Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Toyama

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Toyama: $1,204 and $1,175 a month, rent and utilities included.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Toyama
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,175
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,175 in Toyama, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Toyama $1,175

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,880 in Toyama, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,102
  • Toyama $1,880

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,584 in Toyama, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,000
  • Toyama $2,584

Playa del Carmen costs about 2% more than Toyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Toyama are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Toyama 13% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Toyama
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.86 MX$201
$3.94 ¥622
175.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.21 MX$817
$40.27 ¥6,362
9.78%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.76 MX$217
$4.98 ¥787
136.14%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.0
$3.33 ¥526
10.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 MX$24.79
$1.05 ¥166
27.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MX$15.24
$0.79 ¥125
3.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 MX$56.6
$2.45 ¥387
24.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.94 MX$91.2
$3.10 ¥489
59.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Toyama
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$1.13 ¥178
30.09%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$40.95
$0.77 ¥122
188.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 MX$27.32
$3.55 ¥561
-58.31%
Eggs
$2.49 MX$45.99
$2.07 ¥327
20.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 MX$139
$10.50 ¥1,659
-28.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.96 MX$147
$6.13 ¥968
29.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$232
$14.44 ¥2,281
-12.95%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.3
$5.73 ¥906
-51.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$26.37
$2.73 ¥431
-47.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 MX$48.37
$2.85 ¥450
-8.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.49
$4.27 ¥675
-49.88%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.38
$2.55 ¥402
-20.78%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.74
$2.65 ¥419
-24.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.01
$1.30 ¥205
-12.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 MX$22.18
$0.65 ¥102
84.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 MX$78.7
$3.77 ¥595
13.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.02 MX$185
$6.44 ¥1,017
55.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.41
$1.72 ¥272
-10.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 MX$49.17
$2.00 ¥316
33.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Toyama
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.53 MX$9.73
$1.51 ¥239
-64.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.51 MX$508
$53.9 ¥8,509
-48.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.90 MX$90.6
$3.23 ¥510
51.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.43 MX$63.5
$2.64 ¥418
29.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 MX$99.4
$20.28 ¥3,203
-73.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$26.76
$1.11 ¥175
30.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$391.0K
$21.0K ¥3.3M
0.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.0K MX$425.3K
$18.0K ¥2.8M
27.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Toyama
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.4 MX$1,577
$130 ¥20.6K
-34.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.46 MX$434
$24.54 ¥3,878
-4.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.43 MX$525
$31.59 ¥4,991
-10.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Toyama
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.2 MX$1,149
$53.1 ¥8,381
17.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.68 MX$530
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MX$94.3
$11.31 ¥1,786
-54.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Toyama
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,715
$626 ¥98.9K
-67.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,947 MX$72.9K
$14.6K ¥2.3M
-72.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Toyama
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.39 MX$820
$62.8 ¥9,928
-29.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.35 MX$764
$37.20 ¥5,877
11.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.7 MX$1,344
$62.0 ¥9,794
17.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.6 MX$1,656
$101 ¥16.0K
-11.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Toyama
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 MX$18.1K
$234 ¥37.0K
318.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 MX$6,887
$330 ¥52.1K
13.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,681 MX$31.1K
$1,091 ¥172.3K
54.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 MX$20.2K
$730 ¥115.4K
49.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,949 MX$73.0K
$4,156 ¥656.5K
-4.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,137 MX$113.4K
$1,755 ¥277.3K
249.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Toyama
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$738 MX$13.6K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
2.64
333.71%

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 Toyama: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$373
Toyama
$330 11.5% $43
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Toyama
$276 6.8% $18
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Toyama
$112 44% $88
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Toyama
$186 35.9% $49
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Toyama
$118 6.1% $6.8
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$72
Toyama
$76 4.5% $3.3
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Toyama
$76 47.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $234 in Toyama. 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 $40.00 in Toyama. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $276 in Toyama – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇯🇵 Toyama
🕒 Local time
22:53 10:53 PM
12:53 12:53 PM
14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
421,259
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Toyama 12,130 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Toyama

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 Toyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Toyama cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,762 in Toyama. 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 Toyama, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Toyama?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,175 in Toyama. That's a gap of about 2%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 96% less in Toyama. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Toyama?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Toyama, where all-in costs run around $1,175, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Toyama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Toyama more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Toyama – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Playa del Carmen or Toyama?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Toyama. 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.

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