Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Oita Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Oita

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,260 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,145 in Oita.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,125 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,702 in Oita.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,990 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,260 in Oita.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 10% more expensive than in Oita, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 5% lower, Oita 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.72 MX$203

$5.41 ¥852

116.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.89 MX$725

$41.16 ¥6,486

1.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 MX$182

$6.00 ¥946

75.17%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$62.0

$2.04 ¥322

75.98%

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

$1.51 MX$26.10

$1.08 ¥170

39.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 MX$15.83

$0.68 ¥107

35.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 MX$51.2

$3.45 ¥544

-14.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$76.3

$3.05 ¥481

44.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 MX$24.16

$1.27 ¥200

10.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 MX$32.60

$1.29 ¥204

45.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 MX$26.97

$4.08 ¥643

-61.76%

Eggs

$2.61 MX$45.14

$2.50 ¥394

4.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.32 MX$144

$6.06 ¥955

37.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.35 MX$145

$6.24 ¥983

33.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.86 MX$188

$11.45 ¥1,804

-5.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 MX$46.93

$5.26 ¥829

-48.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 MX$26.04

$5.03 ¥792

-69.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$32.41

$5.33 ¥839

-64.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$37.89

$2.30 ¥363

-4.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$32.14

$1.41 ¥222

31.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 MX$38.59

$1.37 ¥216

62.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.48

$1.18 ¥186

-9.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$18.79

$0.81 ¥127

34.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MX$72.4

$3.83 ¥604

9.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 MX$180

$6.23 ¥981

67.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 MX$28.68

$2.08 ¥327

-20.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 MX$45.19

$2.02 ¥318

29.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$9.37

$1.21 ¥191

-55.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.16 MX$453

$34.60 ¥5,452

-24.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 MX$53.3

$3.56 ¥562

-13.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 MX$41.61

$2.04 ¥322

17.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 MX$54.1

$19.89 ¥3,135

-84.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$22.69

$1.17 ¥185

11.97%

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

$29.8K MX$515.7K

$22.8K ¥3.6M

30.57%

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

$23.3K MX$403.5K

$14.7K ¥2.3M

58.28%

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

$81.3 MX$1,406

$81.8 ¥12.9K

-0.67%

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

$22.56 MX$390

$27.29 ¥4,301

-17.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.05 MX$520

$22.25 ¥3,507

35.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 MX$915

$56.1 ¥8,833

-5.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.39 MX$318

$7.11 ¥1,121

158.65%

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 MX$85.1

$10.20 ¥1,607

-51.76%

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

$201 MX$3,474

$423 ¥66.7K

-52.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,175 MX$89.5K

$13.4K ¥2.1M

-61.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.92 MX$622

$40.07 ¥6,313

-10.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.13 MX$694

$29.24 ¥4,608

37.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 MX$1,379

$66.7 ¥10.5K

19.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 MX$1,496

$93.6 ¥14.7K

-7.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$978 MX$16.9K

$467 ¥73.6K

109.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 MX$8,140

$368 ¥57.9K

27.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,651 MX$28.6K

$770 ¥121.4K

114.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,203 MX$20.8K

$544 ¥85.7K

121.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,953 MX$68.4K

$4,181 ¥658.9K

-5.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,607 MX$114.3K

$1,764 ¥278.0K

274.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$677 MX$11.7K

$1,258 ¥198.3K

-46.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

1.5

661.33%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: July 27, 2026

Last update for Oita: July 25, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $978 in Playa del Carmen and $467 in Oita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oita pays 86% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $42.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $41.00 in Oita. Groceries flip the comparison at $252 vs $273, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

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 Oita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oita wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Oita the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 86% lower in Oita. 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: $978 in Playa del Carmen versus $467 in Oita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $423 in Oita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,145 in Oita versus $1,260 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Oita but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Oita the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Oita delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,145 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Oita hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Oita 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 Oita gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.