Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Matsudo

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,239 in Matsudo, rent and utilities included – about $420 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Matsudo 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Matsudo
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Matsudo Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Matsudo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,239

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,239 in Matsudo.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Matsudo $1,239

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,907 in Matsudo.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Matsudo $1,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,574 in Matsudo.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Matsudo $2,574

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 3% less than in Matsudo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Matsudo 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$6.20 ¥979

76.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$37.45 ¥5,915

15.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.94 ¥781

138.46%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$3.54 ¥559

7.63%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$1.10 ¥174

16.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.79 ¥124

-1.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$2.58 ¥407

22.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$3.13 ¥495

57.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.45 ¥229

-2.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$1.67 ¥264

32.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$3.60 ¥569

-60.56%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$1.99 ¥314

26.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$10.36 ¥1,636

-29.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$5.96 ¥941

29.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$14.76 ¥2,331

-14.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$4.82 ¥762

-42.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$2.27 ¥358

-39.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$2.82 ¥446

-9.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$4.23 ¥668

-49.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$2.64 ¥417

-26.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$2.66 ¥420

-28.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$1.19 ¥189

-3.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.76 ¥120

55.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$3.78 ¥597

13.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$6.43 ¥1,016

54.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$1.71 ¥271

-7.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.01 ¥318

32.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$1.52 ¥239

-63.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$57.6 ¥9,094

-53.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$3.15 ¥497

57.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$2.69 ¥424

23.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$18.50 ¥2,922

-71.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.10 ¥173

30.91%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$21.9K ¥3.5M

-5.71%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

57.00%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$135 ¥21.3K

-37.28%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$23.07 ¥3,644

1.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$30.51 ¥4,819

-6.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$45.93 ¥7,253

24.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$13.05 ¥2,061

-60.61%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$835 ¥131.8K

-75.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-73.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$55.8 ¥8,811

-22.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$32.81 ¥5,182

26.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$62.5 ¥9,873

18.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$70.7 ¥11.2K

26.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$593 ¥93.7K

65.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$383 ¥60.6K

-0.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$904 ¥142.8K

88.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$718 ¥113.4K

49.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$4,478 ¥707.3K

-11.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

$2,545 ¥401.9K

142.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.25

408.89%

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 Matsudo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Matsudo

$383 31% 0.7% $2.7

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Matsudo

$281 22.7% 10.5% $27

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Matsudo

$134 10.8% 34% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Matsudo

$189 15.2% 37.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Matsudo

$100 8.1% 10.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Matsudo

$72 5.8% 7% $4.7

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Matsudo

$80 6.5% 59% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $593 in Matsudo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $37 in Matsudo. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $281, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇵 Matsudo

🕒 Local time

09:27 9:27 AM

23:27 11:27 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

485,803

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 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 = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Matsudo 12,030 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Matsudo

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 Matsudo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 3% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,859 in Matsudo 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $593 in Matsudo. 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 54% less than in Matsudo. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $835 in Matsudo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.