Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kitakyushu

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,250 in Kitakyushu, rent and utilities included – about $550 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kitakyushu 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Kitakyushu
Learn more

Kitakyushu Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Kitakyushu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,250 in Kitakyushu, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Kitakyushu $1,250

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,923 in Kitakyushu, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kitakyushu $1,923

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,596 in Kitakyushu, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Kitakyushu $2,596

Playa del Carmen is about 4% cheaper than Kitakyushu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Playa del Carmen and Kitakyushu are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Kitakyushu 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$7.03 ¥1,108

55.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$32.97 ¥5,198

31.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$5.43 ¥855

116.94%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$3.40 ¥536

12.06%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.06 ¥167

20.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.70 ¥111

11.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.04 ¥479

4.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.18 ¥343

126.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.42 ¥224

-0.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.28 ¥201

73.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$5.29 ¥834

-73.16%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$2.20 ¥347

14.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$9.42 ¥1,485

-22.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$5.25 ¥828

46.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$18.86 ¥2,973

-32.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.59 ¥566

-22.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.88 ¥296

-27.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.79 ¥440

-8.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$2.87 ¥453

-26.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$2.23 ¥351

-13.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.64 ¥417

-28.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.05 ¥165

9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.99 ¥156

19.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$4.05 ¥639

6.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$6.23 ¥983

59.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.64 ¥259

-3.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.72 ¥270

55.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.62 ¥256

-66.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$56.8 ¥8,950

-53.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$3.98 ¥627

24.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$2.04 ¥322

63.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$17.83 ¥2,811

-69.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.05 ¥165

37.14%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$20.3K ¥3.2M

1.98%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

52.53%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$196 ¥31.0K

-56.85%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$25.10 ¥3,959

-6.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$32.21 ¥5,079

-11.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$52.1 ¥8,220

9.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$3.22 ¥508

797.83%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$12.65 ¥1,995

-59.37%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$379 ¥59.7K

-45.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$12.3K ¥1.9M

-68.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$48.55 ¥7,656

-10.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$26.37 ¥4,158

57.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$67.0 ¥10.6K

10.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$55.7 ¥8,784

60.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$555 ¥87.5K

76.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$338 ¥53.2K

12.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,005 ¥158.5K

69.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$715 ¥112.8K

50.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$4,304 ¥678.7K

-8.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$2,319 ¥365.6K

165.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,533 ¥241.8K

-52.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

1.69

577.51%

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 Kitakyushu: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Kitakyushu

$338 27% 11.4% $43

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Kitakyushu

$275 22% 7.9% $20

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Kitakyushu

$140 11.2% 30.9% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Kitakyushu

$254 20.3% 85.5% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Kitakyushu

$89 7.1% 20.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Kitakyushu

$77 6.2% 15% $10

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kitakyushu

$77 6.2% 53.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $555 in Kitakyushu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kitakyushu are about 2.1 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 $33 in Kitakyushu. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $275 in Kitakyushu – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇵 Kitakyushu

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

21:13 9:13 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

939,029

💱 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 Kitakyushu 12,740 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kitakyushu

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 Kitakyushu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,250 in Kitakyushu – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 4% 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 $1,875 in Kitakyushu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kitakyushu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $555 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Kitakyushu, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $33 in Kitakyushu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,250 in Kitakyushu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,250 in Kitakyushu. 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, Kitakyushu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.