Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Takamatsu

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Takamatsu: $1,204 and $1,191 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Takamatsu
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Takamatsu Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Takamatsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,191 in Takamatsu, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Takamatsu $1,191

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,881 in Takamatsu, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Takamatsu $1,881

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,571 in Takamatsu, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Takamatsu $2,571

Playa del Carmen costs about 1% more than Takamatsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Takamatsu are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Takamatsu 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$6.20 ¥980

75.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$31.99 ¥5,054

38.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$5.12 ¥809

129.69%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.13 ¥495

17.57%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.19 ¥189

12.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.80 ¥126

2.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.60 ¥410

17.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$3.22 ¥508

53.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.50 ¥238

-2.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.60 ¥252

38.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.76 ¥278

-15.91%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.29 ¥361

8.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$10.37 ¥1,639

-27.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$6.60 ¥1,043

20.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$16.83 ¥2,659

-25.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.69 ¥583

-24.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.28 ¥360

-37.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.90 ¥458

-9.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$4.24 ¥671

-49.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.48 ¥391

-18.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.46 ¥389

-19.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.27 ¥201

-10.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.79 ¥124

51.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$3.67 ¥580

16.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$6.63 ¥1,048

51.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.88 ¥298

-18.09%

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

$1.46 ¥231

-63.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$53.3 ¥8,414

-48.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$3.18 ¥503

54.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$2.79 ¥442

22.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$18.60 ¥2,938

-71.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.06 ¥168

36.79%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

-1.56%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

52.51%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$137 ¥21.6K

-37.58%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$23.78 ¥3,757

-1.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$30.79 ¥4,865

-7.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$51.7 ¥8,161

20.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$3.11 ¥491

822.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$11.79 ¥1,862

-56.74%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$521 ¥82.3K

-61.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$12.7K ¥2.0M

-68.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$48.96 ¥7,736

-9.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$31.24 ¥4,936

32.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$60.1 ¥9,499

20.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$90.5 ¥14.3K

-1.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$529 ¥83.6K

85.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$334 ¥52.8K

11.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,089 ¥172.0K

54.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$735 ¥116.1K

49.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$4,144 ¥654.7K

-4.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,783 ¥281.6K

244.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$1,761 ¥278.1K

-58.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.21

418.10%

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 Takamatsu: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Takamatsu

$334 28.1% 10.3% $38

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Takamatsu

$280 23.5% 8.6% $22

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Takamatsu

$130 10.9% 35.1% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Takamatsu

$191 16.1% 39.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Takamatsu

$104 8.7% 6.9% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Takamatsu

$75 6.3% 3.9% $2.8

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Takamatsu

$76 6.4% 47.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $529 in Takamatsu. 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 139% higher in Takamatsu, 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 $32.00 in Takamatsu. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $280 in Takamatsu – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇵 Takamatsu

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

09:12 9:12 AM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

426,514

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Takamatsu 12,510 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Takamatsu

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 Takamatsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 1%, 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 $1,787 in Takamatsu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Takamatsu, 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 $1,191 in Takamatsu. That's a gap of about 1%.

Public transport costs about 94% less in Takamatsu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Takamatsu, where all-in costs run around $1,191, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Takamatsu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Takamatsu – 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 Takamatsu. 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.