Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Shiso

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiso: $1,048 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Shiso
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Shiso Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Shiso

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,048 in Shiso, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Shiso $1,048

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,913 in Shiso, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Shiso $1,913

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,777 in Shiso, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Shiso $2,777

Playa del Carmen costs about 15% more than Shiso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Shiso are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Shiso 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$7.87 ¥1,244

37.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$68.0 ¥10.7K

-34.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$6.29 ¥993

86.96%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.69 ¥584

-0.27%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.83 ¥132

61.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.72 ¥114

13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.58 ¥407

18.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$3.15 ¥497

56.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.52 ¥240

-3.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$3.00 ¥474

-26.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$4.87 ¥769

-69.61%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.19 ¥346

13.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$10.19 ¥1,609

-26.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$6.48 ¥1,023

22.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$27.01 ¥4,267

-53.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$5.33 ¥842

-47.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.59 ¥409

-44.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$4.06 ¥641

-35.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$5.97 ¥943

-64.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$4.29 ¥678

-52.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.60 ¥411

-23.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.38 ¥218

-17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.83 ¥130

44.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.11 ¥650

3.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$7.66 ¥1,211

30.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.92 ¥303

-19.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.22 ¥351

19.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$1.36 ¥216

-61.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$33.90 ¥5,356

-18.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$3.57 ¥564

37.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$2.88 ¥455

19.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$20.87 ¥3,297

-74.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.28 ¥202

13.28%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$22.9K ¥3.6M

-7.60%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$17.0K ¥2.7M

35.56%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$144 ¥22.8K

-40.88%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$23.93 ¥3,781

-1.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$13.58 ¥2,146

109.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$36.74 ¥5,805

69.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$13.71 ¥2,167

109.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$4.59 ¥726

11.11%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$283 ¥44.8K

-29.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$13.6K ¥2.1M

-70.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$10.06 ¥1,589

341.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$29.87 ¥4,720

38.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$33.76 ¥5,334

115.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$99.7 ¥15.7K

-10.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$470 ¥74.3K

108.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$165 ¥26.0K

126.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$862 ¥136.1K

95.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$659 ¥104.2K

66.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$4,229 ¥668.1K

-6.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,769 ¥279.5K

246.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

1.78

543.26%

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 Shiso: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Shiso

$165 15.7% 55.8% $208

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Shiso

$368 35.2% 42.6% $110

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Shiso

$152 14.5% 24.3% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Shiso

$182 17.4% 32.5% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Shiso

$78 7.4% 30.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Shiso

$46 4.4% 36.6% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Shiso

$57 5.5% 10.9% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $470 in Shiso. 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $68.0 in Shiso. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $368 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇵 Shiso

🕒 Local time

22:52 10:52 PM

12:52 12:52 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

36,610

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Shiso 12,430 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

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Playa del Carmen
Shiso

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 Shiso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,572 in Shiso. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shiso, 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 $1,048 in Shiso. That's a gap of about 15%.

Public transport costs about 23% less in Shiso. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Shiso, where all-in costs run around $1,048, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Shiso it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shiso – 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 Shiso. 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.