Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Nagasaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,277 in Nagasaki, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nagasaki outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

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

Cost of Living Index in Nagasaki
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Nagasaki Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Nagasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,277

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,277 in Nagasaki.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Nagasaki $1,277

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,859 in Nagasaki.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Nagasaki $1,859

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,441 in Nagasaki.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Nagasaki $2,441

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 5% less than in Nagasaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Nagasaki 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$5.00 ¥789

115.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$18.95 ¥2,994

127.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$4.92 ¥778

139.63%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.76 ¥594

2.93%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.05 ¥166

30.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.72 ¥113

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.24 ¥355

38.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$2.25 ¥356

125.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.55 ¥244

-7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.89 ¥299

17.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$6.32 ¥998

-76.74%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.02 ¥319

25.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$9.69 ¥1,531

-24.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$3.18 ¥502

147.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$19.16 ¥3,028

-33.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.71 ¥586

-21.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.88 ¥296

-23.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.76 ¥435

-7.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$3.35 ¥530

-38.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$2.15 ¥340

-6.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$2.55 ¥402

-21.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.07 ¥170

11.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.92 ¥146

36.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$3.97 ¥628

10.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$6.18 ¥977

55.18%

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

$1.85 ¥292

51.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$1.65 ¥261

-65.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$53.9 ¥8,518

-48.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$3.96 ¥625

25.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$2.03 ¥321

72.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$17.87 ¥2,823

-69.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.07 ¥169

37.38%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

-4.54%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$17.7K ¥2.8M

35.28%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$209 ¥33.0K

-59.70%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$24.63 ¥3,892

-2.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$32.77 ¥5,178

-11.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$46.08 ¥7,281

36.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$11.22 ¥1,772

-55.97%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$126 ¥19.8K

62.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$12.3K ¥1.9M

-67.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$49.78 ¥7,864

-12.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$26.03 ¥4,113

65.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$66.6 ¥10.5K

13.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$47.35 ¥7,480

87.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$535 ¥84.6K

88.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$380 ¥60.1K

-1.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,193 ¥188.5K

43.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$683 ¥108.0K

61.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$4,200 ¥663.6K

-6.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,759 ¥277.9K

250.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

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 Nagasaki: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Nagasaki

$380 29.8% 1.7% $6.3

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Nagasaki

$279 21.9% 7.9% $21

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Nagasaki

$123 9.6% 39.4% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Nagasaki

$266 20.9% 94.1% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Nagasaki

$85 6.7% 24.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Nagasaki

$69 5.4% 6% $4.4

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Nagasaki

$75 5.8% 42% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $535 in Nagasaki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $19.00 in Nagasaki. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $279, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇵 Nagasaki

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

22:09 10:09 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

409,118

💱 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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Playa del Carmen Nagasaki 12,900 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Playa del Carmen vs Nagasaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and transport. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,816 in Playa del Carmen and $1,915 in Nagasaki 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $535 in Nagasaki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Nagasaki. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $19.00 in Nagasaki. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,277 in Nagasaki, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Nagasaki. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nagasaki, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Nagasaki 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 5% less than in Nagasaki. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.