Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Utsunomiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,316 in Utsunomiya, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Utsunomiya
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Utsunomiya Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Utsunomiya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,316

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,316 in Utsunomiya, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Utsunomiya $1,316

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,971 in Utsunomiya, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Utsunomiya $1,971

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,625 in Utsunomiya, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Utsunomiya $2,625

Playa del Carmen is about 9% cheaper than Utsunomiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Utsunomiya are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Utsunomiya 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$6.07 ¥958

79.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$16.88 ¥2,665

156.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$4.86 ¥768

142.39%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.52 ¥555

8.24%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.07 ¥169

19.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.84 ¥133

-7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$3.11 ¥490

1.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$1.86 ¥293

165.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.45 ¥229

-2.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.67 ¥264

32.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$5.63 ¥888

-74.78%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$2.25 ¥356

12.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$11.56 ¥1,825

-37.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$6.80 ¥1,074

13.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$16.74 ¥2,643

-24.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$4.85 ¥766

-42.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$2.27 ¥358

-39.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$4.25 ¥672

-40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$5.27 ¥831

-59.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$3.40 ¥536

-42.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$3.01 ¥476

-37.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$1.18 ¥187

-2.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.79 ¥124

49.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$3.96 ¥626

8.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$9.70 ¥1,531

2.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.68 ¥265

-5.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$2.75 ¥434

-2.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.25 ¥197

-56.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$64.4 ¥10.2K

-58.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$3.08 ¥486

61.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$3.13 ¥494

6.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$18.99 ¥2,997

-71.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.06 ¥167

35.85%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$22.8K ¥3.6M

-9.42%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$15.2K ¥2.4M

54.02%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$150 ¥23.6K

-43.29%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$23.41 ¥3,695

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$30.11 ¥4,753

-4.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$50.5 ¥7,978

12.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$12.49 ¥1,971

131.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$13.12 ¥2,071

-60.82%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$1,408 ¥222.3K

-85.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$18.2K ¥2.9M

-78.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$55.1 ¥8,691

-21.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$32.60 ¥5,146

27.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$64.8 ¥10.2K

14.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$72.1 ¥11.4K

23.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$609 ¥96.1K

60.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$388 ¥61.3K

-1.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$893 ¥141.0K

91.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$721 ¥113.8K

49.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$3,783 ¥597.0K

4.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$2,111 ¥333.2K

191.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.25

408.89%

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 Utsunomiya: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Utsunomiya

$388 29.5% 2% $7.6

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Utsunomiya

$327 24.8% 28.2% $72

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Utsunomiya

$132 10.1% 34.6% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Utsunomiya

$203 15.4% 48.4% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Utsunomiya

$101 7.7% 9.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Utsunomiya

$77 5.8% 14.1% $9.5

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Utsunomiya

$88 6.7% 74.7% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $609 in Utsunomiya. 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $17 in Utsunomiya. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $327 in Utsunomiya – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇵 Utsunomiya

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

10:23 10:23 AM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

519,217

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Utsunomiya 11,970 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

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Playa del Carmen
Utsunomiya

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 Utsunomiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Utsunomiya is pricier by about 9%, 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 $1,974 in Utsunomiya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Utsunomiya, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $609 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,316 in Utsunomiya. That makes Playa del Carmen about 9% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,316 in Utsunomiya, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,316 in Utsunomiya. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.