikawa $1,245

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,888 in Ichikawa.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ichikawa $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,531 in Ichikawa.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Ichikawa $2,531

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 3% less than in Ichikawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Ichikawa 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$5.21 ¥823

109.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$32.08 ¥5,067

35.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.32 ¥682

172.69%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$2.21 ¥349

72.40%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$0.72 ¥114

77.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.39 ¥61.4

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$2.49 ¥394

27.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$3.25 ¥514

51.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.39 ¥219

1.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$1.66 ¥262

33.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$3.68 ¥581

-61.41%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$1.99 ¥314

26.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$10.53 ¥1,664

-31.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$6.11 ¥965

26.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$14.23 ¥2,247

-10.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$5.77 ¥912

-51.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$2.80 ¥442

-51.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$2.80 ¥443

-8.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$4.13 ¥652

-48.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$2.58 ¥407

-24.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$2.59 ¥409

-27.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$1.26 ¥199

-8.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.76 ¥120

55.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$3.84 ¥607

11.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$6.29 ¥994

58.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$1.74 ¥275

-9.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.12 ¥334

25.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$1.60 ¥252

-65.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$63.2 ¥9,974

-57.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$3.22 ¥508

54.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$2.71 ¥429

22.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$20.75 ¥3,278

-74.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.12 ¥177

28.57%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

-4.98%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$16.0K ¥2.5M

46.58%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$134 ¥21.2K

-36.74%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$24.14 ¥3,812

-3.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$32.17 ¥5,081

-10.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$45.56 ¥7,195

25.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$12.91 ¥2,039

-60.19%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$812 ¥128.2K

-74.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

-73.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$61.9 ¥9,782

-30.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$36.85 ¥5,819

12.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$62.8 ¥9,910

18.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$103 ¥16.3K

-13.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$615 ¥97.1K

59.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$385 ¥60.9K

-1.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$1,022 ¥161.5K

67.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$686 ¥108.4K

56.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$4,163 ¥657.4K

-5.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

$2,124 ¥335.4K

189.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.64

333.71%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ichikawa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Ichikawa

$385 31% 1.2% $4.6

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Ichikawa

$288 23.1% 13.1% $33

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Ichikawa

$105 8.4% 48.3% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ichikawa

$190 15.3% 39.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ichikawa

$119 9.6% 6.7% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Ichikawa

$71 5.7% 6% $4.1

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ichikawa

$86 6.9% 71.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $615 in Ichikawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $32 in Ichikawa. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $288, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇵 Ichikawa

🕒 Local time

08:55 8:55 AM

22:55 10:55 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

496,676

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

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).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ichikawa 12,030 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ichikawa

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 Ichikawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,245 in Ichikawa, so Playa del Carmen is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,868 in Ichikawa 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $615 in Ichikawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Ichikawa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ichikawa – a meal for two runs $32 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.