Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Saitama

For one person, living is cheaper in Saitama: $1,007 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Saitama
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Saitama Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Saitama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,007

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,007 in Saitama, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Saitama $1,007

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,330 in Saitama, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Saitama $1,330

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,653 in Saitama, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Saitama $1,653

Playa del Carmen costs about 20% more than Saitama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Saitama are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Saitama 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$5.55 ¥876

95.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$31.14 ¥4,920

41.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$4.86 ¥768

141.98%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.07 ¥486

19.87%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.72 ¥114

86.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.65 ¥103

26.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.46 ¥389

24.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$3.18 ¥503

55.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.45 ¥229

1.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.64 ¥260

35.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$2.68 ¥423

-44.78%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.00 ¥316

24.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$10.14 ¥1,601

-25.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$5.45 ¥861

46.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$14.44 ¥2,281

-12.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$5.58 ¥882

-50.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.25 ¥355

-36.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.84 ¥449

-7.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$4.19 ¥662

-48.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.61 ¥412

-22.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.56 ¥247

27.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.25 ¥197

-8.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.80 ¥126

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$3.70 ¥585

15.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$6.32 ¥999

58.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.74 ¥274

-11.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.11 ¥333

26.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$3.45 ¥545

-84.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$3.11 ¥492

57.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$2.70 ¥427

27.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$20.19 ¥3,190

-73.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.10 ¥174

31.82%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$21.9K ¥3.5M

-3.46%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$14.4K ¥2.3M

59.93%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$131 ¥20.7K

-34.86%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$17.62 ¥2,784

33.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$31.87 ¥5,036

-10.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$61.5 ¥9,721

1.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$11.12 ¥1,757

-54.14%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$620 ¥97.9K

-67.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-73.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$34.90 ¥5,514

27.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$25.61 ¥4,047

61.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$55.5 ¥8,772

30.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$61.9 ¥9,773

44.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$414 ¥65.3K

136.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$237 ¥37.4K

57.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$1,505 ¥237.7K

-50.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.06

455.83%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Saitama: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Saitama

$237 23.5% 36.5% $136

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Saitama

$275 27.4% 6.5% $17

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Saitama

$120 11.9% 40.1% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Saitama

$181 17.9% 31.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Saitama

$80 8% 28.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Saitama

$84 8.3% 15.7% $11

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Saitama

$30 * 3% 41.1% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $414 in Saitama. 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 104% higher in Saitama, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $31.00 in Saitama. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $275 in Saitama – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇵 Saitama

🕒 Local time

11:12 11:12 AM

01:12 1:12 AM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,182,115

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Saitama 12,040 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Saitama

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 Saitama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,510 in Saitama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,007 in Saitama. That's a gap of about 20%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $620 in Saitama. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Saitama, where all-in costs run around $1,007, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Saitama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Saitama – 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 Saitama. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.