Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kanazawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,277 in Kanazawa, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Kanazawa
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Kanazawa Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Kanazawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,277

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,277 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Kanazawa $1,277

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,031 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Kanazawa $2,031

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,786 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Kanazawa $2,786

Playa del Carmen is about 6% cheaper than Kanazawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Kanazawa are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Kanazawa 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$7.64 ¥1,206

42.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$31.61 ¥4,994

39.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$4.73 ¥747

148.63%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.26 ¥358

62.83%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.14 ¥180

17.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.58 ¥91.2

41.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.03 ¥320

50.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.33 ¥368

112.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.55 ¥245

-5.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.32 ¥208

68.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$5.30 ¥837

-72.08%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.07 ¥327

20.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$12.52 ¥1,978

-39.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$9.41 ¥1,487

-15.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$31.96 ¥5,049

-60.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.62 ¥572

-23.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.28 ¥360

-37.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$6.48 ¥1,024

-59.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$4.14 ¥655

-48.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$3.73 ¥589

-45.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$3.42 ¥540

-41.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.28 ¥201

-10.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.03 ¥163

16.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$3.55 ¥561

20.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$8.40 ¥1,327

19.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.96 ¥310

-21.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.52 ¥239

75.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$1.49 ¥236

-64.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$54.4 ¥8,598

-49.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$3.11 ¥491

57.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$3.22 ¥508

6.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$26.21 ¥4,140

-79.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.11 ¥175

30.63%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$20.3K ¥3.2M

4.15%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$16.4K ¥2.6M

40.18%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$148 ¥23.3K

-42.22%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$24.34 ¥3,845

-3.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$43.30 ¥6,840

-34.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$42.68 ¥6,743

45.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$11.47 ¥1,812

-55.54%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$320 ¥50.6K

-37.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$6,140 ¥970.0K

-35.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$49.59 ¥7,834

-10.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$25.27 ¥3,993

63.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$45.94 ¥7,258

58.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$64.9 ¥10.3K

38.10%

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

$327 ¥51.6K

14.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,100 ¥173.7K

52.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$749 ¥118.3K

46.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$4,294 ¥678.4K

-8.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,742 ¥275.3K

252.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$1,857 ¥293.4K

-60.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.28

402.19%

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 Kanazawa: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Kanazawa

$327 25.6% 12.4% $46

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Kanazawa

$382 29.9% 47.9% $124

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Kanazawa

$124 9.7% 38% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Kanazawa

$215 16.9% 56.9% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Kanazawa

$84 6.5% 25.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Kanazawa

$66 5.1% 9.4% $6.8

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Kanazawa

$80 6.2% 54% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $539 in Kanazawa. 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 152% higher in Kanazawa, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $32.00 in Kanazawa. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $382 in Kanazawa – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇵 Kanazawa

🕒 Local time

22:53 10:53 PM

12:53 12:53 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

465,699

💱 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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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kanazawa 12,170 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kanazawa

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 Kanazawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,277 in Kanazawa – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,916 in Kanazawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, 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 $1,277 in Kanazawa. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 98% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Kanazawa at $1,277. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kanazawa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,277 in Kanazawa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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