Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kashiwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,241 in Kashiwa, rent and utilities included – about $440 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kashiwa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Kashiwa
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Kashiwa Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Kashiwa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,241 in Kashiwa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Kashiwa $1,241

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,861 in Kashiwa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kashiwa $1,861

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,481 in Kashiwa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Kashiwa $2,481

Playa del Carmen is about 3% cheaper than Kashiwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Playa del Carmen and Kashiwa are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Kashiwa 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$6.27 ¥989

74.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$25.74 ¥4,059

68.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$5.23 ¥825

125.24%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$3.46 ¥546

10.12%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.70 ¥110

82.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.79 ¥125

-1.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.56 ¥404

23.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.11 ¥491

58.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.29 ¥203

9.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.10 ¥173

101.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$3.61 ¥570

-60.66%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.96 ¥309

28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$6.46 ¥1,019

12.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$6.05 ¥955

27.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$9.59 ¥1,513

32.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$5.55 ¥876

-49.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$2.73 ¥431

-49.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.97 ¥468

-14.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$4.24 ¥669

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$2.67 ¥421

-27.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.55 ¥402

-25.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.60 ¥95.3

91.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.66 ¥104

78.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$3.92 ¥619

9.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$6.43 ¥1,014

54.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.82 ¥286

-13.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.86 ¥293

43.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.51 ¥238

-63.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$57.3 ¥9,040

-53.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$3.11 ¥491

59.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.55 ¥245

114.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$20.28 ¥3,197

-73.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.02 ¥161

41.18%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

-4.06%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$15.8K ¥2.5M

48.22%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$124 ¥19.6K

-31.87%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$24.64 ¥3,885

-4.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$32.79 ¥5,170

-12.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$56.3 ¥8,879

1.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$12.78 ¥2,015

-59.78%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$815 ¥128.4K

-74.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$14.6K ¥2.3M

-73.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$62.0 ¥9,773

-30.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$36.55 ¥5,763

13.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$62.0 ¥9,778

19.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$101 ¥15.9K

-11.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$526 ¥82.9K

86.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$402 ¥63.4K

-5.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,000 ¥157.7K

70.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$716 ¥112.8K

50.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$4,322 ¥681.5K

-8.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$2,597 ¥409.6K

137.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$2,664 ¥420.1K

-72.43%

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 Kashiwa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Kashiwa

$402 32.4% 5.6% $21

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Kashiwa

$251 20.2% 1.5% $3.9

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Kashiwa

$132 10.7% 34.6% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Kashiwa

$182 14.7% 32.9% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Kashiwa

$118 9.5% 5.3% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Kashiwa

$82 6.6% 21.6% $15

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kashiwa

$74 6% 47.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $526 in Kashiwa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kashiwa are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $26 in Kashiwa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $251 – making Kashiwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇵 Kashiwa

🕒 Local time

00:04 12:04 AM

14:04 2:04 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

417,394

💱 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 = 20.98 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 Kashiwa 12,020 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kashiwa

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 Kashiwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,241 in Kashiwa – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 3% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,862 in Kashiwa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kashiwa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $526 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,241 in Kashiwa. That makes Playa del Carmen about 3% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $815 in Kashiwa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,241 in Kashiwa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,241 in Kashiwa. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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