Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tsushima Island

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Tsushima Island: $1,202 and $1,232 a month, rent and utilities included.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Tsushima Island, Japan
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Tsushima Island
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,232
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Tsushima Island

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,232 in Tsushima Island, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Tsushima Island $1,232

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,930 in Tsushima Island, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Tsushima Island $1,930

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,629 in Tsushima Island, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Tsushima Island $2,629

Playa del Carmen and Tsushima Island have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Playa del Carmen and Tsushima Island are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Tsushima Island 9% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Tsushima Island
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$6.98 ¥1,106
52.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$35.22 ¥5,578
24.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$5.63 ¥892
109.41%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$3.10 ¥491
22.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$1.14 ¥181
14.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$0.82 ¥129
1.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$2.06 ¥327
52.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$3.10 ¥491
59.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Tsushima Island
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.52 ¥240
-7.24%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$1.67 ¥264
31.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$4.69 ¥743
-68.66%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.46
$2.26 ¥358
10.62%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$10.19 ¥1,614
-28.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$6.17 ¥977
28.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$15.46 ¥2,448
-16.82%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$5.42 ¥858
-46.49%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$2.62 ¥416
-47.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.35
$3.95 ¥626
-36.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.77
$4.49 ¥710
-54.79%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.68
$3.35 ¥531
-39.70%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$2.55 ¥403
-25.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$1.32 ¥209
-13.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.05
$0.87 ¥139
42.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$4.08 ¥646
4.66%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$6.48 ¥1,026
51.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$1.94 ¥307
-18.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$2.36 ¥374
16.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Tsushima Island
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
$1.60 ¥254
-68.13%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
$55.6 ¥8,810
-50.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$3.54 ¥561
34.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$2.99 ¥474
8.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$20.96 ¥3,319
-74.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$1.19 ¥188
28.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$23.6K ¥3.7M
-10.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$17.2K ¥2.7M
35.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Tsushima Island
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$138 ¥21.9K
-39.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$27.47 ¥4,350
-15.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$33.39 ¥5,287
-17.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Tsushima Island
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
$58.3 ¥9,228
-3.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
$13.99 ¥2,215
101.50%
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$13.37 ¥2,117
-62.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Tsushima Island
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$284 ¥45.0K
-27.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.3K
$13.3K ¥2.1M
-60.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Tsushima Island
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$43.63 ¥6,910
-0.41%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$29.76 ¥4,713
42.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$59.3 ¥9,385
22.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$90.5 ¥14.3K
-2.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Tsushima Island
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
$473 ¥74.8K
110.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
$326 ¥51.6K
17.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
$873 ¥138.3K
91.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$666 ¥105.5K
62.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
$2,785 ¥441.0K
40.34%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
$1,744 ¥276.2K
251.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Tsushima Island
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
1.81
532.60%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tsushima Island: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Tsushima Island
$326 14.8% $57
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Tsushima Island
$307 19.2% $49
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Tsushima Island
$134 32.9% $66
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Tsushima Island
$199 48.2% $65
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Tsushima Island
$100 9.7% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Tsushima Island
$85 28% $19
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Tsushima Island
$81 59.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $473 in Tsushima Island. 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 in Playa del Carmen versus $35 in Tsushima Island. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $307 in Tsushima Island – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇯🇵 Tsushima Island
🕒 Local time
19:22 7:22 PM
09:22 9:22 AM
14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
28,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.61 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Tsushima Island 12,810 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Tsushima Island

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 Tsushima Island: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,848 in Tsushima Island. 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 Tsushima Island, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $473 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
How do food prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Tsushima Island?
Groceries cost about 19% more in Tsushima Island, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $284 in Tsushima Island. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 enough for either Playa del Carmen or Tsushima Island?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,232 in Tsushima Island, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Tsushima Island?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,232 in Tsushima Island. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?