Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kumamoto

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,283 in Kumamoto, rent and utilities included – about $950 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kumamoto outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Kumamoto
Learn more

Kumamoto Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,283 in Kumamoto.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Kumamoto $1,283

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,977 in Kumamoto.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Kumamoto $1,977

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,670 in Kumamoto.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Kumamoto $2,670

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 6% less than in Kumamoto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Kumamoto 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$7.13 ¥1,126

52.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$31.86 ¥5,034

38.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$5.96 ¥942

97.32%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.22 ¥508

14.29%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.05 ¥166

27.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.70 ¥111

17.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$3.74 ¥591

-18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.26 ¥357

118.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.36 ¥215

8.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.90 ¥299

16.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$6.64 ¥1,050

-77.71%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.86 ¥294

33.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$17.81 ¥2,814

-57.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$5.47 ¥865

45.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$18.87 ¥2,981

-33.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.72 ¥587

-25.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.86 ¥294

-23.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.78 ¥439

-5.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$3.36 ¥530

-36.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.16 ¥342

-6.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.61 ¥413

-23.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.04 ¥164

9.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.91 ¥143

31.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$3.94 ¥623

8.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$5.61 ¥887

78.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.70 ¥268

-9.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.83 ¥290

45.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$1.50 ¥236

-64.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$52.5 ¥8,291

-47.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$3.84 ¥606

27.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$2.00 ¥317

71.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$18.05 ¥2,852

-70.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.06 ¥167

36.79%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

-3.83%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$17.6K ¥2.8M

31.03%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$210 ¥33.2K

-59.43%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$24.28 ¥3,835

-3.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$33.30 ¥5,261

-14.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$52.9 ¥8,359

17.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$10.95 ¥1,729

-53.42%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$126 ¥20.0K

58.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$12.4K ¥2.0M

-68.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$48.56 ¥7,672

-8.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$25.99 ¥4,106

59.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$65.3 ¥10.3K

11.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$47.20 ¥7,457

89.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$541 ¥85.4K

81.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$328 ¥51.9K

13.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,119 ¥176.8K

50.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$723 ¥114.2K

51.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$4,158 ¥656.8K

-5.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,735 ¥274.1K

253.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

1.97

481.22%

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 Kumamoto: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Kumamoto

$328 25.6% 11.9% $45

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Kumamoto

$312 24.3% 20.6% $53

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Kumamoto

$144 11.2% 28.2% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Kumamoto

$268 20.9% 95.3% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Kumamoto

$84 6.6% 24.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Kumamoto

$75 5.8% 3.3% $2.4

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Kumamoto

$72 5.6% 39.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $541 in Kumamoto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $32.00 in Kumamoto. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $312, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇵 Kumamoto

🕒 Local time

12:13 12:13 PM

02:13 2:13 AM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

738,865

💱 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 Kumamoto 12,840 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kumamoto

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 Kumamoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Kumamoto differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $1,283 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,924 in Kumamoto 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: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $541 in Kumamoto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 91% less than in Kumamoto. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $126 in Kumamoto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,283 in Kumamoto, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Kumamoto. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Kumamoto are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Kumamoto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.