Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Suginami-ku

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,245 in Suginami-ku, rent and utilities included – about $490 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Suginami-ku, Japan
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Suginami-ku
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,245
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Suginami-ku

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 Suginami-ku actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,245 in Suginami-ku, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Suginami-ku $1,245

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,938 in Suginami-ku, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Suginami-ku $1,938

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,630 in Suginami-ku, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Suginami-ku $2,630

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

Both Playa del Carmen and Suginami-ku are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Suginami-ku 9% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Suginami-ku
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$6.53 ¥1,031
67.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$813
$40.78 ¥6,440
6.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$5.06 ¥799
132.81%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.4
$3.54 ¥559
7.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.03
$1.07 ¥169
19.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.67
$0.80 ¥126
-2.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.3
$2.56 ¥404
23.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.5
$3.14 ¥496
57.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Suginami-ku
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.35
$1.44 ¥227
-2.08%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.54
$1.73 ¥273
28.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.56
$3.73 ¥589
-61.93%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.27
$2.02 ¥319
24.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$10.42 ¥1,646
-30.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$6.14 ¥970
25.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$14.38 ¥2,271
-11.75%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.2
$5.65 ¥892
-50.80%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.64
$2.72 ¥429
-49.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.80
$2.86 ¥452
-10.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.78
$4.16 ¥657
-49.04%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.32
$2.56 ¥404
-24.22%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.34
$2.57 ¥406
-26.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.49
$1.24 ¥196
-7.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.09
$0.81 ¥128
45.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.5
$3.77 ¥595
14.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$186
$6.46 ¥1,021
54.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.67
$1.80 ¥285
-12.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$2.05 ¥323
30.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Suginami-ku
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.37
$1.48 ¥234
-62.84%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$499
$60.8 ¥9,605
-56.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.1
$3.09 ¥488
60.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.4
$2.64 ¥417
26.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$100
$20.90 ¥3,300
-74.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.06
$1.07 ¥170
34.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$387.3K
$21.7K ¥3.4M
-4.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$439.7K
$16.0K ¥2.5M
46.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Suginami-ku
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,589
$133 ¥21.0K
-36.31%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$23.94 ¥3,781
-2.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$537
$32.31 ¥5,103
-11.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Suginami-ku
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,069
$54.4 ¥8,594
4.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$542
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.3
$12.82 ¥2,024
-59.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Suginami-ku
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,871
$835 ¥131.9K
-75.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.6K
$14.9K ¥2.3M
-73.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Suginami-ku
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$812
$62.6 ¥9,886
-30.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$777
$37.77 ¥5,966
9.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,390
$60.7 ¥9,578
22.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,672
$104 ¥16.5K
-14.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Suginami-ku
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$562 ¥88.8K
74.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,136
$347 ¥54.8K
9.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.0K
$1,113 ¥175.8K
53.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.1K
$664 ¥104.9K
61.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.9K
$4,687 ¥740.2K
-15.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.4K
$2,017 ¥318.6K
205.27%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Suginami-ku
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$2,787 ¥440.1K
-73.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
2
472.50%

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 Suginami-ku: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Suginami-ku
$347 8.9% $34
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Suginami-ku
$290 13.9% $35
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Suginami-ku
$136 32.6% $66
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Suginami-ku
$189 38.4% $53
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Suginami-ku
$119 6.9% $7.7
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Suginami-ku
$80 18.9% $13
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Suginami-ku
$83 64.6% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $562 in Suginami-ku. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Suginami-ku are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $41 in Suginami-ku. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $290 in Suginami-ku – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇯🇵 Suginami-ku
🕒 Local time
13:23 1:23 PM
03:23 3:23 AM
14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
540,180
💱 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 Suginami-ku 12,050 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Suginami-ku

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 Suginami-ku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Suginami-ku?
Yes – Suginami-ku is pricier by about 3%, 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 $1,868 in Suginami-ku. 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 Suginami-ku, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $562 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Suginami-ku?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,245 in Suginami-ku. That makes Playa del Carmen about 3% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 56% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 enough for either Playa del Carmen or Suginami-ku?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,245 in Suginami-ku, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Suginami-ku?
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 $1,245 in Suginami-ku. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Suginami-ku makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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