Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shiga and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Shiga and in Playa del Carmen: $1,207 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Shiga
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Shiga Living Index
58

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

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Shiga

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,207

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Shiga and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Shiga vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Shiga $1,207
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,897 per month in Shiga vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Shiga $1,897
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,588 per month in Shiga vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Shiga $2,588
Playa del Carmen $2,959

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

Both Shiga and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Shiga 11% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.19 ¥976

$10.92 MX$205

-43.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.73 ¥5,003

$43.37 MX$815

-26.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 ¥782

$11.78 MX$221

-57.89%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ¥465

$3.81 MX$71.6

-22.57%

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

$1.31 ¥206

$1.28 MX$24.10

2.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥110

$0.78 MX$14.71

-10.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ¥436

$3.17 MX$59.5

-12.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ¥557

$4.93 MX$92.7

-28.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥203

$1.41 MX$26.43

-9.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 ¥196

$2.22 MX$41.66

-44.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 ¥613

$1.42 MX$26.64

173.94%

Eggs

$2.04 ¥321

$2.52 MX$47.41

-19.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,490

$7.26 MX$137

30.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 ¥1,450

$7.70 MX$145

19.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.48 ¥2,914

$12.69 MX$239

45.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 ¥542

$2.78 MX$52.3

23.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 ¥320

$1.37 MX$25.71

48.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 ¥322

$2.55 MX$47.94

-20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 ¥625

$2.12 MX$39.90

87.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.94 MX$36.43

-21.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ¥179

$1.89 MX$35.44

-39.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ¥215

$1.15 MX$21.55

18.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥137

$1.18 MX$22.16

-26.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 ¥626

$4.30 MX$80.7

-7.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.77 ¥1,541

$9.95 MX$187

-1.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥300

$1.58 MX$29.76

20.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ¥493

$2.67 MX$50.2

17.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.16 ¥183

$0.55 MX$10.40

110.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.2 ¥8,863

$26.62 MX$500

111.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ¥609

$4.97 MX$93.4

-22.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 ¥504

$3.33 MX$62.6

-3.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.98 ¥3,466

$5.36 MX$101

310.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥172

$1.44 MX$27.14

-24.31%

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

$22.7K ¥3.6M

$20.7K MX$388.4K

9.75%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$23.5K MX$441.0K

-34.98%

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

$137 ¥21.6K

$84.8 MX$1,594

61.68%

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

$24.58 ¥3,876

$23.41 MX$440

5.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.76 ¥2,957

$28.66 MX$539

-34.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 ¥8,202

$57.1 MX$1,072

-8.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 ¥1,979

$5.14 MX$96.6

144.16%

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

$697 ¥110.0K

$207 MX$3,882

237.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K ¥2.1M

$3,927 MX$73.8K

240.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.59 ¥7,662

$43.35 MX$815

12.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.84 ¥4,863

$41.44 MX$779

-25.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 ¥11.6K

$74.2 MX$1,394

-1.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 ¥14.2K

$89.3 MX$1,677

0.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$551 ¥86.9K

$980 MX$18.4K

-43.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 ¥53.1K

$381 MX$7,157

-11.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$998 ¥157.3K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-41.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ¥114.7K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-32.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,617 ¥728.0K

$3,943 MX$74.1K

17.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,022 ¥318.8K

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-67.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,210 ¥190.9K

$735 MX$13.8K

64.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

11.45

-80.70%

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

Last update for Shiga: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shiga

$337 27.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 13.1% $44

Groceries & Markets

Shiga

$294 24.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 13.4% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shiga

$180 15%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 24.2% $44

Eating Out

Shiga

$129 10.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 57.3% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Shiga

$109 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 2.2% $2.4

Getting Around

Shiga

$81 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 37.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Shiga

$77 6.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 12.7% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $551 in Shiga versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 65% higher in Shiga. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Shiga versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $294 in Shiga vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Shiga

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:40 7:40 PM

05:40 5:40 AM

14 h behind Shiga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,836

149,923

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Shiga Playa del Carmen 12,330 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Shiga
Playa del Carmen

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

Shiga vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Shiga and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shiga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $551 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Shiga, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Kindergarten costs $697 per month in Shiga and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,207 in Shiga and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,207 in Shiga. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shiga makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.