Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kyoto

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Kyoto: $1,210 and $1,229 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

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

Cost of Living Index in Kyoto
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Kyoto Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Kyoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,229

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,229 in Kyoto, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Kyoto $1,229

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,987 in Kyoto, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Kyoto $1,987

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,745 in Kyoto, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Kyoto $2,745

Playa del Carmen is about 2% cheaper than Kyoto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Playa del Carmen and Kyoto are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Kyoto 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$9.52 ¥1,504

13.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$31.84 ¥5,031

35.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$5.00 ¥791

135.80%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.35 ¥529

15.52%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.83 ¥132

65.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.73 ¥115

15.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$3.18 ¥503

-2.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$5.51 ¥870

-7.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.55 ¥244

-7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.63 ¥258

36.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$5.74 ¥907

-74.39%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.12 ¥335

19.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$8.57 ¥1,353

-14.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$7.58 ¥1,197

3.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$10.70 ¥1,690

19.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$5.16 ¥815

-43.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$2.27 ¥359

-36.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$4.94 ¥781

-48.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$3.51 ¥555

-41.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.94 ¥307

3.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.66 ¥262

21.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.18 ¥187

0.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.99 ¥156

27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$3.86 ¥610

13.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$7.52 ¥1,189

27.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.56 ¥247

1.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.27 ¥517

-14.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$1.48 ¥234

-61.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$63.5 ¥10.0K

-56.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$3.25 ¥513

53.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$3.77 ¥596

-7.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$28.62 ¥4,521

-81.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.06 ¥167

38.68%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$21.8K ¥3.4M

-3.65%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

58.09%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$102 ¥16.1K

-17.17%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$23.50 ¥3,712

2.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$31.15 ¥4,921

-6.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$52.3 ¥8,265

20.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$19.00 ¥3,001

53.37%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$12.06 ¥1,905

-59.04%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$642 ¥101.5K

-68.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$6,412 ¥1.0M

-38.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$56.8 ¥8,980

-23.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$45.66 ¥7,214

-5.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$69.4 ¥11.0K

9.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$105 ¥16.5K

-15.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$552 ¥87.1K

82.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$325 ¥51.4K

14.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,743 ¥275.4K

-2.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$766 ¥121.0K

44.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$2,241 ¥354.0K

76.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,270 ¥200.7K

385.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$1,889 ¥298.5K

-60.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.23

413.45%

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 Kyoto: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Kyoto

$325 26.5% 13% $49

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Kyoto

$291 23.7% 12.5% $32

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Kyoto

$165 13.4% 18.6% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Kyoto

$156 12.7% 13.9% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Kyoto

$124 10.1% 10.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Kyoto

$76 6.2% 4.9% $3.6

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Kyoto

$91 7.4% 74% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $552 in Kyoto. 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 151% higher in Kyoto, 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $32.00 in Kyoto. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $291 in Kyoto – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇵 Kyoto

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

20:29 8:29 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,475,183

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Kyoto 12,350 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kyoto

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 Kyoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, $1,229 in Kyoto – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,844 in Kyoto. 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.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Kyoto, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen and $32.00 in Kyoto. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Kyoto at $1,229. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kyoto 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 $1,210 in Playa del Carmen to $1,229 in Kyoto. 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, Kyoto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.