Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Yamaguchi

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Yamaguchi: $1,204 and $1,202 a month, rent and utilities included.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Yamaguchi, Japan
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Yamaguchi
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,202 in Yamaguchi, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Yamaguchi $1,202

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,849 in Yamaguchi, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Yamaguchi $1,849

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,495 in Yamaguchi, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Yamaguchi $2,495

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

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Yamaguchi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$204
$3.80 ¥600
187.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$810
$31.96 ¥5,050
35.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$220
$5.02 ¥793
134.66%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.2
$3.71 ¥586
2.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.96
$1.05 ¥166
21.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.63
$0.75 ¥118
4.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.2
$3.88 ¥613
-18.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.2
$2.21 ¥349
123.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Yamaguchi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.28
$1.55 ¥245
-9.03%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.43
$1.83 ¥288
21.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.48
$6.61 ¥1,045
-78.52%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.14
$2.21 ¥349
14.03%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$18.53 ¥2,928
-60.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$5.28 ¥834
45.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$237
$19.00 ¥3,002
-33.21%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.0
$3.71 ¥587
-25.07%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.56
$1.87 ¥295
-26.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.66
$2.82 ¥445
-9.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.67
$3.26 ¥515
-34.97%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.22
$2.22 ¥351
-12.61%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.24
$2.54 ¥402
-25.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.42
$1.08 ¥171
6.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.03
$0.93 ¥147
26.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.3
$4.04 ¥638
6.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$186
$6.20 ¥980
60.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.59
$1.67 ¥264
-5.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.91
$1.91 ¥302
39.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Yamaguchi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.34
$1.48 ¥234
-62.84%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$497
$50.8 ¥8,021
-47.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$92.9
$4.00 ¥631
24.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.2
$2.42 ¥382
37.60%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$100
$17.73 ¥2,800
-69.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.98
$1.07 ¥169
34.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$386.2K
$22.5K ¥3.6M
-8.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$438.5K
$15.3K ¥2.4M
52.98%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Yamaguchi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,584
$214 ¥33.8K
-60.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$437
$24.94 ¥3,940
-6.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$535
$33.47 ¥5,288
-14.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Yamaguchi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,066
$52.7 ¥8,327
8.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$540
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.0
$12.67 ¥2,001
-59.43%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Yamaguchi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,860
$695 ¥109.9K
-70.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.4K
$12.1K ¥1.9M
-67.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Yamaguchi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$810
$48.71 ¥7,695
-11.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$774
$25.97 ¥4,103
59.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,386
$65.8 ¥10.4K
12.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,668
$47.76 ¥7,546
86.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Yamaguchi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.3K
$409 ¥64.7K
139.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,116
$256 ¥40.4K
48.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.9K
$806 ¥127.3K
112.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.1K
$572 ¥90.4K
87.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.7K
$4,869 ¥769.3K
-19.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.1K
$2,007 ¥317.0K
206.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Yamaguchi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
1.97
481.22%

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 Yamaguchi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Yamaguchi
$256 32.8% $125
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Yamaguchi
$317 24.5% $62
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Yamaguchi
$121 40.2% $81
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Yamaguchi
$272 99.1% $136
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Yamaguchi
$85 24.2% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Yamaguchi
$78 15.9% $11
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Yamaguchi
$73 44.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $409 in Yamaguchi. 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 $32 in Yamaguchi. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $317 in Yamaguchi – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇯🇵 Yamaguchi
🕒 Local time
10:02 10:02 AM
00:02 12:02 AM
14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
193,966
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Yamaguchi 12,680 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Yamaguchi

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 Yamaguchi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,803 in Yamaguchi. 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 Yamaguchi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $409 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
How do food prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Yamaguchi?
Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $695 in Yamaguchi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 enough to cover costs in Playa del Carmen or in Yamaguchi?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,202 in Yamaguchi. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Yamaguchi?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Yamaguchi to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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