Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Okazaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,248 in Okazaki, rent and utilities included – about $530 less a year. The total is higher in Okazaki despite lower rent and utilities.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Okazaki, Japan
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Okazaki
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,248
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,248 in Okazaki, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Okazaki $1,248

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,992 in Okazaki, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Okazaki $1,992

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,736 in Okazaki, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Okazaki $2,736

Playa del Carmen is about 3% cheaper than Okazaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Okazaki are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Okazaki 8% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Okazaki
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$7.71 ¥1,217
41.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$813
$31.70 ¥5,006
36.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$4.98 ¥787
136.55%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.4
$2.32 ¥366
64.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.03
$1.18 ¥187
8.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.67
$0.59 ¥92.9
32.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.3
$2.11 ¥333
50.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.5
$2.34 ¥370
110.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Okazaki
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.35
$1.50 ¥236
-6.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.54
$1.27 ¥201
74.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.56
$5.48 ¥865
-74.09%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.27
$2.09 ¥330
20.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$12.62 ¥1,993
-42.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$9.73 ¥1,536
-20.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$31.82 ¥5,026
-60.12%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.2
$3.67 ¥579
-24.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.64
$2.28 ¥360
-39.91%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.80
$6.51 ¥1,028
-60.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.78
$4.23 ¥667
-49.88%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.32
$3.76 ¥594
-48.40%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.34
$3.43 ¥542
-44.90%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.49
$1.25 ¥197
-8.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.09
$1.04 ¥164
13.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.5
$3.55 ¥560
21.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$186
$8.46 ¥1,336
17.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.67
$2.05 ¥324
-22.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$1.52 ¥240
75.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Okazaki
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.37
$1.31 ¥207
-58.02%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$499
$59.6 ¥9,409
-55.31%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.1
$3.11 ¥492
59.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.4
$3.09 ¥487
7.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$100
$26.38 ¥4,166
-79.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.06
$1.11 ¥176
29.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$387.3K
$20.0K ¥3.2M
3.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$439.7K
$16.6K ¥2.6M
41.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Okazaki
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,589
$145 ¥22.9K
-41.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$24.05 ¥3,798
-2.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$537
$42.57 ¥6,724
-32.68%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Okazaki
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,069
$50.4 ¥7,952
13.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$542
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.3
$9.26 ¥1,462
-44.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Okazaki
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,871
$323 ¥51.0K
-36.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.6K
$6,200 ¥979.1K
-36.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Okazaki
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$812
$50.6 ¥7,993
-14.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$777
$25.23 ¥3,985
64.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,390
$46.24 ¥7,303
60.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,672
$64.6 ¥10.2K
38.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Okazaki
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$550 ¥86.9K
77.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,136
$289 ¥45.6K
31.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.0K
$975 ¥153.9K
75.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.1K
$678 ¥107.0K
58.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.9K
$4,103 ¥647.9K
-3.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.4K
$2,282 ¥360.4K
169.86%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Okazaki
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
2.28
402.19%

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 Okazaki: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Okazaki
$289 24.2% $92
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Okazaki
$385 51.1% $130
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Okazaki
$127 37.4% $76
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Okazaki
$211 54.5% $75
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Okazaki
$84 24.8% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Okazaki
$69 2.3% $1.6
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Okazaki
$83 65.2% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $550 in Okazaki. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $32 in Okazaki. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $385 in Okazaki – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇯🇵 Okazaki
🕒 Local time
13:22 1:22 PM
03:22 3:22 AM
14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
382,846
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Okazaki 12,270 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Okazaki

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 Okazaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Okazaki?
Yes – Okazaki is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,872 in Okazaki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Okazaki, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $550 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
Is eating out cheaper in Playa del Carmen or in Okazaki?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $32 in Okazaki. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Okazaki?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,248 in Okazaki. That makes Playa del Carmen about 3% cheaper.
Is $1,500 enough for either Playa del Carmen or Okazaki?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,248 in Okazaki, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Okazaki?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,248 in Okazaki. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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