Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,399 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Okinawa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
Learn more

Okinawa Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,399 in Okinawa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Okinawa $1,399

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,189 in Okinawa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Okinawa $2,189

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,979 in Okinawa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Okinawa $2,979

Playa del Carmen is about 13% cheaper than Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 9% below the global median, while Okinawa is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$10.13 ¥1,603

8.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$39.78 ¥6,295

12.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$7.04 ¥1,114

69.32%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$4.26 ¥675

-10.80%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$1.47 ¥233

-10.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$1.00 ¥158

-14.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$2.01 ¥318

59.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$4.55 ¥720

10.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.64 ¥259

-10.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$2.15 ¥341

8.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$3.84 ¥607

-62.50%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$1.75 ¥277

40.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$17.94 ¥2,839

-57.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$4.87 ¥771

62.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$22.16 ¥3,507

-42.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$3.62 ¥573

-19.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$2.63 ¥417

-46.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$2.14 ¥338

20.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$5.18 ¥820

-58.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$2.41 ¥381

-19.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$2.58 ¥408

-24.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$1.31 ¥208

-12.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.74 ¥117

64.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$3.99 ¥631

9.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$6.42 ¥1,016

53.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$1.87 ¥295

-17.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$3.19 ¥505

-14.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$1.47 ¥233

-64.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$67.2 ¥10.6K

-59.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$3.97 ¥628

23.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$3.56 ¥564

-1.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$11.44 ¥1,810

-50.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.09 ¥173

41.28%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$21.3K ¥3.4M

-0.05%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

58.95%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$162 ¥25.6K

-48.37%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$24.91 ¥3,943

-3.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$53.8 ¥8,513

-45.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$71.3 ¥11.3K

-9.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$54.9 ¥8,689

-46.35%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$12.17 ¥1,927

-58.18%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$329 ¥52.1K

-36.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$5,538 ¥876.3K

-26.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$50.1 ¥7,923

-11.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$23.29 ¥3,685

80.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$78.8 ¥12.5K

-4.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$94.6 ¥15.0K

-3.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$404 ¥63.9K

144.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$328 ¥51.9K

17.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$826 ¥130.6K

107.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$663 ¥105.0K

67.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$8,594 ¥1.4M

-53.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$1,206 ¥190.8K

418.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$1,849 ¥292.6K

-59.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.23

413.45%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Okinawa: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Okinawa

$328 23.8% 14.8% $57

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Okinawa

$328 23.8% 26.1% $68

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Okinawa

$182 13.2% 10.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Okinawa

$241 17.4% 75.7% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Okinawa

$111 8% 2.7% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Okinawa

$96 6.9% 27.5% $21

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Okinawa

$95 6.9% 82.3% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $404 in Okinawa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 144% higher in Okinawa, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $40.00 in Okinawa. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Playa del Carmen vs $328 in Okinawa – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

20:41 8:41 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

142,752

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Okinawa 13,560 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Okinawa

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 Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Okinawa is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,098 in Okinawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen and $40.00 in Okinawa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,215 in Playa del Carmen and $1,399 in Okinawa. That's a gap of about 15%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Okinawa at $1,399. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Okinawa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Okinawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.