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: $1,271 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,123 in Oita.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,126 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,720 in Oita.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,318 in Oita.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 13% more expensive than Oita, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 5% lower, Oita 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.87 MX$204

$5.68 ¥908

108.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.90 MX$736

$41.08 ¥6,570

4.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$183

$5.93 ¥949

79.60%

Cappuccino

$3.45 MX$59.2

$2.12 ¥339

62.74%

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

$1.50 MX$25.81

$1.03 ¥165

45.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 MX$16.28

$0.71 ¥114

33.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 MX$51.9

$3.56 ¥569

-14.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MX$79.1

$3.20 ¥511

44.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$23.61

$1.32 ¥211

4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 MX$31.70

$1.33 ¥213

39.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.65

$4.24 ¥678

-62.03%

Eggs

$2.59 MX$44.51

$2.51 ¥401

3.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.26 MX$142

$5.84 ¥934

41.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 MX$144

$6.28 ¥1,004

33.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 MX$183

$11.60 ¥1,855

-8.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 MX$45.12

$5.30 ¥847

-50.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$25.53

$5.11 ¥818

-70.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 MX$32.94

$5.16 ¥825

-62.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MX$35.81

$2.20 ¥352

-5.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$31.88

$1.42 ¥227

30.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 MX$38.81

$1.43 ¥228

58.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 MX$18.23

$1.20 ¥192

-11.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$18.67

$0.79 ¥127

37.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MX$71.2

$3.93 ¥629

5.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 MX$178

$6.16 ¥985

68.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 MX$29.59

$1.99 ¥318

-13.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 MX$44.85

$2.12 ¥339

23.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$9.30

$1.23 ¥197

-56.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.94 MX$462

$34.15 ¥5,461

-21.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 MX$53.7

$3.50 ¥560

-10.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 MX$43.09

$2.05 ¥327

22.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$54.1

$19.89 ¥3,181

-84.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$21.88

$1.23 ¥197

3.25%

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

$30.4K MX$521.3K

$23.3K ¥3.7M

30.31%

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

$23.6K MX$404.5K

$14.8K ¥2.4M

58.93%

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

$83.0 MX$1,425

$81.3 ¥13.0K

2.15%

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

$22.71 MX$390

$27.35 ¥4,374

-16.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.46 MX$506

$22.61 ¥3,616

30.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 MX$875

$56.2 ¥8,994

-9.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.33 MX$315

$6.97 ¥1,115

162.98%

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 MX$84.5

$10.28 ¥1,645

-52.04%

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

$197 MX$3,386

$408 ¥65.3K

-51.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,280 MX$90.6K

$13.5K ¥2.2M

-60.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.90 MX$633

$39.84 ¥6,373

-7.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 MX$685

$29.65 ¥4,742

34.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 MX$1,373

$65.0 ¥10.4K

23.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 MX$1,536

$93.4 ¥14.9K

-4.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 MX$16.4K

$466 ¥74.5K

105.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MX$8,189

$372 ¥59.4K

28.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 MX$28.3K

$768 ¥122.9K

114.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 MX$21.0K

$559 ¥89.4K

119.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,918 MX$67.2K

$5,101 ¥815.9K

-23.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,459 MX$110.9K

$2,460 ¥393.5K

162.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 MX$11.4K

$1,297 ¥207.4K

-48.57%

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: June 7, 2026

Last update for Oita: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $956 in Playa del Carmen and $466 in Oita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oita pays 94% 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 $41.00 in Oita. Groceries flip the comparison at $250 vs $274, 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 13% 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, Oita earns 94% less. 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: $956 in Playa del Carmen versus $466 in Oita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $197 in Playa del Carmen versus $408 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 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,123 in Oita versus $1,271 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 $1,123 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 13% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.