Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kamakura

For one person, living is cheaper in Kamakura: $1,165 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $470 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Kamakura
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Kamakura Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Kamakura

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,165

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,165 in Kamakura.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Kamakura $1,165

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,822 in Kamakura.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kamakura $1,822

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,478 in Kamakura.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Kamakura $2,478

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 3% more expensive than in Kamakura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Kamakura 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$6.44 ¥1,015

69.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$31.61 ¥4,984

37.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.98 ¥785

136.55%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.59 ¥409

47.10%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.11 ¥175

15.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.74 ¥116

5.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.56 ¥403

23.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.21 ¥506

53.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.44 ¥228

-2.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.50 ¥237

48.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$3.70 ¥584

-61.62%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$2.02 ¥318

24.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$10.49 ¥1,654

-30.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$5.92 ¥933

30.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$14.54 ¥2,293

-12.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$5.67 ¥895

-50.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$2.71 ¥428

-49.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.82 ¥444

-9.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$4.16 ¥656

-49.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$2.63 ¥415

-26.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.57 ¥405

-26.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.13 ¥178

1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.82 ¥129

43.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$3.74 ¥589

14.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$6.52 ¥1,027

52.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.83 ¥289

-13.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.09 ¥330

27.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.50 ¥237

-63.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$53.1 ¥8,379

-49.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$3.15 ¥496

57.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$2.63 ¥414

26.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$15.63 ¥2,465

-65.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.11 ¥176

29.73%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$21.9K ¥3.4M

-5.47%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

56.16%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$115 ¥18.2K

-26.58%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$23.20 ¥3,658

0.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$31.50 ¥4,966

-9.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$51.6 ¥8,141

10.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$12.92 ¥2,037

-60.22%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$695 ¥109.6K

-70.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$14.6K ¥2.3M

-73.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$51.2 ¥8,068

-15.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$35.94 ¥5,668

15.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$60.3 ¥9,502

23.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$97.3 ¥15.3K

-8.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$559 ¥88.2K

75.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$321 ¥50.5K

18.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,094 ¥172.5K

56.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$650 ¥102.4K

65.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$4,071 ¥641.9K

-3.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$2,427 ¥382.6K

153.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,810 ¥285.3K

-59.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.02

466.83%

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 Kamakura: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Kamakura

$321 27.5% 15.8% $60

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Kamakura

$288 24.7% 12.9% $33

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Kamakura

$124 10.7% 38.7% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Kamakura

$170 14.6% 24.4% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Kamakura

$110 9.5% 1.5% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Kamakura

$77 6.7% 15.1% $10

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kamakura

$75 6.5% 49.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $559 in Kamakura. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kamakura pays about 2.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

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

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇵 Kamakura

🕒 Local time

08:55 8:55 AM

22:55 10:55 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

172,710

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 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 = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kamakura 12,090 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kamakura

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 Kamakura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kamakura is about 3% cheaper overall, especially in eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Playa del Carmen. 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $559 in Kamakura. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $695 in Kamakura. 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.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Kamakura 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.