Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kurume

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurume: $965 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Kurume
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Kurume Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Kurume

🇯🇵 Japan

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $965 in Kurume.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Kurume $965

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,529 in Kurume.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Kurume $1,529

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,092 in Kurume.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Kurume $2,092

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 25% more expensive than in Kurume, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Kurume 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$4.43 ¥700

142.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$43.67 ¥6,900

-1.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$3.81 ¥601

209.45%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$1.91 ¥302

102.62%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.66 ¥104

107.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.55 ¥86.2

52.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$3.20 ¥505

-3.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$1.60 ¥252

216.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.25 ¥197

15.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.25 ¥197

78.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$5.13 ¥810

-71.35%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.88 ¥296

34.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$17.85 ¥2,821

-59.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$5.33 ¥841

47.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$19.13 ¥3,022

-33.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.70 ¥584

-21.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.87 ¥296

-22.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.89 ¥456

-11.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$3.26 ¥515

-36.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$2.13 ¥336

-6.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$2.63 ¥416

-23.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.06 ¥168

12.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.98 ¥154

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$3.64 ¥575

20.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$6.21 ¥981

54.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.64 ¥260

-3.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.15 ¥181

144.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$1.51 ¥238

-62.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$46.98 ¥7,423

-40.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$3.96 ¥626

25.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$2.11 ¥333

65.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$17.62 ¥2,784

-69.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$0.60 ¥94.5

145.00%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

-2.29%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$17.8K ¥2.8M

34.63%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$210 ¥33.1K

-59.83%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$24.97 ¥3,944

-3.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$22.59 ¥3,570

28.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$55.2 ¥8,724

14.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$6.82 ¥1,078

-27.57%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$127 ¥20.1K

59.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$12.5K ¥2.0M

-68.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$48.62 ¥7,682

-10.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$12.36 ¥1,953

248.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$24.78 ¥3,915

205.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$31.02 ¥4,901

185.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$531 ¥83.9K

89.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$126 ¥20.0K

195.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$468 ¥73.9K

265.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$315 ¥49.8K

251.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$4,267 ¥674.1K

-7.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,883 ¥297.4K

227.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$1,537 ¥242.8K

-50.93%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Kurume: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Kurume

$126 13.1% 66.2% $248

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Kurume

$299 30.9% 15.6% $40

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Kurume

$94 9.7% 53.6% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Kurume

$257 26.7% 87.4% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Kurume

$53 5.5% 53.5% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Kurume

$69 7.1% 5.5% $4

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Kurume

$68 7% 28.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $531 in Kurume. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kurume pays 104% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $44.00 in Kurume for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $299 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇵 Kurume

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

17:03 5:03 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

303,316

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 →

On the map

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Playa del Carmen Kurume 12,810 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

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Playa del Carmen
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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 Kurume: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Kurume differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,210 vs $965 including rent). Kurume is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 104% lower in Kurume. 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $531 in Kurume. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Kurume – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $965 in Kurume versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kurume but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Kurume 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.

Expats usually find Kurume gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.