Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Yokohama

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,340 in Yokohama, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Yokohama, Japan
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Yokohama
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,340
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,340 in Yokohama, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Yokohama $1,340

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,054 in Yokohama, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Yokohama $2,054

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,768 in Yokohama, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Yokohama $2,768

Playa del Carmen is about 10% cheaper than Yokohama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Yokohama are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Yokohama 2% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Yokohama
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$6.45 ¥1,016
69.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$814
$40.72 ¥6,414
6.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$5.19 ¥818
126.97%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.5
$3.41 ¥537
11.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.07
$1.06 ¥166
20.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.70
$0.74 ¥116
5.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$2.60 ¥409
21.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$3.09 ¥488
59.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Yokohama
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.40
$1.46 ¥230
-3.42%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.62
$1.75 ¥276
26.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.61
$3.59 ¥565
-60.45%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.36
$2.03 ¥320
24.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$10.26 ¥1,616
-29.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$6.14 ¥967
25.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$14.66 ¥2,309
-13.44%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$5.54 ¥873
-49.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.68
$2.76 ¥435
-50.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.89
$2.96 ¥466
-13.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.86
$4.10 ¥646
-48.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.39
$2.52 ¥397
-23.02%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.41
$2.58 ¥406
-26.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.53
$1.30 ¥204
-11.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.13
$0.77 ¥121
53.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.6
$3.90 ¥615
10.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$6.30 ¥993
57.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.73
$1.82 ¥287
-13.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$2.09 ¥330
27.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Yokohama
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.39
$1.37 ¥216
-59.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$62.4 ¥9,833
-57.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.3
$3.11 ¥490
59.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.5
$2.66 ¥419
25.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$20.61 ¥3,246
-73.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.11
$1.07 ¥168
34.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.0K
$21.6K ¥3.4M
-4.29%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$440.5K
$16.1K ¥2.5M
45.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Yokohama
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,592
$130 ¥20.5K
-34.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$24.74 ¥3,897
-5.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$538
$32.65 ¥5,143
-12.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Yokohama
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,071
$48.93 ¥7,707
16.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
$11.78 ¥1,855
145.42%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.5
$13.09 ¥2,062
-60.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Yokohama
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,878
$805 ¥126.8K
-74.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.7K
$15.0K ¥2.4M
-73.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Yokohama
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$814
$61.7 ¥9,711
-29.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$778
$37.72 ¥5,942
9.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,393
$62.6 ¥9,864
18.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,676
$102 ¥16.0K
-12.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Yokohama
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$1,097 ¥172.7K
-10.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,150
$450 ¥70.8K
-15.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$1,796 ¥283.0K
-4.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$805 ¥126.7K
33.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.0K
$5,778 ¥910.1K
-31.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.6K
$4,066 ¥640.4K
51.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Yokohama
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$2,669 ¥420.5K
-72.48%
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 25, 2026

Last update for Yokohama: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Yokohama
$450 18.1% $69
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Yokohama
$290 13.7% $35
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Yokohama
$134 33.6% $68
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Yokohama
$188 37.2% $51
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Yokohama
$119 6.3% $7
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Yokohama
$75 11.6% $7.8
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Yokohama
$84 67.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,097 in Yokohama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Yokohama are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $41 in Yokohama. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $290 in Yokohama – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇯🇵 Yokohama
🕒 Local time
21:55 9:55 PM
11:55 11:55 AM
14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
3,777,491
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Yokohama 12,070 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Yokohama

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 Yokohama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Yokohama?
Yes – Yokohama is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,010 in Yokohama. 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,097 in Yokohama.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Yokohama?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,340 in Yokohama. That makes Playa del Carmen about 10% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 57% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 enough for either Playa del Carmen or Yokohama?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,340 in Yokohama, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Playa del Carmen or Yokohama more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Yokohama makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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